history
Following the advent of human space flight, NASA began naming missions after children of Zeus.
Kublai Khan wasn’t the first ruler in history to issue paper money, but his Yuan dynasty did take unprecedented action to ensure this revolutionary form of currency retained its value.
Fire-breathing dragons may represent chaos and the human impulse to conquer that threat.
Despite the fact that both species shared a similarly large neocortex, scientists still have many questions about how closely the function of their brains resembled our own.
Bring not a bagpipe to a man in trouble.
Total annihilation is a permanent threat.
Though difficult to watch, films like “Shoah” and “Life of Crime” cover topics that should not be ignored.
The Greeks were among the first to move beyond “primitive money” and establish an official currency, transforming their trade, government, and even philosophy.
Salt causes a dehydration-like state that encourages the conversion of the starch in the french fry to fructose.
The Russian mindset is characterized by cynicism and distrust.
When Cameroon’s Lakes Monoun and Nyos exploded, they released clouds of carbon dioxide that suffocated everything in its wake.
Before anesthetics, some patients would die of the pain on the operating table.
From questionable shipwrecks to outright attacks, the Sentinelese clearly don’t want to be bothered.
“Strategic ambiguity” has long been the West’s strategy on Taiwan.
Looking at ourselves in a mirror — or on a video call — shapes our sense of self. But what you see is not what others see.
Mesopotamian beer was not flavored with hops, and it was probably on the thick, porridgey side.
Many people lived long enough to grow old in the olden days, too.
Bloodcurdling war cries, shrieking elephants, and whistling arrows all made soldiers flee in terror.
What’s the point of all that money?
More than mindless bloodshed, the gladiatorial games were organized sports. Gladiators were treated as world-class athletes, receiving superior diets and medical care.
“When you see me, weep.” When rivers dry up in Central Europe, “hunger stones” with ominous inscribed warnings from centuries past reappear.
It’s all about salesmanship.
An upstart third party is unlikely to dislodge the status quo in the current system.
We’ve been somewhat lucky in the past…
Commodus lived the anti-Stoic life, pursuing lust, narcissism, and self-indulgence.
Some artifacts drown in shipwrecks, others are taken by the tide. Many others will vanish as a result of climate change and rising sea levels.
A forensics expert explains what’s involved with documenting human rights violations during conflicts, from Afghanistan to Ukraine.
Rock art in northern Australia depicts marsupial lions, giant kangaroos, and other megafauna that populated the Land Down Under long ago.