HISTORY

Why Do We Call the NCAA Basketball Tournament 'March Madness'?

The story of March Madness has everything: Chaucer, sex-crazed hares, Alice in Wonderland, lawsuits, and a basketball coach-turned-poet from Illinois.

Why We Eat Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day

Though it's the official dish of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day in America, corned beef and cabbage was actually popularized in New York City.

Jackie Gleason on the set of You're in the Picture, arguably the worst game show to ever air.

You're in the Picture: The '60s Game Show That Was So Bad, It Required an On-Air Apology

After just one episode, Jackie Gleason was so ashamed of 'You're in the Picture' that he spent the entire second episode apologizing to viewers for it.

A digital model of the World War II bunker found in Scotland.

A Secret World War II Bunker Was Just Discovered in Scotland

The underground bunker housed Britain’s last line of defense, a unit known as “Churchill’s secret army.”

Eden, Janine and Jim, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

University College London Moves Jeremy Bentham's Auto-Icon to a New Location

Jeremy Bentham’s auto-icon, consisting of a wax head and a foam body built around his actual skeleton, has been moved to a new location in its London home.

Gracie Allen laughed her way to a presidential run in 1940.

How Gracie Allen and the Surprise Party Got 1940s America Excited to Vote

Although the stunt was obviously a joke, “Vote for Gracie” buttons popped up around the U.S. Harvard students pledged their support for Allen’s campaign.

Julia Stiles at the Golden Globe Awards in 2011.

49 Notable Columbia University Alumni

Columbia University, Manhattan's Ivy League institution, boasts Alexander Hamilton, Barack Obama, and even Alicia Keys (sort of) among its former students.

An 1888 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper depicts women's suffrage in the Wyoming territory.

Why Wyoming Women Were Granted Voting Rights 50 Years Before the 19th Amendment

More than 50 years before the 19th Amendment, legislators in the Wyoming Territory passed a bill granting women voting rights.

Viktoria Hrekova, iStock via Getty Images

Treasure Hunters Unearth 22 Spanish Coins From 1715 Shipwreck on Florida Beach

Florida's Treasure Coast is filled with artifacts from an 18th-century shipwreck, as a group of friends demonstrated recently when they found 22 silver coins there.

The 17th-century Samuel de Champlain map of New France was stolen from the Boston Public Library.

18 Surprising Things Stolen From Libraries

From swords and skeletons to chairs and coins, here’s a roundup of the most unusual items thieves have stolen from libraries.

Historian Liz Hallam Smith shows off the a-door-able opening in the wall of Westminster Hall.

Secret Doorway Discovered in London’s House of Commons

Earlier this week, England’s Parliament announced that a secret door had been discovered in the walls of Westminster Hall. Inside, historians found “graffiti” left in 1851 by a bricklayer who was “fond of Ould Ale.”

The Violent Shootout That Led to Daryl Hall and John Oates Joining Forces

One of the biggest duos in pop music history, Daryl Hall and John Oates first encountered one another during a dance hall riot in 1967 Philadelphia.

Prince George with his mother, Kate Middleton, and sister, Princess Charlotte, during a 2016 trip to Canada.

The Reason Prince George Always Wears Shorts

Prince George’s combinations of knee socks and shorts have made him a royal family fashion icon just like his mother, Kate Middleton.

Bob Dylan performs a concert at the Warfield in San Francisco, California, in 1979.

14 True Crime Songs About Murder and Mayhem

The phrase “ripped from the headlines” doesn’t just apply to 'Law & Order' episodes. Songwriters throughout the history of popular music have drawn inspiration from real-life tales of murder and mayhem.

Drone image above the H.M.S. Erebus shipwreck.

More Than 350 Franklin Expedition Artifacts Retrieved from Shipwreck of HMS Erebus

A pair of epaulets, a pencil case, and a glass decanter were found at the Arctic shipwreck, which continues to reveal clues to the fate of the doomed 19th century expedition.

A stretch of Old Dixie Highway in Homestead, Florida.

Miami’s Dixie Highway Will Become Harriet Tubman Highway

"Dixie"—a word associated with the Confederate States of America and slavery—will no longer be on Miami-Dade County’s road signs.

History Vs. Podcast Bonus Episode: Theodore Roosevelt vs. Bigfoot

In his 1893 book The Wilderness Hunter, TR wrote about what he called "a goblin story that really impressed" him. Mental Floss Science Editor Kat Long joins Erin to discuss "The Bauman Incident." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.co

Charmin toilet paper icon Mr. Whipple in 1999.

The Big Squeeze: How Mr. Whipple Made Advertising History

Dick Wilson, the star of more than 500 Charmin toilet paper commercials, became one of the most recognizable faces in the country.

Julius Caesar

Learn more about Caesar's political career, his affair with Cleopatra, his death, and much more.

From left to right: Kaa-xoo-auxc (Garfield George), Jisgang (Nika Collison), Megan Humchitt, Haa’yuups (Ron Hamilton), and Chief Wigviłba Wákas (Harvey Humchitt) performing traditional ceremony before the move of the Great Canoe at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The American Museum of Natural History Moves Its Great Canoe—for the First Time in 60 Years—to Its Revitalized Northwest Coast Hall

For its planned multimillion-dollar redesign of its iconic Northwest Coast Hall, the American Museum of Natural History is collaborating with Indigenous leaders on an ambitious new conservation project.

Mark Twain was no fan of the postal service.

8 Hilarious Historical Feuds

Some feuds make—and change!—history. The Hatfields and McCoys. Edison versus Tesla. Coke and Pepsi. Here are eight tales of petty jealousy and downright spite that were made for the history books. (And we’ve determined the winners!)

12 Splendid Facts About Kensington Palace

From William and Mary to William and Kate, find out which royals have lived, died, and possibly haunted Kensington Palace.

The Library of Congress Needs Help Transcribing Walt Whitman’s Poems and Letters

The Library of Congress is home to the largest collection of Walt Whitman manuscripts on Earth, and it needs your help transcribing and reviewing them.

An illustration of Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address from 1905.

8 Momentous Facts About Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Much longer than four score and seven years ago, Abraham Lincoln delivered the most famous two-minute speech in history.

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