history

Thomas Midgley Jr.: Accidentally The Most Dangerous Man Who Ever Lived

Thomas Midgley Jr. was a proponent of technology's capacity for good, but he helped put lead in the air and annihilate Earth's ozone layer.

By Richard Stockton • Jul 9, 2015

Thomas Midgley Jr.: Accidentally The Most Dangerous Man Who Ever Lived

Thomas Midgley Jr. was a proponent of technology's capacity for good, but he helped put lead in the air and annihilate Earth's ozone layer.

By Richard Stockton • July 9, 2015

Satan Once Lived In The White House–And More Surprising Facts About Our Founding Fathers

America's founders were trailblazers, but the Founding Fathers' beliefs were often quite bizarre.

By Kiri Picone • Jul 4, 2015

Satan Once Lived In The White House–And More Surprising Facts About Our Founding Fathers

America's founders were trailblazers, but the Founding Fathers' beliefs were often quite bizarre.

By Kiri Picone • July 4, 2015

America’s Blooper Reel: The Biggest Blunders In American History

The United States of America isn’t like any other country, and not just because our national anthem is phrased in the form of a question. Unlike China, which has a recorded history going back almost to Homo erectus, America was founded pretty much from scratch (after the Indians were chased...

By Richard Stockton • Jul 3, 2015

America’s Blooper Reel: The Biggest Blunders In American History

The United States of America isn’t like any other country, and not just because our national anthem is phrased in the form of a question. Unlike China, which has a recorded history going back almost to Homo erectus, America was founded pretty much from scratch (after the Indians were chased...

By Richard Stockton • July 3, 2015

What We Love This Week, Volume CXXIX

Wildfires Rage In The West While wildfire season is far from over, the West Coast and Alaska have already suffered devastating blows. With a record 700 fires to date this year, Alaska has taken the largest hit, losing over 1.8 million acres. Although higher temperatures and lower humidity are to...

By John Kuroski • Jul 3, 2015

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What We Love This Week, Volume CXXIX

Wildfires Rage In The West While wildfire season is far from over, the West Coast and Alaska have already suffered devastating blows. With a record 700 fires to date this year, Alaska has taken the largest hit, losing over 1.8 million acres. Although higher temperatures and lower humidity are to...

By John Kuroski • July 3, 2015

Better Know A Pope: Clement V

Tired of letting the Italians have all the fun, Pope Clement V ushered in an era of French papal corruption.

By Richard Stockton • Jul 2, 2015

Better Know A Pope: Clement V

Tired of letting the Italians have all the fun, Pope Clement V ushered in an era of French papal corruption.

By Richard Stockton • July 2, 2015

Better Know A Saint: Cyril Of Alexandria

Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria between 414 and 444, was a leg breaker for Jesus.

By Richard Stockton • Jun 30, 2015

Better Know A Saint: Cyril Of Alexandria

Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria between 414 and 444, was a leg breaker for Jesus.

By Richard Stockton • June 30, 2015

Las Médulas: Splitting Mountains In Search Of Spanish Gold

Millennia ago, the Romans split Spain's mountains in search of gold. Here's what the world heritage site known as Las Médulas looks like today.

By John Schellhase • Jun 29, 2015

Las Médulas: Splitting Mountains In Search Of Spanish Gold

Millennia ago, the Romans split Spain's mountains in search of gold. Here's what the world heritage site known as Las Médulas looks like today.

By John Schellhase • June 29, 2015

63 Wild West Mugshots That Prove They Don’t Make Criminals Like They Used To

From Butch Cassidy to an 11-year-old car thief to a Jesse James crony still bloody from a posse's beating, these mugshots evoke the true outlaw spirit of the Wild West.

By Erin Kelly • Jun 28, 2015

63 Wild West Mugshots That Prove They Don’t Make Criminals Like They Used To

From Butch Cassidy to an 11-year-old car thief to a Jesse James crony still bloody from a posse's beating, these mugshots evoke the true outlaw spirit of the Wild West.

By Erin Kelly • June 28, 2015

What We Love This Week, Volume CXXVIII

The First Color Photographs Of The United States On some subconscious level, most of us imagine that the world before, say, 1920 existed in black and white. And why not? That’s what the photographic record of the era would have us believe. But as far back as 1889–14 years before...

By John Kuroski • Jun 26, 2015

What We Love This Week, Volume CXXVIII

The First Color Photographs Of The United States On some subconscious level, most of us imagine that the world before, say, 1920 existed in black and white. And why not? That’s what the photographic record of the era would have us believe. But as far back as 1889–14 years before...

By John Kuroski • June 26, 2015

Inside Al Capone’s Luxurious Cell

In 1929, Al Capone was sentenced to a year in this Philadelphia prison. A life of crime doesn't seem all that bad.

By Savannah Cox • Jun 22, 2015

Inside Al Capone’s Luxurious Cell

In 1929, Al Capone was sentenced to a year in this Philadelphia prison. A life of crime doesn't seem all that bad.

By Savannah Cox • June 22, 2015