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History

Since the mid to late 19th century, isinglass, a fish by-product has been used as a clarification agent in Guinness beer.

Hey Vegans! There May Be Fish Bladder in Your Guinness

Isinglass, a gelatine collected from the air-bladders of freshwater fish like the sturgeon, is used in the clarification process of some stouts

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The European Union Wants to Ban Pornography

But the resolution is relatively vague on what exactly pornography is

Cut spending, be immortalized on the nickel

How Would Thomas Jefferson Solve the Fiscal Crisis?

Jefferson managed to cut military spending by nearly half, end the whiskey tax and buy a third of North America

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The Aughts: When People Wore Their Causes on Their Sleeves, Literally

It was a decade of Uggs and excess but also styles meant to further the greater good

Will one of these guys be the next pope? Stay tuned!

Fake Bishop Tries to Crash Pope-Choosing Party

An impostor bishop crashes important papacy-related meeting

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The U.S. And Russia Agree on One Thing: They Want to Save Polar Bears

In a rare moment of partnership, the U.S. and Russia are trying to join together to save the polar bear

A colored print of La Minerve

Hot Air Balloon Travel for the Luxury Traveler of the 1800s

Visionary designers of the 19th century believed that the future of air travel depended on elaborate airships

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The Gettysburg Cyclorama Is Gone Forever

Richard Neutra’s Gettysburg Cyclorama building demolished

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North Korea Has Begun a Week-Long Countdown to War

North Korea is threatening to end a 60 year-old ceasefire with South Korea

An international group of artists was brought in to paint what is now the East Berlin Gallery, a 1300 meter stretch of the remnant Berlin Wall.

Luxury Home Developer Wants to Tear Down Part of the Berlin Wall’s Remains

Cultural preservation met urban development over the weekend with protests to save the Berlin Wall

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The Nazi’s Concentration Camp System Was, Somehow, Even Worse Than We Knew

There were tens of thousands more Nazi prisons and concentration camps than anyone previously realized.

Suffragettes march, complete with cloth banners, across the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and 11th St. in Washington, D.C. Photo: Library of Congress

Inauguration History

More Than One Hundred Years Ago, 5,000 Suffragettes Paraded Down Pennsylvania Avenue

On the eve of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, suffragists descended upon Washington

The titular draughtsman looks through his perspective machine in this still from Peter Greenaway’s 1982 film The Draughtsman’s Contract

Digital Files and 3D Printing—in the Renaissance?

3D printing is a new technology that seems poised to change the world, but its origins date back all the way to the 15th century

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The Fishy History of the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Sandwich

How a struggling entrepreneur in Ohio saved his burger business during Lent and changed the McDonald’s menu for good.

Actress Louise Brooks with bob and bee-stung lips, 1920s

The History of the Flapper, Part 4: Emboldened by the Bob

New short haircuts announced the wearers’ break from tradition and boosted the hairdressing industry

From a chain of Los Angeles drive-ins in the 1940s, “good food is good health.”

10 Vintage Menus That Are a Feast for the Eyes, If Not the Stomach

From the late-19th century to the 1970s, restaurants had one surefire way of standing out

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Vilcabamba: Paradise Going Bad?

Life in this legendary town in Ecuador’s Valley of Longevity may be too good—and too long—to be true

Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, 1925-1926

The History of the Flapper, Part 3: The Rectangular Silhouette

Finally, women could breathe deeply when the waist-nipping corset went out of style

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Nuclear Bombs Made It Possible to Carbon Date Human Tissue

The fallout of the nuclear bomb era is still alive today - in our muscles

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The Origins of Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve

Valentine’s Day can be an occasion for quirky expressions of love

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