Author and illustrator Maurice Sendak is reported to have died today of complications arising from a stroke. Sendak was a largely self-taught illustrator and writer of children’s books, best known for his 1963 publication Where the Wild Things Are. At a time when stories for children were boring, whitewashed affairs, Sendak injected elements of menace and the bizarre.

Way back in 1991, Ötzi the Iceman was discovered mummified in the Alps. Although he’s been dead for a good 5,300 years, he’s incredibly well-preserved, which has given researchers unique glimpse into what life might have been like five millenia ago. Recently, Ötzi was found to be lactose intolerant and pre-disposed to heart disease, but that may not be the end of his secrets. Upon very, very close inspection, scientists have now found intact red blood cells in a wound on Ötzi’s shoulder, the oldest known intact red blood cells in existence.

Closing out this year’s Coachella festival was a surprise performance by none other than a hologram of Tupac Shakur, a pairing of concepts I think most people had never imagined prior to yesterday. The rapper’s appearance was shocking not only because of the holography, but because Shakur was famously murdered in 1996.

In late March, the derelict 200-foot long shrimp trawling boat Ryou-Un Maru was spotted off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. The boat had been missing since March 11, 2011 when it was thrown out to sea during the deadly tsunami that ravaged coastal Japan. Days after being spotted, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Anacapa intercepted the boat and blew the ever lovin’ hell out of it. See more pictures, after the break.

In what may be an early April Fool’s gag comes the ultimate bacon-related purchase: The bacon coffin. Sadly not made from actual bacon, this painted 18-gauge steel coffin comes from J&D’s — the makers of baconaise, bacon salt, and the legendary BaconAir. According to the founders of the company, which apparently consider themselves “Bacontrepreneurs,” this is the perfect item for someone who loves bacon to death.

Legendary artist, illustrator, and comic book author Jean Giraud (AKA Moebius) has died at age 73. While his work has been woefully hard to find translated in the United States, the effect of Moebius on sci-fi and fantasy cannot be overstated. His illusory landscapes and wildly imaginative imagery showed that there was no upper limit to creativity, and his influence will be felt for years to come.

Ralph McQuarrie, the illustrator that worked on the original Star Wars and other films, died last night at the age of 82. Before McQuarrie met George Lucas, he worked as an illustrator for Boeing and painted animations of the Apollo moon program for CBS. This background in high-tech mechanical design would prove invaluable when he was approached by Lucas in 1975 to work on his sci-fi epic. It was McQuarrie’s artwork that not only helped shape the series into what we know today, but also convinced wary Fox executives that they should greenlight Star Wars in the first place. Selections of McQuarrie’s Star Wars artwork follow below.

Douglas Adams, the author of that staple of sci-fi satire The Hithhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, died 11 years ago at the tender age of 49. For me, and likely for others, it was the first time that an icon of mine died. To celebrate his life and what would be his 60th birthday, his friends and family are putting together an enormous party featuring comedy, Adams’ college plays, and music. If you happen to be in London on March 11 at 5:00 P.M., you can take part in this most exciting of revelries.

In 2007, visitors to the Vancouver Aquarium uploaded a video to YouTube of two otters holding hands (paws?) while sleeping on their backs in their tank. The adorable video quickly skyrocketed in popularity, becoming a seminal exemplar of videos going “viral.” The two otters were a female named Nyac and a male named Milo, who enjoyed many happy years at the aquarium after their rise to e-stardom. Sadly, after a struggle with cancer, Milo died this past Thursday.

It started with the sale of a violin by Erica, with money exchanged via PayPal. The story goes awry when the buyer of the instrument complained to both Erica and PayPal that the violin was a fake — despite apparently being appraised by several experts. In a move echoing the wisdom of King Solomon, PayPal ordered the buyer to destroy the violin. As you can see above, that’s exactly what happened.