Russia

Stalin, Leningrad, USSR, 1978

Found: 30,000 Photographs by the ‘Russian Vivian Maier’

The photographer’s daughter stumbled upon the photo-films in the family attic

How to Calculate the Danger of a Toxic Chemical to the Public

The risk of any toxin depends on the dose, how it spreads, and how it enters the body

This Recently Discovered 1,700-Year-Old Mouth Harp Can Still Hold a Tune

The mouth harp, found in Siberia’s Altai Republic, produces music when you strike or pluck it with a finger

Russia Proposes "Luxury Hotel" for the International Space Station

The NEM-2 module would have four cabins, two bathrooms, exercise equipment, WiFi and a lounge with a 16-inch window

'The Nutcracker' is performed across North America each Christmas season.

How 1950s America Shaped ‘The Nutcracker’

It took the marketing insight of a Russian choreographer to make it all happen

Are Alien Microbes Clinging to the International Space Station? Probably Not

A report out of Russia claims extraterrestrial bacteria has been found on the space station, but there's plenty of room for doubt

Dave Malloy & Rachel Chavkin

These Shooting Stars of Broadway Staged the Impossible: A Musical About 'War and Peace'

Dave Malloy and Rachel Chavkin brought the Tolstoy epic to life with <em>Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812</em>

Skeleton of a Massive Extinct Sea Cow Found on Siberian Island

Remains of the Steller's sea cow shed light on one of the first animals that taught humans about extinction

Researchers estimate that the cub was between one-and-a-half to two months old when it perished up to 50,000 years ago

Russian Local Discovers Frozen Remains of Extinct Cave Lion Cub

The lion died up to 50,000 years ago, but was found perfectly preserved in the frosty ground

A shot from the famed 1965 film version of Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago"

How Boris Pasternak Won and Lost the Nobel Prize

Today in 1958, the "Doctor Zhivago" author won the Nobel Prize, but the Soviets made sure he never got it

&quot;Joseph Stalin&quot; Ernest Hamlin Baker 1939 Crayon on paper

The True Story of the Death of Stalin

“Veep” creator Armando Iannucci’s upcoming dark comedy pulls from the stranger-than-fiction real-life events surrounding Stalin’s death

A 35-foot-tall statue of Lenin speechifying from atop an armored car stands outside Finland Station in St. Petersburg.

What Ever Happened to the Russian Revolution?

We journey through Vladimir Putin’s Russia to measure the aftershocks of the political explosion that rocked the world a century ago

Photographs by Olga Ingurazova

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

William Maples holds a bone fragment during a presentation about the Romanov Investigations, circa 1992.

William R. Maples Popularized Forensic Anthropology Long Before CSI

Maples worked on a number of high-profile cases that helped to bring the field of forensic anthropology to prominence

President John F. Kennedy sits in the Oval Office with West Berlin's Mayor Willy Brandt in 1961. The Berlin Wall would be erected only a few months later.

Where the Myth of JFK's 'Jelly Donut' Mistake Came From

The misinterpretation didn't arise until years after his death

Jerrie Cobb stands before a Project Mercury space capsule in heels and gloves. What you can't see: inside the capsule, a male mannequin lies in the place where an astronaut eventually would. The FLATs were never seriously considered for astronaut positions.

Meet the Rogue Women Astronauts of the 1960s Who Never Flew

But they passed the same tests the male astronauts did—and, yes, in high heels

Israeli supplies are air dropped to troops in the Sinai, June 1967, during the Six-Day War.

What the Six-Day War Tells Us About the Cold War

In 1967, Israel launched a preemptive attack on Egypt. The fight was spurred in part by Soviet meddling

John Frankenheimer's classic The Manchurian Candidate built upon the idea of brainwashed GIs in Korea.

The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America

Fears of Communism during the Cold War spurred psychological research, pop culture hits, and unethical experiments in the CIA

Maria Bochkareva

The Women Warriors of the Russian Revolution

Soldier Maria Bochkareva proposed all-female battalions, in part to shame men into continuing the fight

"Intensive XX" contains 78 reproductions of paintings by notable Russian artists. Their display space: the Moscow Metro.

This Moscow Subway Car Brings an Art Museum to Commuters

Experience some of Russia’s most notable pieces of art while traveling by train

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