Saint Nicholas: The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Medieval History | December 6, 2019
Christmas party 1820 with St. Nicholas. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) "Saint Nicholas" is just one of the many names by which we call the jolly old elf who (allegedly) br...
Krampus: Full History Of The 2000s' Favorite Christmas Villain
Ancient History | December 5, 2019
Now you've done it. You dropped the moral ball, and per tradition, Krampus will come for you on December 5. (Don't even pretend you don't know what you did.)...
Robert Smalls's Great Escape: How A Slave Stole A Confederate Ship And Sailed To Freedom
1800s | December 4, 2019
Born into slavery and forced to work as a ship's captain without any of the respect usually afforded to a ship's captain, Robert Sm...
Buster Keaton Stunts: GIFs, Videos, And Stories Of His Craziest Feats
1920s | December 3, 2019
Though he's remembered for his death-defying stunts, Buster Keaton was so much more than an adrenaline junkie who got his kicks in front of the camera...
"Jingle Bells" Is A Thanksgiving Song: What?
Historical Art | December 1, 2019
As one of the best-loved songs of the Christmas season, "Jingle Bells" has become part of our holiday culture, but there is more to this catchy ditty than meets the ear. F...
John Pemberton, Creator of Coca Cola: Facts & Stories You Didn't Know
People | November 30, 2019
Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for NYCWFF) There are few products as American as C...
TV Dinners Exist Because They Killed Way Too Many Turkeys One Thanksgiving
1950s | November 30, 2019
As ZZ Top once said, "TV dinners, there's nothing else to eat. TV dinners, they really can’t be beat." It's a succinct argument for the quick mea...
Black Friday: History, Who Created It, And Why Do We Have It?
Events | November 29, 2019
Black Friday shopping. (Photo by David Cliff/NurPhoto via Getty Images) In recent decades, a new holiday tradition cropped up in the United States: Black F...
The White House Thanksgiving: History Of How Presidents Celebrate The Holiday
Events | November 28, 2019
Thanksgiving has been an American tradition since before the country was actually a country, and over the 200-plus years that the United State...
The Presidential Turkey Pardon: A History Of Going Easy On One Bird Every Year
Events | November 27, 2019
Traditions offer interesting insights into the people and cultures who begat them. For instance, nothing explains George Costanza's fathe...
Sacagawea: Facts You Didn't Know
People | November 25, 2019
Sacagawea, the Native American woman who helped Lewis and Clark on their expedition through the Northwest, is a larger-than-life figure in American history. Unfortunately, much of the...
The First Thanksgiving: What Happened, When Was It, And What Are They Hiding?
Events | November 24, 2019
Every kid in America has the bullet points of the first Thanksgiving drilled into their heads---turkey, maize, the pilgrims and Native America...
D.B. Cooper Hijacked A Plane, Jumped Into A Storm Without A Parachute, And Started A Trend
1970s | November 24, 2019
There are few modern American mysteries that are as arresting as the identity of D.B. Cooper, the man who skyjacked a Boeing jet ...
Billy The Kid Stories You've Never Heard Before
1800s | November 23, 2019
Youthful Old West outlaw Billy the Kid would be celebrating his 160th birthday today, November 23, if he had not been killed at the tender age of 21 (and, you know, if ...
Blackbeard: Myths About The Infamous Pirate Who Was (Almost) Impossible To Kill
People | November 22, 2019
Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was one of the most feared reavers in the Caribbean and east coast of North America during the...
Smoking On Airplanes: Unreal Facts And Stories About When Smoking On Planes Was Outlawed
Historical Facts | November 21, 2019
Air travel has seen many changes since the days of Mad Men, getting on a plane meant getting suited and booted for the occasion...
Queen Elizabeth And Prince Philip: Their Adorable, Quirky Relationship Living In Britain's Highe...
British History | November 20, 2019
In America, our most adored and adulated couples don't tend to stand the test of time. From Liz and Dick to "Brangel...
Gettysburg Address: Facts & Stories You've Never Heard
1800s | November 19, 2019
The brief yet powerful speech that President Abraham Lincoln delivered on November 19, 1863, has become one of the most revered speeches in U.S. history. Most pe...
What You Didn't Know About Susan B. Anthony
1800s | November 18, 2019
Photograph of Susan B. Anthony. Source: (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images) The name Susan B. Anthony is nearly synonymous with women's suffrage, but ...
The Elizabethan Era's Most Horrifying And Disgusting Realities
Historical Facts | November 17, 2019
The Elizabethan era began on November 17, 1558, when Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the throne. The era is remembered as a time of beautiful clothing, luxurio...
Ed Gein: Stories, Trivia, And Facts You Didn't Know Until Now
1940s | November 16, 2019
Ed Gein: The Wisconsin cannibal. The hungriest mama's boy of the 20th century. He's long-held a strange place in Americana, but no one living in Plainfield, W...
What You Didn’t Know About Black Tuesday And The Start Of The Great Depression
1920s | November 15, 2019
You probably remember from high school history class that the Great Depression of the 1930s was caused by the 1929 stock market crash, ...
Mount Rushmore Construction Pictures: History, Facts, & Trivia About When It Was Finished
1900s | November 14, 2019
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, South Dakota was carved into granite in the Black Hills. Ninety percent of the ...
Rebel Without A Cause: Curse, Trivia, And More
1950s | November 13, 2019
Released on October 27, 1955, nearly a month after Dean's fatal car accident on September 30, Rebel Without a Cause was a groundbreaking film that portrayed the disillusionm...
Baby Fae, A Baboon Heart, And Bioethics
1980s | November 11, 2019
On October 14, 1984, a tiny, premature, and the very sick baby was born in California. Although her birth certificate listed her name as Stephanie Fae Beauclair, she became kno...
Irene Triplett: The Last Surviving Civil War Pension Recipient
Civil War | November 11, 2019
Civil War reenactors dressed as Confederate cavalry and artillery take part in a reenactment of the Battle of Appomattox. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images...
The REO Speed Wagon: Ransom E. Olds's Flatbed Truck
1900s | November 10, 2019
Before automobiles were an American way of life, automotive daydreamers attempted to create a market with models that they thought would inspire drivers to take to the ...
Edward Paisnel: A Masked Sex Offender Known As 'The Beast Of Jersey'
1950s | November 9, 2019
When you live in an isolated area, you have to find your own ways to entertain yourself. You could go with something harmlessly mild, like erecting...
Georgia Tann Abducted Children And Sold Them To Celebrities And Pedophiles, Making Millions
People | November 8, 2019
Have you ever wondered why someone would get it into their head to steal babies and flip them like so many houses? Well, you...
PBS: All The Good Things PBS Has Done For This Country
1900s | November 7, 2019
With Netflix flipping the traditional TV model on its head and traditional network giants like Disney and HBO creating their own streaming services, how we consu...
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