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The FBI Once Freaked Out About Nazi Monks in the Amazon Rainforest
In October 1941, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover received a strange bit of war intelligence in a classified document
February 01, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Unsuccessful Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln
On the eve of his first inauguration, President Lincoln snuck into Washington in the middle of the night, evading the would-be assassins who waited for him in Baltimore
February 2013 |
By Daniel Stashower
U.S. Military Wants to Recruit the Smartest Dogs by Scanning Their Brains
The theory is that, by scanning a dog’s level of neural response to various stimuli, including handler cues, the researchers will be able to identify the dogs that will be the quickest learners and therefore the easiest to train
January 30, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
This Gun Shoots Criminals With DNA
This new gun shoots the bad guys with artificial DNA, that can then be traced back and identified
January 29, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Library Full of Precious Manuscripts Burned in Timbuktu
The main library in Timbuktu is full of cultural relics, manuscripts that have survived since the 1200's hidden in wooden trunks, buried in the sand, and finally housed in the small library. But recent reports from the country say that rebels might have burned that history to the ground
January 28, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Iran Says It Sent This Traumatized-Looking Monkey to Space
Western nations fear the same technologies deployed in Iran's space program could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads
January 28, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Sonar Uncovers Amazing Photograph of Sunken Civil War Ship
The USS Hatteras, sunk 150 years ago, was discovered and photographed recently using 3D sonar
January 23, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
“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
The U.S. Once Wanted To Use Nuclear Bombs as a Construction Tool
From digging a harbor to expanding the Panama Canal, how couldn't nuclear bombs be used?
January 16, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
More Soldiers Die From Suicide Than Fall in Combat
In 2012, 349 active-duty servicemembers took their own lives
January 15, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Document Deep Dive: The Menu From President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Ball
What delicacies and confectionaries were found on the 250-foot-long buffet table?
January 15, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
The Last Working Copyist in Mali Is Trying To Save Timbuktu’s Manuscripts
180,000 medieval manuscripts are housed in Timbuktu, and only 23,000 of those ancient writings have ever been catalogued
December 27, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Open For Business: The 3D Printed Gun Store
After Makerbot and Stasys pulled support, 3-D gun printers have found help elsewhere, and opened an online database of designs
December 26, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
That Time 150 Years Ago When Thousands of People Watched Baseball on Christmas Day
During the Civil War, two regiments faced off as spectators, possibly as many as 40,000, sat and watched
December 21, 2012 |
By John Hanc
The Boy Who Became a World War II Veteran at 13 Years Old
In 1942, Seaman Calvin Graham was decorated for valor in battle. Then his mother learned where he'd been and revealed his secret to the Navy.
December 19, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Document Deep Dive: Emancipation Proclamation
When freeing the slaves 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln traded in his famous lyricism for a dry, legal tone. Harold Holzer explains why
December 19, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
After Nearly 70 Years, How Do Stealth Planes Stay Stealthy?
From the Horten Ho 229 to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, stealth technology has changed a lot
December 13, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.
It wasn't until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar
December 12, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
In a Homemade Tank, Syrian Rebels Use a PlayStation Controller to Operate a Machine Gun
The Syrian rebel forces, who face a strong disparity in access to the tools of war, have fashioned themselves a homemade tank
December 10, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
