HISTORY

There's more to witches than pointy hats and broomsticks.

10 Weird Facts About Witches

The practice of witchcraft is deeply rooted in history, and has—excuse the joke—conjured up some very interesting myths.

7 Presidential Facts About Rutherford B. Hayes

Some American presidents have their faces on currency, some get memorialized in films and miniseries and sketches. Then there are the others, whose all-but-forgotten names are unceremoniously attached to middle schools and parks across the country. The 19

Theodore Roosevelt's Lost Love

After what should have been the happiest day of his life, a grieving Teddy turned his back on his burgeoning political career—and abandoned his newborn daughter.

NYC High School Students Will Get Discount Tickets to the Musical Hamilton

A philanthropic foundation is giving New York students a shot to see the "10-dollar founding father" for $10.

How Hollywood Reinvented Joan Crawford and Created an Icon

Invention, reinvention, and fantasy are Joan Crawford's legacies—and all made possible by one strange contest.

12 Moments in the History of the Solo Jazz Cup

You've seen it a million times, but did you ever wonder why? Here's how this beloved little cup came to be.

The 'Canadian Tuxedo' Can Apparently Be Traced Back to Bing Crosby

According to Levi's, their designers provided Crosby with a dressed-up denim look after he was turned away from a swanky Canadian hotel for wearing an all-jean ensemble.

University of Cincinnati, Pylos Excavations

Archaeologists Discover 1400 Artifacts In Bronze Age Warrior’s Tomb

The tomb includes not only the warrior’s skeleton, but 1400 artifacts ranging from bronze swords and daggers to gold jewelry and precious stone beads.

The Ghost-Obsessed Professor Who Became Haunted By the Living

A post-industrial American ghost story.

Franz Reichelt is now remembered as the "flying tailor."

6 Inventors Killed by Their Own Inventions

From the man who died because of a failed parachute suit to the daredevil who perished in a stunt gone wrong, sometimes brilliance comes with a price.

Stratness, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

The First Woman to Hike the Appalachian Trail Was 67 Years Old

She told her daughter, “If those men can do it, I can do it.”

How Some of the First Plastic Contacts Were Made

A newsreel shows what life was like for contacts-wearers before the invention of soft and breathable lenses.

From Donation Bin to Sotheby's: How a Rare 19th-Century Bible Almost Got Away

"The Witch Trial" by William Powell Frith. Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Town Weighing Retrial for ‘Witch’ Executed in 1716

Nearly three centuries after her death, Maria Bertoletti Toldini may get a second chance for justice.

The Enduring Tradition of a Houdini Séance on Halloween

If anyone could escape death, it would be Houdini.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About the Revolutionary War

Remember that time George Washington returned a dog he found on a battlefield back to its British owner? Neither did we.

6 Totally Wrong Historical Theories About What the Brain Is Made Of

They made a good effort, but these figures from history were a little lacking in brain power when it came to guessing what was happening inside our noggins.

The History of the First Mass Fingerprinting Operation

In 1948, a little girl was murdered in England—and police decided to take action to find her killer.

40 Years Ago, the Women of Iceland Went on Strike

Predictably, the whole country ground to a halt.

22 Things You Should Know About Indianapolis

It's home to sliced bread and the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

The Bizarre Lead Mask Deaths of 1966

In 1966, a young man came across a pair of dead bodies lying side-by-side. But what they were wearing took the discovery from tragic to truly bizarre.

When LA Thought It Had a Secret Underground Reptilian City

One engineer was certain that an ancient group of super-humans once lived under LA over 5000 years ago, leaving behind a cache of gold.

Adjusted for Inflation: A History of the Reebok Pump

After manufacturing the first 7000 pairs, Reebok's warehouse made a frantic call: none of them would inflate.

Become an Expert Witch-Finder at Cornell University

The library’s extensive Witchcraft Collection is open to the public and available online.

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