history

A classic law of Internet debate explains why bringing up Hitler is a terrible idea as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer found out in a disastrous press conference.

KGB-era “active measures” are still being used by Russian intelligence agencies today, according to experts.

From olde English dogs, to immoral women, to weak men, to irritating women, to its prideful reclaiming, to ownership over a woman (there’s a theme here), the word “b*tch” has a long and fascinating history, and it’s all stored in the archives of the Merriam-Webster lexicography department.

Charges of treason are often used incorrectly in today’s political climate. Treason has a very specific definition in the U.S. Constitution.

America’s most popular conspiracy theories and the science behind them.

The Middle Ages see a resurgence of interest among the alt-right and some conservative thinkers.

Irish Travellers, a group facing much discrimination and inequality, is given formal ethnic status in Ireland.

While often compared to the Roman Empire, the United States is not likely to collapse in the same way.

While Kellyanne Conway spoke of a nonexistent massacre, there was a real, historical massacre that took place at Bowling Green – in New York City.

Physicists propose that violations of a fundamental law of physics in early stages of the universe are responsible for the mysterious dark energy.

The environmental legacy of this generally disgraced President is second to none.

The United States and Russia are longtime geopolitical adversaries looking for a new way forward.

People like Thomas More, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Bertrand Russell have already had many of the arguments we’re having about basic income today.   Dr. Elise Klein wants to point out the conversations we’re having around Universal Basic Income (UBI) aren’t new. Great leaders and thinkers Thomas Paine, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Tony Atkinson have already had many of the arguments surrounding UBI, today. Its history bears repeating.

The work of Kremlin-approved philosopher Alexander Dugin provides key insights on the longterm strategy behind Russian hacks of the American elections. 

Much news on the Internet is very similar to the dangerous “yellow journalism” of history.

The history and reasoning behind the much-maligned Electoral College.

History’s most powerful female leaders, ranked.

The most impactful technology inventions in history are ranked.

The idea of a world government has been a hot topic in the U.S. elections and throughout history.

Way before there was Cracked or Mad magazine, there was Puck, a weekly satirical publication that came out of St. Louis, Missouri in 1871. Here are some of the incredible full-color illustrations of that era’s political issues.   

The smartest humans in history are ranked.

Modern terrorism has roots in a mythical sect of assassins from the time of the Crusades.

A list debunking commonly believed falsehoods, misconceptions and just bad ideas.

There is one specific condition for fascism to take hold in the United States.

Researchers estimate how many humans have ever lived.

Mathematician Dr. Hannah Fry tells the story of zero, a genius idea that transformed human progress.

The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, wiped out 30 to 50 percent of Europe’s population between 1347 and 1351. But, this is just the most infamous of the little microbe’s shenanigans. Y. pestis, which is one-millionth our size, has caused three major pandemics and continues killing people to this very day. The plague gets such a bad rap because it represents some of the greatest tragedies to ever befall the human race.

Not only is religion just as bad as an infectious disease, Mr. Dawkins also says it is a form of child abuse.