european history

The Chilling Story Of The NKVD, Joseph Stalin’s Secret Police Force That Terrorized The Soviet Union

From the brutal murders of the Great Purge to the millions sent to the gulags, the NKVD made the Soviet Union a horrifying place to live.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 15, 2025

The Chilling Story Of The NKVD, Joseph Stalin’s Secret Police Force That Terrorized The Soviet Union

From the brutal murders of the Great Purge to the millions sent to the gulags, the NKVD made the Soviet Union a horrifying place to live.

By Austin Harvey • June 15, 2025

A Shockingly Large 2,000-Year-Old Shoe Was Just Found At A Roman Fort In England

The leather shoe is 12.6 inches long, the equivalent of a U.S. men's size 14.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jun 13, 2025

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A Shockingly Large 2,000-Year-Old Shoe Was Just Found At A Roman Fort In England

The leather shoe is 12.6 inches long, the equivalent of a U.S. men's size 14.

By Kaleena Fraga • June 13, 2025

Anonymous Painting That Sold For $506 Last Year Turns Out To Be A Lost J.M.W. Turner Worth $400,000

Now correctly identified as "The Rising Squall," this 1792 masterpiece is not only remarkable as a rediscovered Turner, but as the very first oil painting he ever exhibited.

By Ainsley Brown • Jun 13, 2025

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Anonymous Painting That Sold For $506 Last Year Turns Out To Be A Lost J.M.W. Turner Worth $400,000

Now correctly identified as "The Rising Squall," this 1792 masterpiece is not only remarkable as a rediscovered Turner, but as the very first oil painting he ever exhibited.

By Ainsley Brown • June 13, 2025

Amateur Archaeologists Just Happened Upon A 4,500-Year-Old Flint Blade In Northern Germany

While searching a construction area in Altenberge, hobbyists found a rare blade from the Bronze Age that remains surprisingly intact, with no significant pieces missing.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 12, 2025

News

Amateur Archaeologists Just Happened Upon A 4,500-Year-Old Flint Blade In Northern Germany

While searching a construction area in Altenberge, hobbyists found a rare blade from the Bronze Age that remains surprisingly intact, with no significant pieces missing.

By Austin Harvey • June 12, 2025

Hürrem Sultan, The Young Concubine Of Suleiman The Magnificent Who Became The Sultan’s Wife

Around 1533, the Ottoman sultan broke custom to marry his favorite concubine Hürrem Sultan — and she soon became the most powerful woman in the empire.

By Andrew Milne • Jun 11, 2025

Hürrem Sultan, The Young Concubine Of Suleiman The Magnificent Who Became The Sultan’s Wife

Around 1533, the Ottoman sultan broke custom to marry his favorite concubine Hürrem Sultan — and she soon became the most powerful woman in the empire.

By Andrew Milne • June 11, 2025

Painting Found Gathering Dust In A Connecticut Barn For More Than A Century Sells At Auction For $7 Million

After the painting was painstakingly restored, it was revealed to be the 1666 masterpiece "View of Olinda, Brazil" by Dutch artist Frans Post, one of the few European painters to visit the Americas in the 17th century.

By Ainsley Brown • Jun 11, 2025

News

Painting Found Gathering Dust In A Connecticut Barn For More Than A Century Sells At Auction For $7 Million

After the painting was painstakingly restored, it was revealed to be the 1666 masterpiece "View of Olinda, Brazil" by Dutch artist Frans Post, one of the few European painters to visit the Americas in the 17th century.

By Ainsley Brown • June 11, 2025

A 10-Carat Pink Diamond That Once Belonged To Marie Antoinette Is Now Heading To Auction

The pink diamond may have been part of a cache of jewelry that Marie Antoinette gave to her hairdresser for safekeeping before attempting to flee Paris during the French Revolution.

By Ainsley Brown • Jun 10, 2025

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A 10-Carat Pink Diamond That Once Belonged To Marie Antoinette Is Now Heading To Auction

The pink diamond may have been part of a cache of jewelry that Marie Antoinette gave to her hairdresser for safekeeping before attempting to flee Paris during the French Revolution.

By Ainsley Brown • June 10, 2025

Inside The Battle Of Thermopylae And The Bravery Of The Vastly Outnumbered Greeks

In 480 B.C.E., King Leonidas of Sparta led 7,000 Greek troops against as many as 300,000 Persian soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae — and the Greeks may have won if they hadn't been betrayed.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 9, 2025

Inside The Battle Of Thermopylae And The Bravery Of The Vastly Outnumbered Greeks

In 480 B.C.E., King Leonidas of Sparta led 7,000 Greek troops against as many as 300,000 Persian soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae — and the Greeks may have won if they hadn't been betrayed.

By Austin Harvey • June 9, 2025

Inside The Reclusive Life And Tragic Death Of Empress Elisabeth Of Austria

The wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Elisabeth of Austria was known for her beauty and for her frequent refusal to be seen in public before she was murdered by an Italian anarchist in 1898.

By Genevieve Carlton • Jun 9, 2025

Inside The Reclusive Life And Tragic Death Of Empress Elisabeth Of Austria

The wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Elisabeth of Austria was known for her beauty and for her frequent refusal to be seen in public before she was murdered by an Italian anarchist in 1898.

By Genevieve Carlton • June 9, 2025

Archaeologists In France Just Found A Massive, Luxurious Roman Villa Complete With Thermal Baths And Heated Floors

Spanning a whopping 43,000 square feet, roughly the size of eight basketball courts, this massive villa stood in what was then the city of Autisiodorum between approximately the first and fourth centuries C.E.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 9, 2025

News

Archaeologists In France Just Found A Massive, Luxurious Roman Villa Complete With Thermal Baths And Heated Floors

Spanning a whopping 43,000 square feet, roughly the size of eight basketball courts, this massive villa stood in what was then the city of Autisiodorum between approximately the first and fourth centuries C.E.

By Austin Harvey • June 9, 2025