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Editors' Picks

For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II

In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga

Lost and Found Again: Photos of African-Americans on the Plains

What would otherwise be a local-interest story became a snapshot of history integral to the American experience

When Did Humans Come to the Americas?

Recent scientific findings date their arrival earlier than ever thought, sparking hot debate among archaeologists

History Beats

Reckless Breeding of the Unfit: Earnest Hooton, Eugenics and the Human Body of the Year 2000

A future America, populated by horse-faced, spindly giants with big feet
February 12, 2013 | By Matt Novak

Page 1 of 57

Harry Truman’s Adorable Love “List” to His Wife, Bess

As a celebration of 38 years of marriage, the former president shared his memories, both fond and bittersweet, from each anniversary
February 12, 2013 | By Megan Gambino

The Masked Merriment of Mardi Gras

For centuries, the day's revelry has featured the liberated feeling of hiding in plain view
February 12, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

The Battle Over Richard III’s Bones…And His Reputation

Rival towns are vying for the king’s remains and his legacy now that his skeleton has been found 500 years after his death
February 08, 2013 | By Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Viva Las Venus: The Jetsons and Wholesome Hedonism

What happens in the year 2063 stays in the year 2063
February 08, 2013 | By Matt Novak

The History of the Flapper, Part 2: Makeup Makes a Bold Entrance

It's the birth of the modern cosmetics business as young women look for beauty enhancers in a tube or jar
February 07, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

The History of the Flapper, Part 1: A Call for Freedom

The young, fashionable women of the 1920s define the dress and style of their peers in their own words
February 05, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

Should the Constitution Be Scrapped?

In a new book, Louis Michael Seidman claims that arguing about the constitutionality of laws and reforms is the cause of our harsh political discourse
February 05, 2013 | By Amy Crawford

The Rise and Fall of Nikola Tesla and his Tower

The inventor's vision of a global wireless-transmission tower proved to be his undoing
February 04, 2013 | By Gilbert King

A Brief History of the Buffalo Chicken Wing

How the wing went from a throwaway to a delicacy in 50 years
February 01, 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

The Uncertain Promise of Freedom’s Light: Black Soldiers in The Civil War

Sometimes treated as curiosities at the time, black men and women fighting for the Union and organizing for change altered the course of history
February 01, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

3D-TV, Automated Cooking and Robot Housemaids: Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001

In 1967, the most trusted man in America investigated the home of the 21st century
January 29, 2013 | By Matt Novak

Falernum: The Elusive Cocktail Syrup to Name Drop At Your Next Party

This tiki-era mixer, best served with rum, has a hazy past and an island-y bite
January 29, 2013 | By K. Annabelle Smith

The Siberian taiga in the Abakan district. Six members of the Lykov family lived in this remote wilderness for more than 40 years—utterly isolated and more than 150 miles from the nearest human settlement.

For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of WWII

In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga
January 29, 2013 | By Mike Dash

Future Calling: Videophones in the World of The Jetsons

If there's one thing the Jetsons came closest to nailing, its the prevalence of being able to talk with your boss or family via video
January 28, 2013 | By Matt Novak

Ordering Pizza Online in the Retrofuture

In the 1980s and 90s, there we some really cheesy depictions of ordering food online
January 24, 2013 | By Matt Novak

Everything Was Fake but Her Wealth

Ida Wood, who lived for decades as a recluse in a New York City hotel, would have taken her secrets to the grave—if here sister hadn't gotten there first
January 23, 2013 | By Karen Abbott

President Obama’s Autopen: When is an Autograph Not an Autograph?

When the President signed the fiscal cliff deal from 4,800 miles away, he did it with the help of a device that dates back to Thomas Jefferson
January 08, 2013 | By Jimmy Stamp

Lost and Found Again: Photos of African-Americans on the Plains

What would otherwise be a local-interest story became a snapshot of history integral to the American experience
February 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

When Did Humans Come to the Americas?

Recent scientific findings date their arrival earlier than ever thought, sparking hot debate among archaeologists
February 2013 | By Guy Gugliotta

The History of Rocket Science

When was the first-ever rocket built?
February 2013 | By Jimmy Stamp

Air Pollution Has Been a Problem Since the Days of Ancient Rome

By testing ice cores in Greenland, scientists can look back at environmental data from millennia past
February 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

NAACP Leader Roy Wilkins Predicts: “We’ll Elect A Negro President”

In 1970, the civil rights activist shared his prescient optimism about the future of race relations in the United States
January 22, 2013 | By Matt Novak

“The Grave Looked So Miserable”

James Idle was only 19 when he became one of the earliest casualties of the First World War. But his senseless death inspired a lifetime of devotion from a 9-year-old girl who watched his funeral
January 18, 2013 | By Mike Dash

That Time a Chicken Crashed Nixon’s Inaugural Ball and Other Crazy Inaugural Tales

Ten quirky moments from inaugural history, including presidential lassoing
January 18, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

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