HISTORY

How Irina Margareta Nistor Introduced Sylvester Stallone to Communist Romania

She was the most famous woman in Romania during the 1980s, but no one had ever seen her face.

J. Stephen Conn via Flickr // CC BY-NC 2.0

Jesse Applegate, Who Found a Safer Route on the Oregon Trail

He established the Applegate Trail, a less dangerous route for settlers to take from the Midwest into Oregon.

Infographic: How Ancient Egypt Shaped the Modern World

We owe a lot to our innovative forebears.

Harper Lee Once Wrote a Magazine Article About the 'In Cold Blood' Murders

Lee didn't include her byline, presumably so she wouldn't steal Capote's thunder.

The Tragic Event That Led Samuel Morse to Develop the Telegraph

If it weren't for a tragic death in Morse's life, the telegraph may never have existed.

25 Things You Should Know About Anchorage

Anchorage is a city on the edge of civilization—and that’s exactly what locals and visitors love about it.

10 Fascinating Facts About the Evolution of Dating and Courtship

What is considered romantic today would have been scandalous, if not criminal, less than 100 years ago.

11 Monumental Facts About the Pantheon

5. The dome was the largest ever constructed in the ancient world.

10 Things People Thought Lived Inside Their Bodies

The human body is full of weird, gross and awe-inspiring stuff as we know it—but for people who lived when ideas were unbound by strict anatomical correctness, it was even more so. Here are 10 things people thought, and in some cases still think, were inh

Watch Rare HD Footage of New York City in 1993

Touring iconic New York City landmarks, the video shows how the Big Apple has changed over the last few decades.

Samantha Smith (second from right) is greeted by Russian Young Pioneers at the airport in Moscow in 1983.

How 10-Year-Old Samantha Smith Helped Ease Cold War Tensions In the Early 1980s

In late 1982, Samantha Smith—a 10-year-old from Maine—wrote a short letter to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov that made a huge impact.

Historic Papers Documenting the 'Laws of Base Ball' Sell for More Than $3 Million

The "Magna Carta of our national pastime" established many of the game's most important rules.

Reproduction of woodcut, 1483. Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 4.0

Just How Old Is C-Section Birth?

And when did women and babies start surviving it?

10 Wild Things That Happened at Studio 54

The New York City nightclub is the stuff hedonistic legends are made of.

The Jewish Psychic Who Tricked Hitler

Erik Jan Hanussen hosted extravagant Nazi parties, loaned them money, and consulted with Hitler. Then they found out he was Jewish.

25 Things You Should Know About Orlando

2. The Bard may have had something to do with O-Town's moniker.

Get Swept Away By These 8 Facts About Spring Cleaning

Surprisingly, the concept wasn't invented by corporations hoping to sell more vacuums.

This Musical Time Machine Lets You Become an Aural World Traveler

Listen to popular music from Mexico in the 1920s, the United States in the 1950s, or Ukraine today.

A Biophysicist Who Studied the Thermodynamics of Pizza

He majored in physics and philosophy and managed to apply them both to his decades of historic work.

Newly Discovered Stone Blocks Depict the Pharaoh Hatshepsut as a Woman

This discovery might provide new knowledge into the early years of the ruler’s 22-year reign.

Lord Byron's Obsession with Dieting

Byron was terrified of becoming fat, believing that it would result in lethargy and stupidity.

15 Swinging Facts About Fenway Park

Winners at the oldest stadium in baseball include the Harlem Globetrotters. Losers include pigeons.

How Jasmine Twitty is Making History as a 25-Year-Old Judge

Jasmine Twitty is the youngest person ever to be sworn in as a judge in Easley, South Carolina.

A Replica of the Destroyed Palmyra Arch Is on Display in London

A replica of the Palmyra arch, which was destroyed by Isil in 2015, is now on display at London's Trafalgar Square.

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