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Arthur Ashe playing tennis against Dennis Ralston in 1964

On This Day in History

The Death of a Sports Legend on This Day in 1993 Changed How Americans Viewed AIDS

Tennis star Arthur Ashe achieved many firsts as a Black athlete. In the months leading up to his death, he thrust AIDS advocacy into the mainstream

The Brook, Frits Thaulow, 1875/1906

Dozens of Artworks Rescued From War-Torn Ukraine Go on Display in Berlin

A new collaborative exhibition showcases 60 breathtaking pieces that were evacuated from the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art

The Vital de Oliveira was discovered by divers in 2011, but the ship's identity was not officially confirmed until now.

Warship Sunk by the Nazis During World War II Located Off the Coast of Brazil

A German submarine torpedoed the “Vital de Oliveira” in July 1944, killing some 100 of the 270 crew members onboard

The earliest traces of lead pollution the researchers identified were 5,200 years old.

New Research

Oldest Known Evidence of Lead Pollution Found in Ancient Greece

New research has uncovered the earliest traces of lead contamination caused by human activities, linking the development of ancient metal smelting practices to long-term environmental change

As the second-largest museum in the world, it is also one of the most visited and home to a reported three million objects.  

On This Day in History

The Breathtaking Hermitage Museum, Filled With Treasures Like the Kolyvan Vase and the Peacock Clock, First Opened to the Public on This Day in 1852

Russia’s palatial institution is now the second largest in the world, with an impressive collection of three million objects and 50 beloved house cats

The hunk weighs a whopping five pounds and measures more than six inches long.

Cool Finds

A Five-Pound Hunk of the World’s Oldest Known Synthesized Pigment Was Found in Nero’s Palace

The discovery might illuminate the link between the blue pigment’s ancient Egyptian roots and its rediscovery by Renaissance artists centuries later

The Bayeux Tapestry, an 11th-century masterpiece of medieval embroidery, famously narrates the events leading up to and including the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

New Research

Archaeologists Say They’ve Located Harold II’s Lost Manor House

A latrine found in Bosham, England, has helped identify the location of the king’s long-lost residence, offering new insights into medieval life before the Norman Conquest

The 315-page police docket from 1904 is bound in red leather with gold accents.

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

This 120-Year-Old Police Docket Documented Crimes Like Reckless Horse Riding

Discovered in a thrift store, the historic docket lists incidents that occurred in the town of Casper, Wyoming, in 1904—including “reckless riding [of a horse]” and “keeping a house of prostitution”

Marilyn Monroe performs in front of service members in Korea in 1954.

On This Day in History

The Wartime Organization That Brought Hollywood Stars Like Marilyn Monroe and Nancy Sinatra to the Front Lines to Entertain the Troops

Established on this day in 1941, the United Service Organizations offers wholesome entertainment options to off-duty service members

The mammoths were not all related to each other, according to the new analysis.

Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds

DNA and radiocarbon dating analyses of the bones are offering new insights into the ambitious Ice Age site constructed by hunter-gatherers

The cache pit was discoverd on a hill overlooking the Knik Arm, a thin brach of the Gulf of Alaska.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Rare 1,000-Year-Old Food Storage Pit in Alaska

Initial findings suggest the cache was used to preserve moose and caribou meat in the harsh climate of southeastern Alaska

Alfred L. Cralle optimized his invention for one-handed use by adding a thumb grip and a scraping tool that kept food from sticking to the scooper.

On This Day in History

Meet the Black Inventor Who Developed the Ice Cream Scoop, Revolutionizing a Beloved Frozen Treat

While working as a porter, Alfred L. Cralle witnessed how hard it was to serve ice cream cones one-handed. He saved the day with his mold and disher tool, patented on this day in 1897

A statue of the four freshmen who led the sit-in at the lunch counter of a Woolworth’s department store in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

On This Day in History

Discover How Four Black College Students Sparked a Nationwide Civil Rights Movement, on This Date in 1960

By sitting down to lunch at a North Carolina department store, the brave men inspired many others to take part in nonviolent acts of civil disobedience

The papyrus dates back to between 129 and 132 C.E.

Researchers Have Deciphered a Nearly 2,000-Year-Old True Crime Papyrus

The Greek document details a court case in ancient Palestine involving tax fraud and provides insight into trial preparations in the Roman Empire

The 404 coins discovered in a muddy field near Bunnik, a village in the Netherlands, in 2023 and 2024

Cool Finds

Two Metal Detectorists in the Netherlands Stumbled Onto Hundreds of Looted Coins From the Roman Conquest of Britain

The 404 coins, including 44 from Britain, are believed to be a mix of military pay and the spoils of war, stashed by a Roman soldier after he returned to the European continent

Edmond Dédé, a talented composer who is finally getting his due

One of the Oldest Surviving Operas by a Black American Composer Will Be Performed for the First Time—138 Years After It Was Written

Edmond Dédé’s 1887 magnum opus “Morgiane”—billed as “the most important opera never heard”—will finally get its premiere after languishing in obscurity for more than a century

Guy Fawkes was sentenced to death for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to kill James I of England, members of the royal family and government officials.

On This Day in History

How Guy Fawkes, Figurehead of the Gunpowder Plot, Avoided the Full Horrors of Execution by Hanging, Drawing and Quartering

The Catholic conspirator jumped or fell from the gallows on this day in 1606, breaking his neck before the executioner could cut him down from the noose and disembowel him

Ernest Shackleton salutes from the Endurance on August 1, 1914, when the ship set sail from London on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

Ernest Shackleton’s Famous Job Ad, ‘Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey,’ Is Probably a Myth

Citizen historians have spent decades searching for the original text of Shackleton’s advertisement. Now, some say it might never have existed

Seals with the signs and symbols of the Indus Valley civilization are waiting to be deciphered.

Officials Are Offering $1 Million to Anyone Who Can Decode This Ancient Script

The enigmatic Indus Valley civilization left behind a script that today’s historians haven’t yet deciphered. While amateur theories abound, scholars are increasingly relying on computer science to crack the code

Andrew Jackson was exiting the U.S. Capitol’s East Portico when the English-born Lawrence stepped forward from behind a pillar, pulled a derringer single-shot pistol from his jacket, and fired at the president. 

On This Day in History

When a House Painter Failed to Assassinate President Andrew Jackson, It Was the First Such Attempt in U.S. Presidential History

Duel pistols were no match for the White House incumbent, who fended off the assailant with his cane on this date in 1835

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