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History

Authorities don't know why the sails fell off in the early hours of April 25.

Moulin Rouge Windmill Blades Fall Off in the Middle of the Night

The iconic Paris landmark has never experienced such a mishap in its 135-year history

Japanese Americans were forced to leave behind their homes and belongings, then report to incarceration sites.

The Public Finally Has Access to an Accurate List of Japanese Americans Detained During World War II

Researchers who spent years fixing errors in shoddy government records have partnered with Ancestry to make a wide selection of historical documents related to the period available for free

The fire destroyed one of the historic "20-mule team" wagons from the late 19th century. A steam tractor named "Old Dinah" survived.

Historic Borax Wagon Destroyed in Blaze at Death Valley National Park

Beginning in 1883, 18 mules and two horses hauled wagons full of borax across eastern California

Researchers found several amphorae, ancient vases that stored wine, in one of the old villa's rooms.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists May Have Found the Villa Where the Roman Emperor Augustus Died

Excavations north of Mount Vesuvius revealed Roman ruins buried by the eruption in 79 C.E.

 Nikola Tesla in his laboratory in Colorado Springs around 1899

Nikola Tesla and the Tower That Became His ‘Million Dollar Folly’

The eccentric inventor’s dream of a wireless-transmission tower would prove to be his undoing

The two intact bottles were found in Mount Vernon's cellar.

Cool Finds

Bottles of 250-Year-Old Cherries Discovered Beneath George Washington’s Home

Researchers at Mount Vernon say that the stash still “bore the characteristic scent of cherry blossoms”

Researchers Johan Rönnby and Rolf Warming examine the stern of the ship that sunk over 500 years ago off the coast of Sweden.

Cool Finds

Weapon Chest With Tools for Making Ammunition Found in 500-Year-Old Shipwreck in Sweden

The mercenaries on board the “Griffin” lived during a time of great change in naval warfare

Stonehenge was constructed in stages beginning about 5,000 years ago.

Were Stonehenge’s Builders Guided by the Moon?

Researchers are studying the monument’s connection to a celestial event that occurs every 18.6 years

Clara Bow in a still from The Pill Pounder, which premiered 101 years ago

Cool Finds

Lost Silent Film Featuring Clara Bow Discovered in a $20 Box of Old Reels

Bow, who also serves as inspiration for a new Taylor Swift song, was one of Hollywood’s first starlets

After its century-long disappearance, the book was returned in good condition earlier this year.

Cool Finds

Overdue Book Returned to Colorado Library After 105 Years

The Fort Collins library waived the fine, which totaled over $14,000 when adjusted for inflation

The incident took place on the popular Redstone Trail in Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Two Vandals at Lake Mead Toppled Rock Formations Made From 140-Million-Year-Old Dunes

Authorities are seeking information about the men, whose crime was captured on video on April 7

Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange was undergoing renovations when the building caught fire on April 16, 2024.

Fire Devastates Copenhagen’s Historic Stock Exchange

Its signature 184-foot spire collapsed, but rescuers salvaged some of the valuable artworks inside

Greek actor Mary Mina played the role of the high priestess at the ceremony, which took place in Olympia in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera.

The Paris Olympics

The Olympic Torch Relay Began in Nazi Germany

After a torch-lighting ceremony this week, the Olympic flame began its long journey from Olympia to Paris

French author Arsène Houssaye wrote the book in 1879, then gave a copy to French physician Ludovic Bouland.

A Book Bound With Human Skin Spent 90 Years in Harvard’s Library. Now, the Binding Has Been Removed

In the late 19th century, a French physician took the skin, without consent, from a female psychiatric patient who had died

Researchers found the train car during excavations in northern Antwerp.

Cool Finds

Rare 100-Year-Old Train Carriage Found Buried in Belgium

The wooden LNER train wagon was a “removals truck” used to move people’s belongings between residences

The nearly complete skeleton has been identified as a member of an extinct fox species, Dusicyon avus, which once roamed Patagonia’s grasslands.

New Research

Did Ancient South Americans Keep Foxes as Pets?

At a cemetery in Argentina, a 1,500-year-old fox buried alongside humans suggests a “close relationship” between the species, researchers say

Photographed in 1979, the late Elizabeth II loved to spend time at Balmoral Castle.

Northern Europe and the British Isles

The Royal Family Is Opening Balmoral Castle to the Public For the First Time in History

The special interior tours of the royal family’s Scottish retreat sold out in less than a day

An aerial view of the excavation site in Crowland, a town in Lincolnshire, England

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Were Looking for a Medieval Hermitage. They Found a ‘Monumental’ Prehistoric Henge

The site in eastern England may have served as a sacred space for groups across thousands of years

Dozens of 300-year-old letters that Ben Browne wrote to his father are now on display in England.

This Is What Being in Your Twenties Was Like in 18th-Century London

A newly restored collection of letters describes a 27-year-old’s office job, social life and financial concerns beginning in 1719

Researchers tested 49 medieval coins, finding the older ones were minted from silver Byzantine goods and the newer ones were made of silver mined in western France.

New Research

Medieval English Coins Were Made With Melted Byzantine Silver

Researchers have solved the mystery of the silver coin boom that took place around 660 C.E.

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