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History
“How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?” Steinbeck writes.
“I watched closely for the sun or stars to appear, to correct my chronometer, on the accuracy of which our lives and the success of the journey would depend.”
We have a morbid curiosity about nautical disaster stories. The Irish "Wreck Viewer" offers a window into centuries of marine misfortune.
At the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society in Michigan, retrieving sunken vessels is the order of the day. Here’s how they do it.
Gigantic ranges called "supermountains" formed twice in Earth's history, and they may have had a profound influence on evolutionary history.
In the shadow of the Shard, the mosaics help paint a picture of Roman London.
Africa has the most universities in the 2022 rankings with over two thirds of the world’s youngest universities.
Researchers speculate the famous monument was one of the world’s first solar calendars, possibly inspired by trade with ancient Egyptians.
The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora is one of the reasons why Bryan Walsh sees supervolcanoes as the” single, biggest threat to the human race.”
George Washington, for example, was quite happy to engage in deception, if that deception would help protect the United States.
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?
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.
Russia has long sought to erase the mere idea of Ukraine. But people like my grandmother, born in Druzhkivka, will not let Russia win.
The Bolsheviks may have created Ukraine’s current borders, but that doesn’t mean dismantling them is good for today’s Russia.
One particular revolution was so important, that at least one historian thinks the 20th century officially began in 1914 and ended in 1991.
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.
George Washington’s biggest battle? With his dentures, made from hippo ivory and maybe slaves’ teeth
Washington first took the oath of office of the president of the United States with just one natural tooth remaining.
Was this a moment when humans interbred with Neanderthals?
After it became clear that the world wasn't 6,000 years old, some proposed that northern peoples had emerged independently from others.
To clear Scotland’s roads in winter, the local traffic agency employs heavy machinery with punny names. Can you grit and bear it?
America’s war in Southeast Asia is fading fast from memory. These maps offer a horrific reminder.
Although saying the wrong thing could often get you killed in ancient civilizations, history shows that the ideal of free speech has deep roots.
When Saint Ambrose of Milan was venerated, his life became public property, its meaning expanding with the unique interpretations of each new generation.
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.
Behind the scenes, Hitler had at least three disastrous relationships, including a short-lived marriage.
Despite losing most of his extended family to the guillotine, Tocqueville grew up to become a fervent supporter of democratic revolution.
Since Ukraine originally meant “borderland,” the territory was already a target for several kingdoms.
The most feared sexually transmitted disease (STD) of the last half-millennium was usually named after foreigners, often the French.
Non-Western thought is vast and ancient, so why don't some consider it philosophy?
Stockholm Syndrome is the most famous of 10 psychological disorders named after world cities. Most relate to tourism or hostage-taking.