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European History

At the height of the book scare, news outlets reported that dust from library books could spread infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox and scarlet fever.

When the Public Feared That Library Books Could Spread Deadly Diseases

“The great book scare” created a panic that you could catch an infection just by lending from the library

The 1876 Glaciarium included murals of the Alps on its walls and a raised seating section for curious onlookers, as shown in a May 1876 edition of Illustrated London News.

The 19th-Century Mania for Ice Skating in the Summer

Europeans sought to recreate the luxury of wintering in the Alps with an indoor rink attraction

Moving forward, individuals will only be able to spray paint the wall on specified days

Future Graffiti Additions to Prague’s John Lennon Wall Will Be Strictly Regulated

Local authorities are introducing security measures in response to vandalism, obscene graffiti

Artist's reconstruction of the Langeland grave.

Cool Finds

Viking Woman Warrior May Have Been Slavic

A new analysis of female Viking warriors suggests one found in Denmark was actually from the area of present-day Poland

Cool Finds

The First Investigation Into the Allied Waterloo Field Hospital Is Unearthing Cannonballs—and Limbs

The dig, conducted by military veterans and service members, suggests just how close Napoleon’s forces might have come to victory in the epic battle

Cool Finds

Fear of Foreign Food May Have Led to the Death of This Crusader King

A new analysis shows France’s Louis IX and much of his army suffered from advanced scurvy during the Eighth Crusade in Tunisia

Archaeologists unearthed the cannonballs while excavating the ruins of Zishtova Fortress in Bulgaria

Cool Finds

Trove of Cannonballs Likely Used by Vlad the Impaler Found in Bulgaria

The primitive projectiles probably date to the Romanian ruler’s 1461 through 1462 siege of Zishtova Fortress

Some of the charred Cheerios.

Cool Finds

Ancient, Inedible ‘Cheerios’ Found in Austrian Archaeological Site

Made from wheat and barley, researchers believe the dough rings were likely ritual objects, not breakfast cereal

This is not King Leopold II.

Cool Finds

Museumgoer Spots a Misidentified Portrait of Rodin

A Spanish graphic designer recognized his art hero in a portrait at Madrid’s Lázaro Galdiano museum labeled as the notorious King Leopold II of Belgium

Cool Finds

Burial Mound Found on Kindergarten Playground Was Used for 2,000 Years

Thirty sets of human remains from the mound in southwest France show locals buried their dead in the same spot from the Stone Age to the Iron Age

A young girl plays at the newly restored Moat Brae house.

The Scottish Garden That Inspired Peter Pan’s Neverland Opens for Visitors

The Moat Brae house and its surroundings, where author J.M. Barrie played as a child, is now a children’s literature center

All four chicks are growing quickly, quadrupling in size from around 8 centimeters tall at birth to more than 30 centimeters last week

Tower of London Welcomes Baby Ravens for the First Time in 30 Years

The four chicks eat at least once every two hours, feasting on a diet of quail, mice and rats

The indecipherable text carved in a rock found in the Brittany village of Plougastel-Daoulas.

Cool Finds

A French Town Is Offering $2,250 Reward to Anyone Who Can Decipher This Mysterious Inscription

The inscription was probably made during the 18th century

Damage after an attempted assassination of Hitler at the Wolf's Lair.

Trending Today

The Wolf’s Lair Attempts Transition From Tourist Trap to Educational Site

The Polish government has taken over ownership of the one-time nerve center of the Third Reich, ridding the site of paintball and pottery classes

Cool Finds

Salvagers Accidentally Found the Netherlands’ Oldest Shipwreck

Dated to around 1540, the ship carried a load of copper plate that was likely for the country’s earliest copper coins

Religious artifacts saved from Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral stored in a room of the Paris City Hall on April 16.

What Happened to Notre-Dame’s Precious Art and Artifacts?

Officials say the ‘main works of art’ were saved. But others have been lost or seriously damaged

The amethyst-studded hatpin may have been owned by Edward IV or a high-ranking member of his court

Cool Finds

Unearthed: Gold Hatpin Potentially Owned by Edward IV

Sweeping through a field with a metal detector, a woman uncovered the find, which features one of the Yorkist king’s heraldic badges, a “sun in splendor”

Smoke and flames rise from Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019.

Last Night, I Watched Notre-Dame Burn

Our own travel writer, in Paris yesterday, recounts her experience witnessing the devastating fire at the cathedral

A firefighter is seen fighting the flames at Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019

Historic Notre-Dame Cathedral Salvaged From Blaze

After a tense few hours, firefighters announce they saved the landmark from ‘total destruction’

Cool Finds

Bonn Library Recovers More Than 600 Books Looted After World War II

The trove was flagged after a Belgian woman unwittingly tried to auction the stolen books

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