history

An influential series of books argues that the history of the world is the history of generations. Is it right?

This necropsy represents an early entry in what would become a tradition of performing autopsies to consider an individual’s sanctity.

Gladiators fought in rounds, and there were referees to enforce rules. Only rarely were gladiators killed.

Various environmental phenomena can play tricks on our brain.

Thanks to protocols established centuries ago in Europe, world leaders no longer need to worry about having their heads bashed with an axe.

The clash of academic archaeology and what might be called folk archaeology comes into stark focus at Stonehenge.

By the end, even his mom wanted him gone.

Bathtubs and toilets each got their own rooms until health professionals urged architects to put all the plumbing in one room.

Many countries’ histories are governed by the familiar demographic story of growth, industrialization, and decline. But not France.

These astounding inventions show that civilizations of the past were a lot more advanced than we might have thought.

“Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief, and Knox the man who buys the beef.” Read the story of 19th-century Scotland’s corpse dealers.

The history of hell doesn’t begin with the Old Testament. Instead, hell took shape in the 2nd century from Mediterranean cultural exchange.

“Time Warp” all the way back to 1800s spiritualism, magic performances, and spook shows.

Tikal, one of the biggest cities the Maya ever built, was home to a vast and flourishing society.

If someone can make you feel insecure, incomplete, and inadequate, they then can present themselves as the solution you need.

Using peach and eggplant emojis as shorthand for sex may seem like a new thing, but Renaissance artists were experts at using produce to imply intercourse.

A woman’s name would undermine the credibility of the mission. Names of former Nazis, however, were no problem.

Science and philosophy seem to be separate fields, but philosophical advancements have made the world more accepting of debate and unorthodox ideas.

Discover how the threads of myth, legend, and artistry have been woven together by storytellers to craft history.

The great philosopher spent the final portion of his painful life in a vegetative state. Did illness get him there, or was it his own philosophy?

Serving as the inspiration for the modern horror classic “The Blair Witch Project,” what does our fascination with this unsolvable mystery tell us about our modern psyche?

Once at the pinnacle of Amsterdam’s art scene, Rembrandt van Rijn eventually found himself outcompeted by his own students.

The young and healthy were not just as likely to die as the old and frail, according to a new analysis.

Only nine weeks later, the Wright Brothers achieved manned flight. The pathologically cynical always will find a reason to complain.

From ancient Greek cosmology to today’s mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, explore the relentless quest to understand the Universe’s invisible forces.

Rejecting romanticism, these famous paintings depict war as it really is: sadistic and senseless.

Considering the astronomical occupational risks, life insurance was prohibitively expensive for the first NASA astronauts.

Hermann Minkowski called Einstein a “lazybones” with a “not very solid” education. Less than 10 years later, he would eat his words.

China has always been one of the world’s wealthiest nations, but Chinese wealth looks different across the country’s eventful history.

This minimalist map unties Asia’s mountainous geography, centered on the “Pamir Knot.”