history

Einstein’s theories of relativity faced fierce opposition. One critic claimed he was attempting to subvert the scientific method.

One hundred years ago, a Ukrainian flag flew over Vladivostok and other parts of the “Russian” Far East.

For a long time, important events could only be visualized retroactively through paintings. Photography allowed us to capture history as — or sometimes even before — it happened. 

A new analysis of an ancient hominin fossil sheds light on the “Out of Africa” dispersal events that occurred more than one million years ago.

From physics and alchemy to theology and eschatology, Isaac Newton’s research was rooted in a personal pursuit of the Divine.

Is hope more realistic than despair? Aquinas thinks so.

Math offers good evidence that humans can solve any problem — as long as there’s money in it.

Ages 30 to 45 are now “the rush hour of life.”

The Siege of Leningrad lasted over two years and claimed nearly a million lives. It also inspired writers to record the bleak conditions in which they lived.

Behind the scenes, Hitler had at least three disastrous relationships, including a short-lived marriage.

Solitude, by itself, does not predict feelings of loneliness.

Despite losing most of his extended family to the guillotine, Tocqueville grew up to become a fervent supporter of democratic revolution.

Since Ukraine originally meant “borderland,” the territory was already a target for several kingdoms.

The most feared sexually transmitted disease (STD) of the last half-millennium was usually named after foreigners, often the French.

Non-Western thought is vast and ancient, so why don’t some consider it philosophy?

Admit it: you have no idea why a group of crows is called a murder. Here’s why.

Once numbering just 27 birds, the global population of California condors is now in the hundreds.

Stockholm Syndrome is the most famous of 10 psychological disorders named after world cities. Most relate to tourism or hostage-taking.

It has been 50 years since an American has claimed the title of World Chess Champion. Will it ever happen again?

We are generally taught that there is an arc of history — an inevitable path of progress that leads to modern society. Maybe it isn’t true.

It is time to give the Russian cosmologist the credit he deserves.

For the fewer than 50 people with this blood type, finding a blood transfusion could be extremely difficult.

A study describes how researchers conducted the first successful DNA sequencing on ancient Egyptian mummies.

It started with a 22-year-old woman, named in papers only as Mrs McK.

Death is the great and terrifying unknown, awaiting us all at the end of this life. Giving it a personality makes it easier to gaze upon.

Many key inventions were unique: one-offs.

Frank Lloyd Wright captured serenity in his masterpiece, Fallingwater, but his egotistical tendencies made life for others anything but serene.

Unlike the first Roaring Twenties, these won’t end with a Great Depression.

Scientists used 3D scans to analyze the corpse of Amenhotep I. They discovered that his brain was never removed and that he was circumcised, among other curiosities.

Distinguishing fact from fiction can be tough, especially when it comes to people as controversial as Stalin.