history
Establishing cultural rights to protect diverse groups may not be the answer.
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When you simplify history, you obliterate the truth, says Ethan Hawke.
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3 min
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Researchers call this “intergenerational reciprocity.”
Next up on the countdown at #2, the world’s next superpower might just resurrect the Middle Ages.
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8 min
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The noted astronomer and author Carl Sagan came up with a famous dictum acronymed ECREE.
Big Think has launched a line of apparel and goods that celebrate the life and work of four geniuses.
Here’s why scary stories were once an integral part of Christmas Eve festivities.
Hierarchies of taste exist in our society, but their roots often reflect more than just the quality of work.
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Big Think has launched a line of apparel and goods that celebrate the life and work of four geniuses.
David Bienenstock has made it his mission to keep the history of cannabis alive.
Popularity is slippery, and shouldn’t be confused with quality, says critic A.O. Scott.
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4 min
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A new study finds that societies use the same acoustic features for the same types of songs, suggesting universal cognitive mechanisms underpinning world music.
Throughout history, we find knowledge that can’t possibly be documented, but still it exists.
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4 min
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The object, originally dubbed “Ultima Thule,” was renamed to “Arrokoth” due to the connection between the word “Thule” and the Nazis.
The host of Hardcore History has written his first book, The End Is Always Near.
These maps show surprising juxtapositions of ancient and modern toponyms of the Mother Continent.
A DNA study looks for the home of the earliest modern humans.
A new book by constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel takes on Christian nationalism.
For decades, Americans sprayed the notorious pesticide DDT all over their homes and fields. But it turns out we may have known about — and ignored — a safer alternative used by the Nazi regime.
Scientists discover the inner workings of an effect that will lead to a new generation of devices.
So much of the world you know was made possible by Intel founder Robert Noyce, co-inventor of the integrated circuit.
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Rest assured: Kooky ideas like the Earth being flat or vaccines causing autism are nothing new. Humanity has had worse ideas before.
The Red Planet, the God of War, and important life lessons for us all.
Carbonized papyrus scrolls may again see the light after thousands of years.
So much has changed since 1893. Why not the education system?
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Why were the Nazis so enamored with the occult, pseudoscience, and magic?
Outside Europe, much of the world followed an assortment of rules and understandings about what time meant.
In 1919, Woodrow Wilson attempted to rally the U.S. behind the League of Nations. His failure suggested the way forward.
Around 9 percent of the U.S. population believe the Pizzagate theory is true.
A group of at least 20 kids in Spain gets a rare illness with historical roots.