History

Rotterdam, NL
Africa has the most universities in the 2022 rankings with over two thirds of the world’s youngest universities.
Stonehenge at sunset
Researchers speculate the famous monument was one of the world’s first solar calendars, possibly inspired by trade with ancient Egyptians. 
A rolled up newspaper with Joe Biden on the front page.
George Washington, for example, was quite happy to engage in deception, if that deception would help protect the United States.
socratic problem
Socrates lived during a time when people did not strive to separate fact from fiction. So how much of what we know about Socrates is true?
Putin
In theory, history is the sum of everything that ever happened; in practice, it’s a story we tell ourselves to make sense of and justify our actions in the present. 
ukraine
Russia has long sought to erase the mere idea of Ukraine. But people like my grandmother, born in Druzhkivka, will not let Russia win.
Growth of Ukraine
The Bolsheviks may have created Ukraine’s current borders, but that doesn’t mean dismantling them is good for today’s Russia.
Chinese Revolution
One particular revolution was so important, that at least one historian thinks the 20th century officially began in 1914 and ended in 1991.
criminal justice USSR
Soviet researchers studied crime through a Marxist-Leninist lens. Under Lenin, a humanitarian approach to criminality briefly emerged, but dissipated when Stalin rose to power. 
Edward Savage, George Washington, c. 1796
Washington first took the oath of office of the president of the United States with just one natural tooth remaining.
Extreme North
After it became clear that the world wasn't 6,000 years old, some proposed that northern peoples had emerged independently from others.
gritter
To clear Scotland’s roads in winter, the local traffic agency employs heavy machinery with punny names. Can you grit and bear it?
vietnam war
America’s war in Southeast Asia is fading fast from memory. These maps offer a horrific reminder.
free speech
Although saying the wrong thing could often get you killed in ancient civilizations, history shows that the ideal of free speech has deep roots.
Saint Ambrose
When Saint Ambrose of Milan was venerated, his life became public property, its meaning expanding with the unique interpretations of each new generation.
Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad lasted over two years and claimed nearly a million lives. It also inspired writers to record the bleak conditions in which they lived.
Adolf Hitler
Behind the scenes, Hitler had at least three disastrous relationships, including a short-lived marriage.
French Revolution
Despite losing most of his extended family to the guillotine, Tocqueville grew up to become a fervent supporter of democratic revolution.
Kiev Motherland Monument
Since Ukraine originally meant “borderland,” the territory was already a target for several kingdoms.
syphilis
The most feared sexually transmitted disease (STD) of the last half-millennium was usually named after foreigners, often the French.
eastern philosophy
Non-Western thought is vast and ancient, so why don't some consider it philosophy?
city syndromes
Stockholm Syndrome is the most famous of 10 psychological disorders named after world cities. Most relate to tourism or hostage-taking.
chess
It has been 50 years since an American has claimed the title of World Chess Champion. Will it ever happen again?
arc of history
We are generally taught that there is an arc of history — an inevitable path of progress that leads to modern society. Maybe it isn't true.
Alexander Friedmann
It is time to give the Russian cosmologist the credit he deserves.
It started with a 22-year-old woman, named in papers only as Mrs McK.
psychopomps
Death is the great and terrifying unknown, awaiting us all at the end of this life. Giving it a personality makes it easier to gaze upon.
Mummy
Scientists used 3D scans to analyze the corpse of Amenhotep I. They discovered that his brain was never removed and that he was circumcised, among other curiosities.
Distinguishing fact from fiction can be tough, especially when it comes to people as controversial as Stalin.