HISTORY

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.

Walter Montgomery via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Archaeologists Find ‘New Clues’ in Search for Roanoke’s Lost Colonists

Excavations in a likely site have uncovered dozens of artifacts from the late 16th century.

Today in 1969, Apollo 11 Splashed Down

Then President Nixon chatted with the astronauts while they were in a quarantine capsule.

John and Abigail Adams Ring, American, 1812. Gold, pearls, crystal, gold foil, hair. Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society

Hair Jewelry Celebrating a Presidential Friendship

In the early 1800s, John and Abigail Adams patched up a friendship with hair jewelry.

Video Shows How Los Angeles Has Changed Since the 1940s

The footage is perfectly synced.

Frances G. Lee and Alan R. Moritz, courtesy Countway Library of Medicine

Forensic Science Pioneer Frances Glessner Lee

She crafted tiny, intricate dioramas known as the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death.

Roland Zumbuehl, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Stay in Two Countries Simultaneously at This Franco-Suisse Hotel

In one room, you sleep in Switzerland, but shower in France.

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