HISTORY

The Pope's Swiss Guards Are Now Outfitted in 3D-Printed Helmets

The Vatican's Swiss Guard has worn the same metal helmets since the 1500s. Now, after centuries of neck pain and burns from the Sun, they've switched to 3D-printed plastic.

32cnamart, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

A Private Island With Ancient Ruins Just Hit the Market in Ireland

Interested in buying your own private island? High Island in Ireland is currently for sale, and it's home to ruins dating back to the 7th century.

15 Amazing Facts About the Washington Monument

Although the towering tribute to President George Washington is an icon of the Washington, D.C. skyline, there might be a few things you don't know about the Washington Monument's history.

13 Fascinating Facts About Nina Simone

Nina Simone—who was born as Eunice Waymon on February 21, 1933—was known for using her musical platform to speak out.

Beyond Kellerman's: Inside the Real Catskill Resorts That Inspired Dirty Dancing

For much of the 20th century, all-inclusive Jewish resorts dotted the landscape of upstate New York. And yes, there was plenty of dancing.

Ira Aldridge: The Black Shakespearean Actor Who Broke Theater's Color Barrier

Ira Aldridge became the first famous African-American actor—but he didn't find fame in the U.S. Here's how he battled prejudice to become the 19th century's "greatest living actor."

The Time Nikola Tesla Paid for His Hotel Room With a 'Death Ray'

When an expensive bill came due and Tesla was broke, the famous scientist and inventor got creative.

Portrait of detainnee Tom Kobayashi at Manzanar War Relocation Center, Owens Valley, California, 1943

12 Facts About Japanese Incarceration in the United States

On February 19, 1942, FDR sanctioned the removal of Japanese immigrants and Americans of Japanese heritage from their homes to be imprisoned in camps throughout the country.

Belgium's Blue Forest is One of the Most Beautiful Natural Areas on Earth

Belgium's Hallerbos forest turns blue each spring when innumerable bluebells blanket the ancient woodland.

15 Facts About Nicolaus Copernicus

He sat on his heliocentric theory of the universe for 30-some years, and only published his ideas on his deathbed.

Joan of Arc as painted by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

The Medieval Woman Who Made a Living Pretending to be Joan of Arc

Claude des Armoises earned cash and gifts while fooling the King of France himself—until it all came crashing down.

Kurt Hutton, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Disturbing Reason Schools Tattooed Their Students in the 1950s

In 1952, at the height of the Cold War, elementary schools in Lake County, Indiana asked hundreds of students to line up, raise their arms, and get ready for the stabbing pain of a tattoo gun, all in the service of post-apocalyptic blood transfusions.

25 Things You Might Not Know About Thomas Jefferson

Our nation's third president bribed a reporter and kept a pet mockingbird. For more on Jefferson’s life, accomplishments, and controversies, take a look at this assembly of 25 facts.

Galileo Galilei in an oil painting by an Italian painter, 18th (?) century.

15 Fascinating Facts About Galileo

Galileo Galilei, the father of modern astronomy, probably never dropped anything off the leaning tower of Pisa, and he didn't actually invent the telescope. But he did change history with his discoveries about the cosmos.

An assortment of Madam C.J. Walker products

8 Daring Female Entrepreneurs From History

From merchants to ironmasters to dressmakers, these historic women shattered glass ceilings and broke stereotypes to rise to the top of their trades.

How to See a Dozen Presidential Homes in One Road Trip for Less Than $220

Want to see the country while indulging your love of all things presidential? These three road trip itineraries show you how to get from place to place without breaking the bank.

Scewing, Wikimedia Commons // Public domain

10 Trailblazing Facts About Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony's contributions to the women's rights movement helped bring about the Nineteenth Amendment. Learn more about this suffrage pioneer here.

A Designer Turned Her Grandparents's World War II-Era Love Letters Into Jewelry

Instead of safekeeping her grandparents’s old love letters in a ribbon-tied shoebox, Meghan Coomes turns them into heirloom accessories.

7 of John Adams's Greatest Insults

John Adams had a reputation for articulate jabs and razor-sharp put-downs at the expense of his rivals and allies alike. Here are a few of his best zingers.

Benjamin Franklin, whose ghost was said to have contributed some of the instructions for the New Motive Power

When 19th-Century Spiritualists Believed a "God Machine" Would Save Humanity

John Murray Spear said the spirits told him how to create a perpetual motion machine. But things didn't go quite according to plan.

7 Words That Came About From People Getting Them Wrong

Whether it's pea, newt, or nickname, these words started out as other words entirely. Can you guess their original versions?

15 Things You Didn't Know About Coco Chanel

Mademoiselle Coco Chanel built one of the most iconic brands in the world—and a LBD with a spritz of Chanel No. 5 is still considered fashion <em>du jour</em>.

Pipe layer Jannick Vestergaard and engineer Henning Nøhr hold up the sword they found.

A (Still-Sharp) Medieval Sword Was Pulled from a Sewer in Denmark

Archaeologists think the sword's owner may have been defeated in battle during the power struggles and strife that marked the medieval era.

6 Things Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin Had In Common

On February 12, 1809, two of the most revolutionary men of the 19th century were born ... and they had a lot more in common than a knack for growing epic beards.

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