Emmett Till: The Memorial That Was Vandalized Until They Made It Bulletproof
People | January 14, 2020
The legacy of Emmett Till is one of anger and brutality. His death at the hands of two white men in the Mississippi Delta was one of the major s...
Rebecca The Raccoon, President Calvin Coolidge's Pet Raccoon
People | January 13, 2020
Raccoons are the grimy trash pandas of the west. They roam the streets at night searching for a meal, and as cute as they are, it's obvious that they've got som...
The Pyramid Of The Sun Is Still Revealing Its Ancient Secrets
Archaeological FInds | January 12, 2020
The Pyramid of the Sun, located in the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan, is thousands of years old, yet it is still giving up some of its secrets. Arch...
The Oscars And Unions: The Awards Were Invented To Stop Labor Organization In Hollywood
1920s | January 11, 2020
Presented every year to shine a light on the filmmakers who have created something truly special, the Academy Awards have morphed int...
When George Washington Ordered A Ceasefire To Return A Dog
Animals in History | January 10, 2020
Cherry tree chopper, general in the colonial army, first President of the United States: George Washington has a pedigree unlike any other figure in American hist...
The Origins Of Mermaids: Greek Mythology, Ghosts, And Christopher Columbus
Literature | January 9, 2020
Actress Glynis Johns as the title-role in the film Miranda, 1948. (Photo by Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) Mermaids...
The Invention Of The Humble Straw: Reeds, Cigars, And Milkshakes
Artifacts | January 8, 2020
Colorful plastic straws: One of our oldest eating utensils. (Photo by JOKER / Walter G. Allgöwer/ullstein bild via Getty Images) Until a year or so ago,...
Action Park: America's First Deadly, Infamous Theme Park
1980s | January 6, 2020
Children romp around at the water park on a hot summer's day. (Photo by Richard Koll/picture alliance via Getty Images) You expect a fun day at your local amuse...
Joan Of Arc: 13 Insane Things You Didn't Know
People | January 6, 2020
If you remember your European history, you probably remember Joan of Arc as the determined teenage girl who led the French to victory over the English in a key battle of ...
Mao Zedong Killed 45 Million People In Four Years, The Most In History
People | January 5, 2020
The morbidity of the question "Who is the worst mass murderer to ever live?" is hard to comprehend. How do you calculate the sheer numbers that some w...
The Boston Strangler: Why Did He Matter So Much, Historically?
1960s | January 4, 2020
Between June 14, 1962 and January 4, 1964, women in the Boston, Massachusetts area were on edge with reports that a serial killer was stalking the streets of ...
Les Miserables, Hitler, And The Nobel Peace Prize: 14 Things You Didn't Know About Benito Mussolini
People | January 3, 2020
When you hear the name Benito Mussolini, you probably think "fascist dictator" and "ruthless leader of World War II ...
Where Does The Phrase "Pie In The Sky" Come From? A Song By The Wobblies
Literature | January 2, 2020
Even if you haven't ever referred to an idea as being a "pie in the sky," you've definitely heard the phrase. On its face, it's unclear why an airbo...
Beer In Russia Wasn't Considered Alcohol Until 2011
Events | January 1, 2020
We know you're hungover, barely alive, just hanging in there like a kitten on a motivational poster. That's why, today, we're bringing you a story about what is no doubt...
Why Does The Times Square Ball Drop On New Year's Eve?
Artifacts | December 31, 2019
Americans have a lot of different ways of celebrating the new year. In some regions, people eat black eyed peas for good luck; those of us lucky enough to have a part...
Why Are There Helium Shortages Throughout History? We're In One Right Now
Events | December 30, 2019
Hearing the sentence "There's a shortage of X" can invoke real fear, depending on what the X stands for. If you're on an airplane and there's ...
Times Square's Confetti Is Made Of People's Actual Dreams
Artifacts | December 29, 2019
Confetti rains down on New Year's Eve partygoers. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) When the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops on New Year's Eve, be...
Childermas: In Medieval England, Children Were Beaten On December 28
Medieval History | December 28, 2019
While the days of knights, peasants, and castles grow in popularity on Netflix, the people of medieval Europe weren't nearly as excited about their...
Auld Lang Syne: Song Meaning, History, And Why We Sing It On New Year's Eve
Literature | December 27, 2019
An onlooker holds a glass of champagne at a New Year's Eve celebration on Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse\City of Sy...
New Year's Trees: They're Like Christmas Trees But Russian
1900s | December 26, 2019
Toys. Lights. Family and friends gathered around a stunningly decorated evergreen tree. This might sound like a familiar Christmas scene---after all, that's ...
Santa Claus And Father Christmas Used To Be Two Completely Different Characters
Literature | December 25, 2019
Today, we tend to think of Santa Claus and Father Christmas as one and the same, along with Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, and every other na...
Père Fouettard: Santa's Sidekick Who Beats Up Kids
Medieval History | December 24, 2019
Move over, Krampus! Meet the Whipping Father, Père Fouettard if you’re nasty (or French). As one of Santa's many creepy friends, Père Fouettard travels alongside the man...
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571: The 1972 Plane Crash That Turned Survivors Into Cannibals
1970s | December 23, 2019
Life sometimes forces extreme solutions to difficult situations. The crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 on October 13, 19...
All I Want For Christmas Is You: History, How Much Mariah Carey Makes Every Year, And More
1990s | December 22, 2019
There aren't many artists who had a better year in 1994 than Mariah Carey. After the success of the previous year's Music Box, she...
Zwarte Piet, The Controversial Black Servant Of The Dutch Santa Claus
1800s | December 21, 2019
A Sinterklaas celebration, which takes place on December 5. (Photo by John van Hasselt/Corbis via Getty Images) Every winter, the people of the Net...
The First Christmas Cards: Dead Animals And Kidnapped Children
Artifacts | December 20, 2019
Whether you like them or not, Christmas cards are a part of the season. They may feel like they've been around forever, but the first Christmas cards only dat...
George Washington Crossing the Delaware: A Brazen Christmas Attack
Events | December 19, 2019
Copy of 'Washington Crossing the Delaware' by Emanuel Leutze, Abbot Hall, Marblehead, Massachusetts. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Im...
Black December: When Sharks Attacks Compelled The Government To Bomb The Ocean
Events | December 18, 2019
Even the gnarliest, saltiest surfers in the world admit that sharks give them the willies. Thankfully, sharks attacks are so rare that we...
Kim Jong Il Myths: A Prodigy With Superhuman Powers
People | December 17, 2019
From 1994 until his death on December 17, 2011, Kim Jong Il was the supreme leader of North Korea. Throughout his time as the hermit country's leader, he exhibited stran...
Colonel Sanders: The Unexpected Life Of The Fast Food Pioneer
People | December 16, 2019
On December 16, 1980, the world lost a business icon and fried chicken guru when Harland David Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders, died of leukemia....
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