The beer that flooded the streets was porter, an extremely dark-colored beer that was traditionally aged for a time before being drunk–which is why it was stored in vats.

This 1814 Beer Flood Killed Eight People

More than a hundred thousand gallons of beer burst onto the streets of London when a vat broke

One of the mosaics uncovered in Sainte-Colombe

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover a “Little Pompeii” in Eastern France

Fires in a Roman neighborhood in Sainte-Colombe helped preserve ancient homes, shops and artifacts

New Research

Human Artifacts Found at 46 Ancient Lakes in the Arabian Desert

The finds add to evidence that a wetter “Green Arabia” was an important stop in the migration of early humans

Logs discovered under 168th Avenue in Grand Haven Township, Michigan

“Corduroy Road” From Civil War Era Found in Michigan

Used to stabilize swampy pathways, corduroy roads are among the earliest types of manufactured thoroughfares

Byzantine Wine Press Found in Israeli Desert

Its fermentation pool could hold 6,500 liters of the good stuff

The rocky terrain of northern Australia's Arnhem Land contains many examples of Aboriginal artwork

Aboriginal Rangers Uncover Trove of Rock Art in Northern Australia

Hundreds of examples of art dating back centuries were found by rangers while they were conducting burn offs

Excavation at Burghead

Cool Finds

Dig Uncovers Artifacts From One of “Europe’s Lost People”

A archaeological excavation in Burghead Fort has uncovered a longhouse from the Picts, a late Iron Age and early Medieval powerhouse

JFK aboard the PT-109 in the South Pacific in 1943

Why JFK Kept a Coconut Shell in the Oval Office

During this week in 1943, a 26-year-old Kennedy and his crew were marooned on a deserted island and then rescued thanks to two daring men

A census enumerator's records from the 1790 census, the first-ever to be conducted in the United States.

The First US Census Only Asked Six Questions

America’s founders agreed that the census was important, but it wasn’t long

This engraving from 1870 shows the cramped conditions when a train ran through the Tower Subway tunnel. Even once the train was removed, there wasn't much more space.

19th-Century Londoners Walked Under the Thames in This Creepy Tunnel

The Tower Subway tunnel was only seven feet in diameter

Trending Today

Gen Xers and Millennials Out-Voted Older Generations in 2016

It’s the first time the younger generations have beat out Baby Boomers, Silent Generation voters and Greatest Generation voters

Built in a World War II-era civilian bunker, the Berlin Story Museum includes a controversial replica of the bunker Adolf Hitler died in

Berlin Exhibit Confronts Hitler’s Rise to Power

Asking ‘Hitler—how could it happen,’ the exhibit warns the dangers of dictatorship

The actual first logo for the World Wide Web, created by the developer of its first web browser.

The World Wide Web Was Almost Known as “The Mesh”

The inventor of the World Wide Web had a few different name ideas

Dachau's gate had a chilling message for its inmates.

Trending Today

This Dachau Survivor’s Harrowing Art Is on Display for the First Time

Georg Tauber’s paintings detail medical experiments, beatings and eventual liberation

The main ship's telegraph from the Lusitania

Cool Finds

Telegraph Recovered from the Wreck of the ‘Lusitania’

After a botched salvage effort last year, the artifact used to communicate with the engine room has now been brought to the surface

The LEM model missing from the Armstrong Museum

Trending Today

Thieves Steal Solid Gold Lunar Lander Model From Armstrong Museum

The five-inch model was created by Cartier as tribute from French newspaper readers to the Apollo 11 astronaut

The York Gospels

New Research

Medieval Manuscripts Are a DNA Smorgasbord

Researchers are finding animal DNA in the parchment pages as well as genetic fingerprints from humans (like kissing priests)

Even the name "Daniel Defoe" was a pseudonym of sorts—born Daniel Foe, Defoe added the first syllable to his last name to sound more aristocratic.

The Author of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ Used Almost 200 Pseudonyms

Daniel Defoe honed his pen on political writing before he came to the novel

Candles were an important source of after-dark light in the early United States, so it makes sense that one of the first patents would be related to improving them.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

What the First Three Patents Say About Early America

Gunpowder, fertilizer, soap, candles and flour were all important to Americans

This diorama shows a sailor receiving his "daily tot." It was even mixed according to custom: on a "scuttled butt" with an officer overseeing the mixing.

Reasons Why the Royal Navy Bribed Sailors With Booze

The rum ration existed until 1970

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