History of Science
When a Medical “Cure” Makes Things Much, Much Worse
In 1960s Japan, a bizarre outbreak of hairy green tongues failed to set off alarms around the world
This American Doctor Pioneered Abdominal Surgery by Operating on Enslaved Women
Glorified with a statue in the U.S. Capitol, Ephraim McDowell is a hero in Kentucky, but the full story needs to be told
Thank(?) Joseph Shivers For Spandex
From Spanx to space suits, spandex has shaped modern garments
Three Medical Breakthroughs That Can Be Traced Back to a Tragic Nightclub Fire
Four hundred ninety-two people died as a result of the horrifying fire, an unprecedented death toll that led physicians to make unprecedented innovations
When Carl Sagan Warned the World About Nuclear Winter
Before the official report came out, the popular scientist took to the presses to paint a dire picture of what nuclear war might look like
Three Things to Know About Benjamin Banneker's Pioneering Career
Banneker was a successful almanac-maker and self-taught student of mathematics and astronomy
Hermann Rorschach’s Artistic Obsession Led to His Famous Test
Rorschach's high school nickname was "Kleck," which means "inkblot" in German
These Two Small Letters Heralded the Beginning of Online Communication
Their message is far more profound in retrospect than it was at the time
How Nicholas Culpeper Brought Medicine to the People
His 17th-century text is still in print today
How a 1604 Supernova Presented a Challenge to Astronomers
The supernova provided proof to Galileo, Kepler and others that the heavens were not fixed–although they were wrong about what caused the bright star
A Sixteenth-Century Hot Date Might Include a Trip to the Dissecting Theater
Anatomy theaters were an early site for science as spectacle
In Vitro Fertilization Was Once As Controversial As Gene Editing is Today
The scientists who pioneered it were regarded as pariahs, even within their own universities
The Roots of Computer Code Lie in Telegraph Code
Émile Baudot, born a year after the first long-distance telegraph message was sent, helped advance the technology
This Nineteenth-Century Genealogist Argued Norse God Odin Was George Washington’s Great-Great-Great... Grandfather
Albert Welles's ideas about whiteness were a reflection of his time, and would be continued into the future
The Secret Lives of Cannibal Stars Revealed, Thanks to 15th Century Korean Astronomers
For the first time ever, astrophysicists observe the entire life cycle of a binary star system
The First Syphilis Cure Was the First 'Magic Bullet'
The term 'magic bullet' once just meant a targeted drug
A Dentist Weighs in On What Really Doomed the Franklin Expedition
Addison’s disease may have blackened the explorers' gums and hastened their demise, proposes a history-obsessed dentistry professor
This Russian Monument Honors the Humble Lab Mouse
A peculiar Russian monument praises the scientific achievements of a tiny mammal
Fifty Years Later, Remembering Sci-Fi Pioneer Hugo Gernsback
Looking Back on a Man Who Was Always Looking Forward
The Romance of Fermat's Last Theorem
Fermat left a lot of theorems lying around. Mathematicians proved them all–except one
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