HISTORY

Chloe Effron/Wikimedia (Banting and Letter on Corpulence)

William Banting, Early Champion of the Low-Carb Diet

Years before Atkins, "banting" became a synonym for low-carb dieting.

Apple I computer. Image Credit: Ed Uthman via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

The First Products of 11 Famous Companies

These corporate giants have come a long way.

10 Music Video Milestones That Predated MTV

MTV debuted in 1981, but the history of the music video dates back to the late 1800s.

How Seattle's Neighborhoods Got Their Names

From lost coin flips to misidentified foliage.

Chloe Effron/The Anaconda Standard // Public Domain

Ike Gravelle, Montana’s Original Dynamiting Extortionist

His attempts to dynamite Northern Pacific Railroad tracks foreshadowed the Unabomber—but he had very different goals.

The Time Walt Disney Kidnapped Richard Nixon

Yes, Walt Disney kidnapped then-Vice President Richard Nixon and his family in 1959 – but it wasn’t exactly a sinister plot.

Chinese Snuff Bottles From the End of an Era

In the Chinese court, it was customary to use snuff bottles, small corked containers that kept the pricey contents fresh and flavorful.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division // Public Domain

7 Photographic Tricks, Hoaxes, and Fads Before Photoshop

Fake decapitation was the LOLcats of the 19th century.

Finishing the Negative via Google Books // Public Domain

How Photo Retouching Worked Before Photoshop

Photographers and cultural critics have long debated the ethics of retouching—even when it took place directly on the negative in the 19th century.

9 Forms of Birth Control Used in the Ancient World

Women and men in ancient cultures used a variety of unusual methods to prevent pregnancy, with differing levels of success (and hygiene).

The Olympic Sprinter Who Nearly Lost Her Medals Because of Her Autopsy

The woman once regarded as the world's greatest female athlete spent her life—and death—trapped between identities.

The Castles, and Mysteries, of the Thousand Islands

Yes, the Thousand Islands is a real place. And they've got some great castles.

Gymnast Kerri Strug is carried off the floor by her coach Bela Karolyi after her routine at the Georgia Dome at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia on July 23, 1996.

When Kerri Strug Made Olympic History In 1996

The Russian women's gymnastics team hadn't been defeated in 48 years. To do it, Kerri Strug had to jump with a torn ankle.

See How Jane Austen Edited Her Abandoned Novel Using Pins

The author's unfinished manuscript contains many odd characteristics, including a kind of precursor to the paperclip.

12 Facts About the Election of 1800

The Broadway musical Hamilton will soon open in Canada—so now is the perfect time to talk about one of Act II's most pivotal songs: "The Election of 1800." The actual event was even more vitriolic than its onstage dramatization (which is plenty dramatic).

Jacobus Houbraken via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Maria Sibylla Merian, Naturalist and Illustrator Who Changed How We See Insects

She was among the first to depict insects interacting with the natural world.

The 'Ax Man': New Orleans' Jazz-Loving Serial Killer

The Big Easy's most notorious killer said he'd spare victims on one condition: that they play jazz music.

11 Facts About Philadelphia's City Hall

The building, once referred to by Walt Whitman as “a majestic and lovely show there in the moonlight,” has stood as an architectural wonder in the City of Brotherly Love since 1901.

Aldous Huxley taught another famous novelist whose works had a dystopian bent.

10 Fascinating Facts about Aldous Huxley

Best known for his 1932 novel 'Brave New World,' Aldous Huxley later wrote about his experimentation with psychedelic drugs. But there’s a lot more to Huxley’s life than dystopian novels.

Martha Washington Called a Visit From Jefferson One of the Worst Experiences of Her Life

George Washington was guarded about what he publicly said about Jefferson. His wife was a little more forthcoming.

12 World War II Diaries You Can Read

Many important diaries kept by political leaders and ordinary people during World War II have been digitized or otherwise preserved.

Battle of Pozières, Romania Agrees to Join Allies

Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened.

Moscow Will Release Pokémon Go-Style Game With Historical Figures

Gotta catch 'em all. And by "all," we mean Peter the Great and Yuri Gagarin.

The Legendary Ray Kroc Tirade That Almost Made the Padres Quit

The public address microphone is for the public address announcer only. Even if you run McDonald's.

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