european history

The Gulag, The Holocaust, And The ‘Great Leap Forward’: Inside The Stories Of History’s Deadliest Dictators

Recent scholarship has suggested that Mao Zedong was the deadliest dictator in history, but he was far from the only one responsible for millions of deaths.

By Austin Harvey • Mar 2, 2026

The Gulag, The Holocaust, And The ‘Great Leap Forward’: Inside The Stories Of History’s Deadliest Dictators

Recent scholarship has suggested that Mao Zedong was the deadliest dictator in history, but he was far from the only one responsible for millions of deaths.

By Austin Harvey • March 2, 2026

Ancient Greece’s Most Secretive Cult May Have Used A Psychedelic Hallucinogen For Its Rituals

Researchers have shown that participants in the rituals of the Eleusinian Mysteries may have used ergot, a rye fungus that contains a precursor to LSD.

By Kaleena Fraga • Mar 2, 2026

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Ancient Greece’s Most Secretive Cult May Have Used A Psychedelic Hallucinogen For Its Rituals

Researchers have shown that participants in the rituals of the Eleusinian Mysteries may have used ergot, a rye fungus that contains a precursor to LSD.

By Kaleena Fraga • March 2, 2026

A Woman In The Netherlands Inherited A Folder Of Etchings From Her Grandfather — And They Turned Out To Be A Collection Of 35 Rembrandts

When Charlotte Meyer contacted experts in Amsterdam, they were initially skeptical, but soon found that she had inherited a collection of 35 authentic Rembrandts.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 27, 2026

News

A Woman In The Netherlands Inherited A Folder Of Etchings From Her Grandfather — And They Turned Out To Be A Collection Of 35 Rembrandts

When Charlotte Meyer contacted experts in Amsterdam, they were initially skeptical, but soon found that she had inherited a collection of 35 authentic Rembrandts.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 27, 2026

A Couple Walking Their Dogs On A Scottish Beach Just Happened Upon Footprints That Date Back 2,000 Years

Made by both humans and animals two millennia ago, these prints were uncovered due to shifting dunes along Lunan Bay in Angus, Scotland.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 23, 2026

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A Couple Walking Their Dogs On A Scottish Beach Just Happened Upon Footprints That Date Back 2,000 Years

Made by both humans and animals two millennia ago, these prints were uncovered due to shifting dunes along Lunan Bay in Angus, Scotland.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 23, 2026

The Incredible Story Behind Italy’s Real-Life Sword In The Stone That Has Nothing To Do With King Arthur

Galgano Guidotti was a 12th-century knight who purportedly thrust a sword into a boulder in Tuscany after having a religious vision, a feat that led to his sainthood after his death.

By All That's Interesting • Feb 22, 2026

The Incredible Story Behind Italy’s Real-Life Sword In The Stone That Has Nothing To Do With King Arthur

Galgano Guidotti was a 12th-century knight who purportedly thrust a sword into a boulder in Tuscany after having a religious vision, a feat that led to his sainthood after his death.

By All That's Interesting • February 22, 2026

The Bizarre Story Of King Adolf Frederick, The Swedish Monarch Who Allegedly Ate Himself To Death

Legend has it that King Adolf Frederick of Sweden dropped dead after eating a feast of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, and 14 sweet buns, but he likely perished from an unrelated stroke.

By All That's Interesting • Feb 22, 2026

The Bizarre Story Of King Adolf Frederick, The Swedish Monarch Who Allegedly Ate Himself To Death

Legend has it that King Adolf Frederick of Sweden dropped dead after eating a feast of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, and 14 sweet buns, but he likely perished from an unrelated stroke.

By All That's Interesting • February 22, 2026

How Xavier Dupont De Ligonnès Went From Respected French Nobleman To Mass Murder Suspect

Count Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès vanished after the murders of his wife and four children in 2011 — and no one has seen him since.

By Natasha Ishak • Feb 22, 2026

How Xavier Dupont De Ligonnès Went From Respected French Nobleman To Mass Murder Suspect

Count Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès vanished after the murders of his wife and four children in 2011 — and no one has seen him since.

By Natasha Ishak • February 22, 2026

John Haigh, The ‘Acid Bath Killer’ Who Dissolved His Victims In Vats Of Sulfuric Acid

Between 1944 and 1949, British serial killer John George Haigh murdered at least six people, destroyed their remains in acid, and stole their assets.

By Katie Serena • Feb 19, 2026

John Haigh, The ‘Acid Bath Killer’ Who Dissolved His Victims In Vats Of Sulfuric Acid

Between 1944 and 1949, British serial killer John George Haigh murdered at least six people, destroyed their remains in acid, and stole their assets.

By Katie Serena • February 19, 2026

The Fascinating Story Of The Remote Island Lodge Known As The ‘Loneliest House In The World’

Built in 1953 as a hunting lodge, the "world's loneliest house" is located on an island five miles south of Iceland that's inhabited only by puffins.

By Austin Harvey • Feb 19, 2026

The Fascinating Story Of The Remote Island Lodge Known As The ‘Loneliest House In The World’

Built in 1953 as a hunting lodge, the "world's loneliest house" is located on an island five miles south of Iceland that's inhabited only by puffins.

By Austin Harvey • February 19, 2026

Workers Excavating For Storm Drain Construction In England Just Discovered A Cannon That Could Date Back 400 Years

Measuring 8.5 feet long and weighing 2,200 pounds, the cannon found at Queen's Garden in Hull is believed to come from either the 17th or 18th century.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 18, 2026

News

Workers Excavating For Storm Drain Construction In England Just Discovered A Cannon That Could Date Back 400 Years

Measuring 8.5 feet long and weighing 2,200 pounds, the cannon found at Queen's Garden in Hull is believed to come from either the 17th or 18th century.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 18, 2026