European History

Paul Ehrlich was the first to take a chemical approach to immunity.

The First Syphilis Cure Was the First 'Magic Bullet'

The term 'magic bullet' once just meant a targeted drug

The Koh-i-Noor diamond set at the front of the crown made for the Queen Mother Elizabeth, set on her coffin in April 2002.

The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—and Why the British Won't Give It Back

A star of London’s Crown Jewels, the Indian gem has a bloody history of colonial conquest

Brr.

The Father of Modern Chemistry Proved Respiration Occurred by Freezing a Guinea Pig

Where he got the guinea pig from remains a mystery

The first can opener was a blade that sawed around the can's edge, leaving a jagged rim.

Why the Can Opener Wasn't Invented Until Almost 50 Years After the Can

The first 'can opener' was a hammer and chisel

The former bank where four hostages and two robbers spent six days holed up in the vault.

The Six-Day Hostage Standoff That Gave Rise to ‘Stockholm Syndrome’

Although it is widely known, 'Stockholm syndrome' is not recognized by the APA

One of the best-known paintings of the doomed Franklin expedition. Full title: "They forged the last link with their lives: HMS ‘Erebus’ and ‘Terror’, 1849–1850."

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

Munch's painting 'The Scream' is one of Western art's most familiar images.

The Mysterious Motives Behind the Theft of ‘The Scream’

Two versions of ‘The Scream’ have been stolen and recovered in Norway

Almost since ballooning was invented, people were talking about trans-Atlantic crossings, but it took until 1978 for a crossing to be successful.

A Brief History of Trans-Atlantic Balloon Crossings

Fifteenth time’s the charm, evidently

'Vasa' can be visited today at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Bizarre Story of 'Vasa,' the Ship That Keeps On Giving

'Vasa' sunk in front of horrified onlookers on this day in 1628, claiming 30 lives

The Louvre Pyramid was completed in 1989 and is part of the entrance to the modern Louvre art gallery.

Three Things to Know About the Louvre's History

The home of the Mona Lisa has a history that's almost 1000 years long

Salicylic acid, the main ingredient in aspriin, is found in a number of plants, including jasmine, beans, peas and clover as well as willow trees.

Aspirin's Four-Thousand-Year History

It's 2000 B.C. and you have a headache. Grab the willow bark

The German Language Adds 5,000 New Words

The latest edition of the Duden dictionary includes <i>tindern,</i> or online dating, and <i>postfaktisch</i>, meaning post-truth

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.

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

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

Die Hermannsschlacht, Gemälde von Friedrich Gunkel, 1862–1864

New Excavation Will Examine Germany's Legendary "Founding Battle"

The dig hopes to find conclusive evidence that Kalkriese is the site of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest

The United States's version of the Imperial system is based on an older British version.

America Has Been Struggling With the Metric System For More Than 200 Years

The United States is the one of the world's only holdouts at this point, but it could have been the first country outside of France to adopt the system

These eyeglasses, which belonged to a prisoner at Auschwitz, are one of the more than 1,000 artifacts included in the traveling exhibition.

Auschwitz Museum Announces First Traveling Exhibition of Artifacts

More than 1,150 objects make up the exhibition, which will travel to 14 cities in Europe and North America

Jung's interest in the subconscious was a driving force in his work.

Five Fascinating Facts About Carl Jung

He thought he was two people (sort of) and more things you didn't know about the pioneering psychologist

Miklós Horthy at the annexation of south-east Czechoslovakia, Kassa (present-day Košice), 11 November 1938

Why It Matters That Hungary's Prime Minister Denounced His Country’s Role in the Holocaust

Is this tonal shift for real -- or will the European nation continue to obfuscate its history?

That yellow logo? A Dalí original, every one.

From Melting Clocks to Lollipops, Salvador Dalí Left His Mark on the Visual World

The Surrealist artist's "pure, vertical, mystical love of cash" led him to advertising

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