HISTORY

Take the Very First SAT from 1926

With the College Board announcing major changes to the SAT, let's take a look at the very first test from 1926.

What’s the Oldest Trick in the Book?

Magicians have been practicing their craft for ages, but what’s the first magic trick that was recorded for posterity?

Why Were the Oscars Created?

"I found that the best way to handle [filmmakers] was to hang medals all over them."

German Newspapers Beat the War Drums

The First World War was an unprecedented catastrophe that killed millions and set the continent of Europe on the path to further calamity two decades later.

The Epic Battle Over Congressional Seating

During the State of the Union a few weeks ago, I noticed that the members of Congress were sitting on rows of theater-style seating in the House Chamber. In a lot of period movies, though, you often see them seated at individual desks pre-20th century.

11 Historical Uses for Invisible Ink

The history of invisible ink veers wildly back and forth between high-tech methods and the humblest of approaches.

Kicked to the Curb: 5 Romans in Exile

Banishment from Rome was many things—a political trick, an act of revenge, and a terrible verdict even its best citizens fell prey to. When you own much of the known world, it’s easy to stick someone in a corner. Here are five people the Romans booted.

9 Wild Moments from Winter Olympics History

If the Olympic Committee handed out medals for unpredictable moments, these ones would have scored gold.

Russians Plot Attack on Constantinople (In a Few Years)

How Breweries Kept Busy During Prohibition

Unlike underground distilleries that could whip up small batches of illegal liquor, big breweries couldn't just slip into the woods for 13 years. How did the few breweries that survived Prohibition do it?

5 Forgotten Drug Fads

Let us take you through five of the world’s most bizarre and forgotten drug fads.

The Archduke Seals His Own Doom

We're covering the events that led to WWI exactly 100 years later. In this installment, Archduke Ferdinand makes an appearance! (Spoiler: He's important to all this.)

Ronald Reagan and His Six-Year-Old Pen Pal

I had a pen pal when I was a little kid. My teacher set up a program for our class with another teacher's classroom across the country. I imagine a bunch of you had a similar setup sometime in elementary school, and so did Washington, D.C. student Rudy Hi

9 of Thomas Jefferson’s Head-Turning Hobbies

If television existed in the 18th and 19th centuries, Thomas Jefferson could’ve earned a living starring in Dos Equis commercials. As a writer, wine-maker, astronomer, gourmet chef, and even a fossil-hunter, our third President was clearly one of the most

How to be a Servant Worthy of Downton Abbey

In ITV's hit show Downton Abbey, the Crawley family struggles to maintain 19th-century standards and traditions even as the 20th century rips them away. One of the traditions they value is having an enormous stable of servants to care for them, their home

Great Britain's Liverpool St Police tug-of-war team taking on Ireland at the 1908 London Olympics.

Tug of War Used to Be an Olympic Sport

Tug-of-war made the cut for every Olympic Games from Paris in 1900 to Antwerp in 1920—but the sport was plagued by controversy.

The Surprising Origins of Child-Proof Lids

While the modern versions of child-proof lids have been around for decades, their history may extend back thousands of years.

How Shirley Temple's Lawyers Launched Graham Greene's Career

If Graham Greene hadn’t called Shirley Temple a “totsy,” one of the 20th century’s greatest novels wouldn’t exist

How Brooklyn's Neighborhoods Got Their Names

You may know where these neighborhoods are, but do you know what their names mean?

How to Give Birth 100 Years Ago

Here, we look at some of the stranger advice of the day.

9 Famous Figures Who Began as Street Performers

These people came a long way from performing on the street for petty cash.

The Time Paul Revere Worked as a Dentist

Outside of his military accomplishments, Boston’s most famous messenger also enjoyed a unique medical career that saw him become the first forensic dentist in American history.

Listen to James Joyce Read Ulysses

Sylvia Beach convinced the author to record passages of his most famous books.

A History of the Pigeon

One hundred and seventy-five years ago, Charles Darwin set out with a survey voyage, aboard the HMS Beagle, in what would be a groundbreaking expedition for his own theories, and the way the world would come to see the origin of species. Darwin brought th

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