HISTORY

More Than 75 Years Later, Remains of Pearl Harbor Sailors Are Being Returned to Their Homes

Advances in DNA technology have made it possible to identify previously unknown victims.

The Planning of Pearl Harbor

On this date in 1941, Japan launched a daring attack on Pearl Harbor. While devastating, the move stirred the wrath of the American people, bringing the world’s largest industrial power squarely into the war.

The Poison-Detecting Secret Weapon of the Middle Ages: Unicorn Horn

It was the must-have accessory for royals watching their back.

Lady Death: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Greatest Female Sniper of All Time

With 309 confirmed kills, she became a heroic figure to the Soviets—but the American media didn't know what to make of her.

Funeral Train of President Abraham Lincoln

A Brief History of Presidential Funeral Trains

President Bush's funeral has revived an old tradition.

Schindler's List Is Returning to Theaters for Its 25th Anniversary

"This is maybe the most important time to re-release this film," director Steven Spielberg said.

Braun and Hogenberg map of London, Civitates Orbis Terrarum (1572)

Revisit Medieval London's Deadliest Crimes With an Interactive Murder Map

There were a surprising number of murders related to clothing theft.

15 Intriguing Facts About Walt Disney

One of artist, producer, entrepreneur, and all-around game-changer Walt Disney's last written communications was rather mysterious—and involved Kurt Russell.

The Real Purpose Behind That Plastic Grass in Your Take-Out Sushi Box

It isn't just there to make your food look pretty.

Hajotthu, Wikimedia Commons // Public domain

A 17th-Century Noblewoman's Rare Poems About War-Torn England Can Be Read Online

Hester Pulter broke convention—and the expectations of her gender and class—by writing about science and politics.

Birdemic: The Great American Parrot Fever Panic of 1930

Was the outbreak a true epidemic, or an example of mass hysteria?

Generals Rochambeau and Washington give the last orders for attack at the siege of Yorktown. With them is the Marquis de Lafayette. Circa 1781.

11 Facts About the Battle of Yorktown

In order to safely move his troops south to Virginia, General Washington distracted the British by building bread ovens in New Jersey.

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (left) stands on the Eiffel Tower staircase in this 1889 photo.

A Piece of the Eiffel Tower's Original Staircase Is Going Up for Auction

It's expected to fetch as much as $60,000.

The Time Johnny Cash’s Estate Went to War Over Hemorrhoid Cream

"And it burns burns burns, that ring of fire ..."

The Highly Unusual Funeral of Lee Harvey Oswald

Fearing attacks on his corpse, the Secret Service guarded Lee Harvey Oswald well into the afterlife.

The Time Ohio and Michigan Almost Went to War for Real

Ohio State vs. Michigan is one of the best rivalries in sports. But two centuries ago, the states were ready to go to war for real.

The Tragic End to Franklin Pierce's Friendship with Nathaniel Hawthorne

Pierce and Hawthorne became fast friends as students Bowdoin College and their friendship deepened over the years.

25 Fascinating Facts About John F. Kennedy

More than a half-century after his assassination cut his presidency short, JFK remains one of history’s most intriguing figures—and, according to Gallup, America’s favorite president.

9 People Who Killed John F. Kennedy, According to Conspiracy Theorists

Among those who don't believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing JFK, the same names keep popping up.

The Real Case of Spontaneous Combustion That Inspired a Death in Dickens's Bleak House

Dickens believed humans could spontaneously combust—and he had Cornelia di Bandi's death as proof.

General Photographic Agency, Getty Images

A 'Lost' Disney Cartoon from 1928 Has Been Discovered in Japan

It's one of just 26 Oswald the Rabbit cartoons made in the pre-Mickey era.

Image Composite: Edward Everett (Wikimedia Commons), Background (Wikimedia Commons)

The Other Gettysburg Address You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The greatest speech in American history had a tough act to follow.

7 Rarely Seen Portraits of the Standing Rock Sioux at the Turn of the Century

The Standing Rock Portraits is the first book of turn-of-the-century photographer Frank Bennett Fiske's photos ever released.

The title page of The Love Books of Ovid (1925), translated to English by James Lewis May and illustrated by Jean de Bosschère

'Obscene' Books From Oxford's Bodleian Libraries Go on Display for the First Time

A few of them are now taught in high school English classes.

Prev Next