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History

Female workers make wigs to be exported at a hair products factory in China's Sichuan province.

The Secret History of Buying and Selling Hair

Globalization hit the hair trade centuries ago, and the business is still thriving

New Research

Did the Greeks Help Sculpt China’s Terra Cotta Warriors?

New analysis and DNA evidence suggests the 8,000 life-sized figures in emperor Qin Shi Huang’s necropolis owe their inspiration to the Greeks

Space Patrol depended more on good stories, excellent production values, and an empathic cast of characters than it did on expensive visual special effects. As a result it had a large adult audience, which didn’t stop merchandise being created with younger viewers in mind.

How Artists, Mad Scientists and Speculative Fiction Writers Made Spaceflight Possible

A new book chronicles spaceflight’s centuries-long journey from dream to reality

What These Mysterious Scrolls Tell Us About Women in Petra

In 1961, archaeologists in southern Israel discovered a mysterious set of documents. They provide clues into the elevated status of Nabataean women

Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols on Uhura’s Radical Impact

Star Trek’s decision to cast Nichelle Nichols, an African American woman, as major character on the show was an almost unheard-of move in 1968

Why Tomb Raiders Treated This Priceless Gem Like Trash

Why would grave robbers break into the King of Xuzhou’s tomb and leave its most priceless jade treasure behind?

Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, overthrown by sugar plantation owners and U.S. troops in 1893

Trending Today

Rule Allows Native Hawaiians to Form Their Own Government

A rule by the Interior Department will allow indigenous Hawaiians to vote on creating a sovereign government similar to those of Native American tribes

The Burmese Monument That Appears to Defy Gravity

On the peak of Mount Kyaiktiyo is a mind-bending Buddhist monument: a 25-foot rock that balances precariously on the edge of a cliff

Does China’s Only Female Emperor Deserve Her Bad Rap?

Wu Zetian, empress of the Tang Dynasty, was believed to be a cunning and ruthless ruler

A sculpture of Hendrick Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid in South Africa.

How Should South Africa Remember the Architect of Apartheid?

Fifty years after H.F. Verwoerd was assassinated in Parliament, the nation he once presided over reckons with its past

"Everything is awesome," Lego executives might as well be singing.

North America Is Crazy For Lego Toys and the Manufacturer Can’t Keep Up

The bricks keep kids and adults coming back for more

The German town of Oppenheim is honeycombed with underground tunnels and cellars.

Beneath This Medieval German Town Lie Over 25 Miles of Forgotten Tunnels

Go beneath the surface of Oppenheim

Michael Jackson performs in Kansas City, Kansas during the "Victory" tour in 1984.

Breaking Ground

Michael Jackson’s Costumes Show Why Nobody Can Beat the King of Pop When it Comes to Style

Outfits from the Jackson’s “Victory” tour will be part of an inaugural exhibition at the African American History Museum

Cool Finds

Ancient Egyptian Stories Will Be Published in English for the First Time

Translated from hieroglyphics on monuments, tombs and papyri, the book will present tales few outside of academia have read

Scenes from the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

The Paris Olympics

The Rise of the Modern Sportswoman

Women have long fought against the assumption that they are weaker than men, and the battle isn’t over yet

The portrait in question, by Dutch painter Barend Graat

Is This a Portrait of One of the World’s Most Influential Philosophers?

One Dutch art dealer is convinced that he owns the only portrait that Baruch Spinoza sat for

From unsavory beginnings to a refreshing treat, pink lemonade has remained a summer staple.

The Unusual Origins of Pink Lemonade

It’s a pretty scary story. It does involve clowns, after all

Babe Ruth by Nat Fein, 1948

Babe Ruth Hit a Home Run With Celebrity Product Endorsements

The Great Bambino was one of the first athletes to be famous enough to require a publicity agent to handle his affairs

What Does a Beer Historian Do?

The American History museum’s latest job opening made headlines. But what does the job actually entail?

"I apologise to the indigenous people on behalf of the government, to give our deepest apology over the suffering and injustice you endured over the past 400 years," Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen said during in her speech on Monday.

Trending Today

Taiwan’s President Issues First Formal Apology to Nation’s Indigenous Peoples

Tsai Ing-wen is also setting up new programs and implementing laws to guarantee basic rights for native inhabitants

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