Mountain Dew’s Moonshine Past

July 5, 2019

That highly-caffeinated, artificially-yellow, sugary-sweet beverage that you chug when you’re thirsty or need an energy boost was never intended to be a soft drink. In fact, it has tie...

Going Underground: The History of the New York Subway System

June 25, 2019

The New York City subway system, which opened in 1904 and is the world's largest rapid transit system serving over 5.7 million daily riders on weekdays. Sourc...

Coming Full Circle: Revolutionary Ideas In Grocery Shopping

June 12, 2019

Grocery Store Interior, Washington DC, USA, Harris & Ewing, 1917. Source: (photo by: GHI/Universal History Archive via Getty Images) Here’s a surprising fact...

Why Right Is Right And Left Is Wrong: Historical Myths About Lefties

June 8, 2019

A left-handed child writes on the French National Lefties Day on August 23, 2015. Source: (Photo credit DIARMID COURREGES/AFP/Getty Images) If you a...

The Evil Eye

May 27, 2019

Nearly every ancient culture has had some sort of superstitions about evil eyes and curses. The curse of the evil eye hasn’t changed a wink over the years. It is basically the belief that someone could s...

Folktale Origins Of Wishing Wells

May 6, 2019

Wishing well at Ramona marriage place old town, San Diego, California, 1930. Source: (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) In the mall, in the park, or in your neighbor’s fron...

May Day: Welcoming Spring

April 30, 2019

Queen Elizabeth II watches maypole dancers. Source: (Photo by Tim Ireland/PA Images via Getty Images) Although the Spring Equinox occurs several weeks earlier, many ancient cultures celebrate...

Special Delivery: Why Storks Bring Babies

April 23, 2019

It is one of our most common trope…a long-legged, white stork carrying a newborn baby in a white cloth bundle, delivering the child to its new parents. This is the story that...

Mac N Cheese: The History Of America’s Favorite Comfort Food

April 13, 2019

The All-American macaroni and cheese (made with American and Cheddar cheeses) is served at S'MAC, a new macaroni and cheese restaurant on E. 12th in New Yor...

The Mysteries Of Outer Space – How Far Science Has Advanced

April 6, 2019

For years and years, people have asked the age-old questions about outer space. Is there life on other planets? What does the moon look like? How far away...

Babylon – The Rise And Fall Of It

March 30, 2019

The city of Babylon was once a thriving city with magnificent structures and palaces. One of the key attractions of Babylon was the Hanging Gardens. The Hanging Gardens is conside...

“You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby”: Virginia Slims and the Women’s Lib Movement

March 21, 2019

Girl smiling smoking a cigarette. Mexico, October 1968. Source: (Photo by Mario De Biasi;Sergio Del Grande/Mondadori Portfolio via Gett...

Science Fiction Movies: Then (1950s) And Now

March 10, 2019

There are many different tastes in movies with varying genres including drama, comedy, romance, action, and science fiction. Science Fiction movies started out very primit...

Milk and Racing: The Indy 500’s Strange Obsession With Milk

February 28, 2019

Scott Dixon drinks the ceremonial winner's milk over in victory lane in celebration of winning the 2008 Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway i...

“Happy Birthday To You”: The Celebratory Song With the Complex Legal History

February 21, 2019

Finally, in 2015, more than 90 years after it was first published, the song everyone sings before blowing out their birthday candles, t...

Ups And Downs: The History Of Roller Coasters

February 1, 2019

New Roller Coaster riders at Elitch Gardens. Source: (Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post via Getty Images) Thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies love the heart-pounding excit...

Before They Were Cliché: Five Common Expressions and Their Origins

January 27, 2019

Actors Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Pharaoh Rameses II of Egypt in the biblical epic 'The Ten Commandments', 1956. Here Moses turns the ...