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European History

A fan art drawing of Smaug atop his horde.

J.R.R. Tolkien Gave the World His Childhood Fascination With Dragons in ‘The Hobbit’

The dragon Smaug—who debuted in The Hobbit in 1937, was inspired by his early reading of mythology

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Intact WWI German U-Boat Found Off the Coast of Belgium

It’s possible that 23 bodies remain inside the main cabin of the submarine, which likely hit a mine

The Tulip Folly

There Never Was a Real Tulip Fever

A new movie sets its doomed entrepreneurs amidst 17th-century “tulipmania”—but historians of the phenomenon have their own bubble to burst

The Juggling Genius of Paul Cinquevalli

Remembering a showman who gave his life to his craft

"The Kiss in the Field," 1943 woodcut printed in red-brown with watercolor on wove paper

Did Edvard Munch Find a Supernatural Power in Color?

A new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art places Munch’s palette in context

Jenny Lind was massively popular in Europe and England, but she was a virtual unknown in America before 1849.

Why 30,000 People Came Out to See a Swedish Singer Arrive in New York

Most of them had never even heard Jenny Lind sing

Unlike Samuel Morse's one-key telegraph, Baudot's used five keys.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Roots of Computer Code Lie in Telegraph Code

Émile Baudot, born a year after the first long-distance telegraph message was sent, helped advance the technology

Happy National Salami Day!

There Are Museums For Everything–Even Salami

Take a tour of a few places showcasing this international favorite

Peter the Great didn't wear a beard, but he did sport a groovy 'stache.

Why Peter the Great Established a Beard Tax

Between 1697-1698, the tsar visited Europe in disguise to learn about shipbuilding and Western culture. His verdict? Shave

6,000-year-old wine storage jars found in a Sicilian cave.

New Research

Researchers Discover Italy’s Oldest Wine in Sicilian Cave

Residue from pots found in a Sicilian cave show grape wine was produced 3,000 years earlier than thought

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.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

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

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