history
Not every classic enjoyed rave reviews from the start.
How humans came to feel comfortable among strangers, like those in a café, is an under-explored mystery.
Here’s what Europe would have looked like if the Confederation of the Danube had been established after WWII.
Journaling helped Marcus Aurelius cultivate the emotional intelligence necessary to steer Rome through turbulent times.
Some authors never saw their books score widespread acclaim—or even get published at all.
One hypothesis: “gossip traps.”
Though Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” is a classic military treatise, its advice applies to all manner of conflict.
And her clothing tells an important story, says archeologist Rita Wright.
To understand Vincent van Gogh, we must first debunk the myth of the tortured artist. Van Gogh believed his illness inhibited his creativity.
Nearly 2000 years ago, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii but incinerating Herculaneum. The most lethal volcanic phenomenon is at fault.
Is Eliezer Yudkowsky the same false prophet that Paul Ehrlich was?
Changes in the world population are determined by two metrics: the number of babies born, and number of people dying.
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works engineering division has devised many jaw-dropping aircraft. Here are some of the best — and one ship.
It’s a lot easier to point out things that are gezellig (adjective) than it is to define gezelligheid (noun) itself.
Adolescents actively shape the transformation of religion and become the bearers of new religious patterns, worldviews, and values.
In 1903, a Vermont doctor bet $50 that he could cross America by car. It took him 63 days, $8,000, and 600 gallons of gas.
Mongol forces never fully conquered the continent, but they played a key role in its historical development.
It wasn’t merely an act of brutality; it was a condemnation for the afterlife.
Zombies aren’t a modern-day obsession. Throughout history, fear of the undead led to bizarre burial rituals all over the world.
Fortune cookies emerged from one of America’s darkest moments.
His plan to replace it with homegrown rice did not go well.
Just like with AI, people worried about job security and the spread of disinformation. Machines were destroyed and book merchants were chased out of town.
When Mongol traders came knocking, Sultan Muhammad II shaved off their beards. Three years later, his whole empire was annihilated.
Most male mammals have little or nothing to do with their kids. Why is our own species different?
Climate and ecological changes, as well as disruptions to the food chain, were already killing off the dinosaurs.
Nevada has the fewest number of native-born citizens.
She apparently learned some valuable business skills as a former prostitute.
The story of China is the story of global economics.
In order to figure out how English might evolve in the future, we have to look at how it has changed in the near and distant past.
Steam cars hit the U.S. market in the 1890s but were largely extinct by the 1930s. Will technology bring them back?