HISTORY

15 Hilariously Terrible Reviews of Wonderful Museums

From the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, no institution is safe from terrible reviews.

Who Said It: Napoleon or Michael Scott?

One was a born leader lauded and reviled by underlings and historians alike. The other was Napoleon.

20 Fascinating Facts About Humphrey Bogart

No, he wasn’t the Gerber baby, but he did serve as a model for another brand of baby food—and 19 other facts you need to know about this Hollywood heavyweight.

The Surprising History Behind 5 Popular Halloween Costumes

The origins of these classic costumes are probably not what you would expect.

Scurvy decimated sailors, explorers, and regular citizens for centuries before a cure for the vitamin deficiency was discovered.

Scurvy—a “Disease of the Past”—Is Making a Comeback

A case study of a man in Australia is highlighting the return of a disease associated with Elizabethan sailors and polar explorers.

DNA Identifies Medieval Man Thrown Down a Well, Confirming a Norse Saga’s Tale

According to a medieval saga, the Norwegian “Well Man” might have been used as a biological weapon.

Get a better sense of how illnesses have shaped history in these gripping reads.

12 Fascinating Books on History’s Most Notorious Diseases

Get a better sense of how illnesses have shaped history with these gripping reads about history’s most notorious diseases.

A hearse with S-shaped bars in place of back windows.

Why Do Hearses Have Metal S-Shaped Scrolls Where the Back Windows Should Be?

Those evocative scrolls you see on hearses actually have a name—and going back in the 1800s, they actually served an important purpose.

The 1795 time capsule buried at the Massachusetts State House was innocuous. But others were not.

The Surprisingly Dark History of Time Capsules

Time capsules are buried, found, and opened fairly commonly. But when they were first gaining popularity at the start of the 20th century, their purpose was often far more nefarious.

The backstory behind these masks is almost as legendary as the films they appear within.

The Fascinating Origins Behind 8 Iconic Horror Movie Masks

From meticulous artistry to pure dumb luck, the origins of horror movie masks are as interesting as the films themselves.

10 Famous Uses of the Ouija Board

Sylvia Plath often broke out her Ouija Board to speak to her spirit guide, Pan.

'The Warm Hand' by Jean Francois Bosio, 1817.

Misconceptions About the Regency Era

When exactly was the Regency era, anyway? Find out that and more in this episode of Misconceptions.

1984 Cable Music Channel "It's live it's 24 hours a day" TV Commercial

How MTV’s First Rival Became Cable TV’s Biggest Flop

With the Cable Music Channel, Ted Turner tried to take on MTV and failed—but somehow still managed to win.

The Speed Six is making a comeback for a limited time.

Bentley Is Recreating Its Iconic 1930 Speed Six

Meet one of the most iconic pre-war cars ever made: the 1930 Speed Six.

On a ledge about a city, Houdini holds on with his chin in a scene from the film ‘The Grim Game.’

10 Historic Events That Happened on Halloween

From Harry Houdini’s strange death to a steamship disaster and “Monster Mash,” memorable historical events have happened—fittingly—on Halloween.

An artist’s rendering of what Lucy may have looked like in life.

On the Origin of Lucy: How One Extraordinary Fossil Helped Alter Our View of Human Evolution

Lucy walked on her own two feet. Scientists weren’t expecting that.

Every birthday counts when you just have one life.

Why Do We Say Cats Have Nine Lives?

Though cats only live once, the idea that the animals have nine lives has been around for a long time.

The White House’s most mysterious occupant remains unidentified.

“The Thing”: When a Mysterious Teenage Ghost Haunted Taft’s White House

To this day, no one knows who "The Thing" might have been.

8 Animals People Didn’t Think Were Real

Western scientists have doubted the existence of everything from the rhinoceros to the gorilla.

Why Is It Called a “Monkey Wrench”?

The heavy-duty tool is said to be the work of a man named Moncke. Or was it Moncay?

The UK has more than its share of haunted homes.

28 Historic British Haunted Houses You Can Visit

From grand castles to more humble country manors, the UK’s centuries-old homes have seen plenty of occupants move in over the years. And some never moved out.

A black-throated green warbler perches on a funerary statue at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

From Snakeroot to Salamanders, Life Thrives in Cemeteries

Three historic cemeteries, designed as refuges of the dead, are bringing their landscapes back to life for native plants and animals.

‘Alchemist in His Workshop’ by David Teniers the Younger, 17th century.

8 Fascinating Facts about Alchemy

There’s more to this spooky pseudo-science than simply turning lead into gold.

Tollund Man—a bog body at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark

8 Kinds of Mummies That Aren’t From Ancient Egypt

China, Chile, and New Zealand are a few places that have historic mummies of their own.

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