HISTORY

One guest-submitted photo of museum artifacts.

Wikipedia Is Digitally 'Preserving' Items Destroyed in the Brazil National Museum Fire

Up to 20 million artifacts were lost.

15 Female Mathematicians Whose Accomplishments Add Up

Their world-altering contributions include making hospitals safer, laying the groundwork for the computer, and advancing space flight.

Hidden Library: How Science Is Virtually Unwrapping the Charred Scrolls of Herculaneum

Papyri that were sealed shut by a volcanic eruption in 79 CE are too fragile to open by hand. One computer scientist has developed the X-ray vision to read them.

Fishermen Caught a 10,500-Year-Old Giant Irish Elk Skull—Antlers and All

The species has long been extinct.

11 Things You Should Know About Rosh Hashanah

The first Rosh Hashanah supposedly occurred in the Garden of Eden. But what does this important Jewish holiday involve today?

Egide Charles Gustave Wappers, Wikimedia Commons // Public domain

How the Performance of a French Opera About a Neapolitan Revolt Sparked a Belgian Revolution

In 1830, King William I of Netherlands celebrated his birthday with an opera. The performance would help destroy his country.

10 Letters That Didn't Make the Alphabet

There are quite a few letters we tossed aside as our language grew, and you probably never even knew they existed.

The people of Gander, Newfoundland, took in thousands of “plane people” on 9/11.

9/11 and the Hospitable People of Gander, Newfoundland

In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, our Canadian neighbors in Gander, Newfoundland sprang into action.

12 Things You Didn't Know About New York Fashion Week

Because the best way to appreciate fashion's future is to tip a hat to its past.

Construction Workers in Italy Uncover a Jar of 5th-Century Gold Coins Potentially Worth Millions

They were found not far from the site of an ancient Roman town.

Royals from Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Monaco, and elsewhere gathered at the 2010 wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

This Interactive Family Tree Shows How Europe's Monarchs Are Related

Wow, are these family ties tangled.

Exposed to the Elements: A Strange 1920s Death on the Scottish Island of Iona

Over the course of a century, several theories have arisen to explain the true cause of Nora Emily Fornario's death.

Online Museum Is Preserving 'Endangered' Sounds for Future Generations

Because everyone should know what the click of a View-Master sounds like.

11 of the Oldest Foods and Drinks Ever Discovered

A pat of bog butter, anyone?

Could a Massive Volcanic Eruption Have Led to Napoleon's Loss at Waterloo?

New research hints that a volcano may have rained all over Napoleon's parade in 1815.

Scientists Are Racing to Save Neil Armstrong's Deteriorating Spacesuit

Plastic is surprisingly hard to preserve.

Archaeologists on site at The Theatre during the 2008 excavation

The Long-Buried 16th-Century Theater Where Shakespeare's Earliest Plays Were Performed Will Reopen

It hasn't been seen by the public in more than 400 years.

20 Militant Murals in Northern Ireland

Take a tour of Belfast's eeriest works of public art.

David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Fenella Woolgar in "The Unicorn and the Wasp"

13 'Doctor Who' Episodes Ripped Straight from World History

From Jack the Ripper's murderous rampage to Agatha Christie's mysterious disappearance, The Doctor has tangled with plenty of real-life characters.

Illustration of a katzenklavier from the satirical magazine 'Kladderadatsch' circa 1897.

The Katzenklavier: An Organ Made of Cats

Long before the wonders of keyboard cat, felines and music had a tense relationship. The two were tied by an infernal instrument—the katzenklavier, or cat organ.

There’s a WWII-Era Submarine Stuck in the New Jersey Mud

What was meant to serve as a historical landmark has turned into an ongoing series of headaches.

222-0: The Worst Blowout in College Football History

Coach John Heisman was bent on revenge.

A Surprisingly Disgusting History of Lemonade Stands

The stands were originally set up so con men could serve putrid molasses water with a few lemon rinds floating on top. Things went downhill from there.

10 Fascinating Facts About Princess Diana

On August 31, 1997, the world mourned the passing of Princess Diana. Though she never found her happily-ever-after with Prince Charles, Diana remains an icon of strength and independence.

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