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History

World War I: 100 Years Later

Russia’s February Revolution Was Led by Women on the March

How the downfall of the Romanovs finally came about 100 years ago

The Great Wall of China is a remarkable work of architecture—but there are plenty of myths surrounding it.

Sticky Rice Mortar, the View From Space, and More Fun Facts About China’s Great Wall

The not-so-effective wall was a lengthy, pricey project that stretched across thousands of years

Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” Mohamed

Trending Today

Somalia’s New President Is an American Citizen. How Did That Happen?

After working city, county and state jobs in Buffalo, New York, Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” Mohamed was elected president earlier this week

It was a pivotal moment in computing history when a computer beat a human at chess for the first time, but that doesn't mean chess is "solved."

Computers Are Great at Chess, But That Doesn’t Mean the Game Is ‘Solved’

On this day in 1996, the computer Deep Blue made history when it beat Garry Kasparov

Because donkeys definitely belong on Valentine's Day cards.

Nothing Says ‘I Hate You’ Like a ‘Vinegar Valentine’

For at least a century, Valentine’s Day was used as an excuse to send mean, insulting cards

Archeologists found this piece of parchment rolled up in a jug in a cave on the cliffs west of Qumran.

Archaeologists Might Have Found Another Dead Sea Scroll Cave

It could be cave number 12

Mary Leakey and her husband Louis in 1962.

Mary Leakey’s Husband (Sort of) Took Credit For Her Groundbreaking Work On Humanity’s Origins

Leakey and her husband, Louis Leakey, were a paleoanthropology power couple

In the summer of 1946, Holocaust survivors lent their voices to the "Henonville Songs," which psychologist David Boder recorded on this wire spool.

Spool of “Holocaust Songs” Found in Mislabelled Container

The “Henonville Songs” are being heard for the first time in 70 years

Among other necessary items, the list includes "greenfish," a "fireshovel" and two dozen pewter spoons.

Seventeenth-Century Shopping List Discovered Under Floorboards of Historic English Home

Penned in 1633, the “beautifully written” list hints at household life 400 years ago

Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1917

Russian Revolution

On the Eve of the Russian Revolution, a Palace Coup Seemed Inevitable, But Where Would it Come From?

The elites were upset, but the working class was primed for insurrection

Thousands of Jews were murdered by Croatian Nazi collaborators at Jasenovac.

Why Croatian Jews Boycotted This Year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day

As neo-fascism grows in Croatia, the country is at a crossroads between denial and reality

The site of the new museum in Gdansk

Trending Today

Historians, Government Officials Clash Over Polish History at New Museum

Trapped between nationalism and documentation, a Polish museum grapples with how to tell its story

"Gung Haggis Fat Choy" may be the only celebration that combines both traditional Robert Burns Night festivities, including bagpiping, with a celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy: This Canadian Celebration Combines Robert Burns Night and Chinese New Year

Started by “Toddish McWong” in 1998, the annual dinner has grown and grown

Inauguration History

Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Presidential Food?

In honor of Inauguration Day, here’s a little quiz to see how much you know about presidential food history

House and Cedar-Lined Walk in Mist, October 2003

American South

Get Lost in the Landscape That Inspired William Faulkner’s Greatest Novels

A new book of photography brings the late author’s Mississippi homestead to life

A panoramic view of the "Square of Miracles," including the famed tower of Pisa.

One Time, They Closed the Leaning Tower of Pisa Because It Leaned Too Much

It marked the first time in the tower’s long life that it was was closed for repair.

Isaac Newton got caught up in one of the world's first investment "bubbles," supposedly saying at the time that he “could calculate the motions of the heavenly bodies, but not the madness of the people."

The Market Crash That Cost Newton a Fortune

The esteemed scientist wasn’t the only one to fall for the first investment bubble

Caption: Six pairs of hand and footprints were discovered in 1998, including two that are small enough to have belonged to children.

New Research

Footprints Found at Ancient Hot Springs Could Represent Earliest Settlement of Tibetan Plateau

New age measurements of the footprints help pinpoint when humans first settled the highest region on Earth

Marsh Ponds; Mavilette, Nova Scotia, 2014

Canada

A Photographer Captures Emptiness and Longing in Longfellow’s Nova Scotia

Photographer Mark Marchesi spent four years tracing images from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, “Evangeline”

Street in Apia, the capital of Samoa, when that country was still on American time.

Five Years Ago, This Island Nation Lost an Entire Day

On this day in 2011, Samoa switched sides of the international date line for the second time, losing December 30 in the process. Here’s why

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