HISTORY

BrokenSphere, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 3.0

The Town Where the Dead Outnumber the Living

Colma, California, is home to 17 cemeteries housing roughly 1.5 million bodies. Thanks to San Francisco's ban on burials, that number keeps growing.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey in 2018.

100 Fascinating Facts About the British Royal Family

The British royal family has a history of intrigue and scandal—and at least one royal shoe breaker-inner.

Watch Albert Einstein Explain His Theory of Relativity in Historic Footage

In this historic footage, you can watch Albert Einstein describe the scientific equation that made him famous.

A shelf full of booze was no match for Carrie A. Nation's hatchet.

Carrie A. Nation, the Woman Who Attacked Alcoholism With a Hatchet

When it came to eliminating alcohol and shuttering saloons, Carrie A. Nation truly did have a smashing time.

Misha Shutkevych/iStock via Getty Images

The Surprising Link Between an 1851 Chess Tournament and Today's March Madness Bracket

The modern chess set is named after Howard Staunton, a chess master who popularized its use. But his lasting contribution to sports might be in one that wasn’t even invented by the time he died in 1874.

Col. Benjamin O. Davis (left), commanding officer of the 332nd Fighter Group, and Edward C. Gleed, group operations officer, stand in front of a plane in Ramitelli, Italy, in March 1945.

10 Inspiring Facts About the Tuskegee Airmen

The first African American pilots to serve in the United States military, the Tuskegee Airmen helped the Allies win World War II and put the U.S. armed forces on the road to integration.

Beneath a parking lot, archeologists uncovered the ruins of a chapel in which Henry VIII prayed.

11 Things Found Buried Under Parking Lots

Sometimes deliberately, often unintentionally, countless artifacts have been buried—and then rediscovered—under parking lots.

Why Do We Say 'Cut to the Chase'?

“Cut to the chase” is a slightly friendlier way of telling someone to get to the point, but old Hollywood filmmakers meant it literally.

Doris Miller saved a number of lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Doris Miller, the Naval Cook Who Became a Hero of Pearl Harbor

Doris Miller was stationed on the USS 'West Virginia' when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Despite being prohibited from gunnery training due to his race, Miller ended up saving an untold number of lives.

Blue Staid ’Dos: How Blue Became Old Ladies’ Hair Color of Choice

Platinum blonde locks were first popularized by Jean Harlow, but older women quickly co-opted the trend.

Why Are Bathtubs So Small? The Answer Is More Complex Than You Might Imagine

If you're a human of average size, taking a bath isn't always as relaxing as it sounds—especially when your legs are sticking halfway out of the water. The problem? Bathtubs are too small. But why?

A Brief History of Sea-Monkeys

You probably had Sea-Monkeys as a kid without knowing what they were or where they came from. The short version? Sea-Monkeys were a get-rich-quick scheme that actually got someone rich quick—but the long version is worth sticking around for.

James Garfield sometime between 1855 and 1865.

The Library of Congress Needs Your Help Transcribing James Garfield’s Diaries

James Garfield kept detailed diaries from his teen years right up until the day before his assassination.

The lotus bowl, worth much more than $35.

A Rare Chinese Porcelain Bowl Found at a Yard Sale Could Fetch $500,000 at Auction

The blue and white porcelain bowl is one of only seven known “lotus bowls” from the early 15th-century Ming dynasty.

King Kong Was Inspired By a Real-Life Komodo Dragon-Hunting Expedition

An expedition to hunt Komodo dragons and bring them to New York City in 1927 bore many similarities to the movie 'King Kong' that premiered six years later.

8 Facts About ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ the Black National Anthem

“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the so-called Black national anthem, was written by 20th-century novelist/poet/songwriter James Weldon Johnson as a rallying cry for perseverance and social justice.

Tasha Marks created This Sea of Sugar Knows No Bounds, a mixed media piece made of sugar, rosewater, and wood, for the Istanbul Design Biennial.

The Decadent Art of Renaissance-Era Sugar Sculptures—and Their Not-So-Sweet History

Food has been used as an artistic medium since ancient times, but its sweetest period may have been the Renaissance, when sugar sculptures graced the tables of Europe’s most elite—but at what price?

Fanny Eaton, as painted by Joanna Boyce Wells.

8 Facts About Fanny Eaton, Jamaican Muse to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Fanny Eaton, the Jamaican-born British art model, was the exception to the pale rule that dominates pre-Raphaelite art, but her place in its history has been largely forgotten.

Fred Hampton: "You Can Jail A Revolutionary, But You Can't Jail A Revolution"

10 Facts About Black Panther Party Leader Fred Hampton

Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton was just 21 years old when he was tragically killed during a police raid on his apartment on December 4, 1969. But his legacy endures.

Feast Afrique, A Digital Archive Dedicated to West African Cuisine, Is Now Online

Feast Afrique is an online library that gathers recipes and culinary texts from the past 200 years of African diasporan history.

Pictured: Paul Revere doing something he most certainly did not do.

5 Misconceptions About Colonial America

We're here to bust some myths about the story behind George Washington's false teeth, the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth Rock, and more.

The home of the future was previewed in 1967.

Walter Cronkite Previewed 2001’s House of the Future Back in 1967

Walter Cronkite hosted this 1967 special that imagined a home in 2001, complete with domestic robots, home offices, and edible food packaging.

Your favorite condiments have unusual origins.

A Brief History of Ketchup and Mustard

How did ketchup and mustard—two condiments with thousands of years of history between them—become associated with hot dogs and hamburgers?

Yousuf Karsh, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

7 Fascinating Facts About Winston Churchill

Although Winston Churchill is best known as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, Churchill had plenty of other accomplishments beyond his political and military endeavors.

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