HISTORY

7 Famous People Researchers Want to Exhume

DNA research and other techniques might help us understand how famous people died, or the ailments they suffered while they lived.

9 Facts About Frances Perkins, the First Female Cabinet Member

As Labor Secretary, she tried to save Jews fleeing the Nazi regime.

Lost Gustav Holst Music Found in a New Zealand Symphony Archive

"Folk Songs From Somerset" will be performed for the first time in 100 years.

WWI Centennial: Bolshevik Coup Attempt Fails

Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened. This is the 282nd installment in the series.

London's Natural History Museum Has a New Star Attraction: An Amazing Blue Whale Skeleton

The skeleton is suspended from the main entrance hall's ceilings, providing visitors with a 360-degree view of the largest animal ever known to have lived on Earth.

15 of Nelson Mandela's Most Inspiring Quotes

No one has changed and inspired the world quite like Nelson Mandela.

10 Inspiring Facts About Nelson Mandela

You may know all about Nelson Mandela's imprisonment and anti-Apartheid work, but here are a few things you might not know about the inspiring world leader.

11 Classic Facts About Converse Chucks

They were the favored shoe of the NBA until the late '60s.

Century-Old Graffiti Written by Hotel Waiters Discovered on the Walls of Florida Museum

Complaining about lousy tippers is a timeless tradition.

Salem Dedicates a Memorial at Site of Witch Trial Hangings

The memorial marks the rocky outcrop near the bottom of Gallows Hill where 19 Salem residents accused of witchcraft lost their lives in 1692.

Allan Warren, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Her Other Forte: Comedian Phyllis Diller Was Also a Concert Pianist

She was 53 and one of America's most famous comedians—then she started tickling the ivories in addition to funny bones.

Why Ice Cream Parlors Were Once Considered Evil

A den of corruption, prostitution, and sin.

Jane Austen, Home Brewer

Brewing beer was an important part of women's lives for centuries, and Jane Austen was no exception.

On This Day in 2003, Netscape Went Offline Forever

It came back as Firefox, fueled by Mozilla's open source code.

When Vlad the Impaler Repelled an Invasion With a Forest of Corpses

History remembers Vlad as the inspiration for 'Dracula,' but his war with an Ottoman sultan was just as gruesome as anything in Bram Stoker’s novel

14 Revolutionary Facts About Bastille Day

On July 14, 1789, Parisian rebels stormed the Bastille prison. Its sudden fall kicked off the French revolution, an Earth-shaking event whose echoes we still feel today.

Two Unknown Paintings by Raphael Discovered on the Vatican's Walls

They're fresco figures painted inside the Palace of the Vatican's Room of Constantine that represent the allegorical figures of Friendship and Justice.

Typewriter Sold at Flea Market Turns Out to Be Rare World War II Enigma Machine

The device created allegedly unbreakable codes for the Nazi war effort.

Grave Sightings: Alexander Hamilton

Can't afford to see the musical? Good news: The gravesite is free, and if you're in New York City you can visit it.

11 Well-Drawn Facts About The Etch A Sketch

How does it work? It's actually pretty simple.

Eva Ekeblad, the Woman Who Reinvented the Potato

The Swedish royal family member realized that spuds could be ground into starch and used to make booze.

A Brief History of the First French Encyclopedia

Diderot's Encyclopédie presented the knowledge of the Enlightenment in just 20 million words.

Remembering the Final Space Shuttle Mission

The STS-135 crew got morning wakeup calls from Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, Michael Stipe, and Elton John.

You Could Once Buy “Memento Kits” Made of White House Scraps

During the early 1950s, souvenir hunters could own a piece of the White House for as little as 25 cents.

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