HISTORY

Joe Parks, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

How 10 Oakland Neighborhoods Got Their Names

"The Twomps" arose from a slang word for "20."

The Typo That Helped End World War II

One missing letter led to the Ministry of Defence accidentally hiring a seaweed expert instead of a codebreaker. Turns out that's just what they needed.

The only known photograph of Caroline Weldon (seated), taken in 1915 with her friend Aline Estoppey

Caroline Weldon, 19th Century Indigenous Rights Advocate and Sitting Bull's Secretary

Her courage is reflected in her Sioux nickname, “Woman Walking Ahead."

Long-Closed Part of Westminster Abbey to Open to the Public for the First Time in 700 Years

The triforium, 70 feet above the Abbey’s ground floor, will be open to the public as a museum in June 2018.

Photo illustration by Mental Floss. Images: iStock.

11 Things That Are Forbidden in British Parliament

Better not call anyone a "stoolpigeon."

Image: Otto Herschan, Getty Images. Background: iStock. Composite: Lucy Quintanilla, Mental Floss

15 Facts about Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson emerged as one of the preeminent voices of his generation, both in his lifetime and in the annals of history.

Every Conversation That Happened During the First Moon Landing, Visualized

Yes, they talked about sandwiches.

The Color Dictionary Darwin Used to Describe the Natural World, Pre-Pantone

Here's how naturalists and scientific illustrators used to cope.

How a Scottish Swindler Lured His Countrymen to a Fake City of Untold Riches

The Territory of Poyais didn't actually exist.

10 Facts About Lithium

Lithium is used in everything from smartphone batteries to medication for bipolar disorder.

11 Facts About the Pony Express

Most of what you know about the Pony Express is probably myth. . Here are 11 things you might not have known about the amazing delivery service.

Stormy Waters Carry a 19th-Century Shipwreck to Florida Beach

The hull is remarkably well-preserved.

Christine Granville, World War II Special Agent

The fearless Polish countess became Britain's first female special agent during World War II.

The Reason You See the Same Leaves Atop So Many Columns

Once you know what to look for, you'll spot it everywhere.

National Portrait Gallery, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Love Living Deliberately? Bid on This Replica of Thoreau's Walden Pond Cabin

It's cozy.

Aerial photo of site Mt05, a circular enclosure (140 meter diameter) located on a hilltop.

Part of the Amazon Thought to Be Uninhabited May Have Been Home to 1 Million People

Life in the Amazon before colonization was more bustling than previously thought.

Sir Francis Chichester is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1967.

How Does One Become A Knight?

Here are the answers to some of your most pressing knighthood-related questions.

Chemung County Historical Society, Elmira, NY

John W. Jones: The Runaway Slave Who Buried Nearly 3000 Confederate Soldiers

He saved lives on the Underground Railroad—then cared for the Confederate dead.

An Affair to Dismember: John Wayne Bobbitt's Penis Remembered

After being surgically reattached following an attack by his knife-wielding wife in 1993, Bobbit's male organ became the most infamous penis in history. Here's what it's been up to.