Was Excalibur the actual Sword in the Stone? Was Arthur Pendragon real? Who was Merlin? Legends and theories abound about the figures related to King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The stories range from heroic to decidedly not. Real or mythological, the Arthurian lore holds our interest […]
Genghis Khan has a legacy that few historical figures have outmatched. He set the foundation for the largest contiguous empire in human history, evoking fear and respect along the way. Genghis Khan and his descendants reshaped political and social institutions across multiple continents, but they also had a massive influence […]
Laws should keep us safe, but human silliness and petty bureaucracy often derail the best intentions. For instance, the strangest small-town laws in America prove regulations don’t always have to make sense. From protecting elephants in the Deep South to regulating the height of weeds in the Rockies, America’s most […]
The outlandish ideas of one era can eventually become predictions that come true at a later date. Something that was seen as unfathomable, implausible, or even ludicrous at one point can end up as a part of everyday life over the years. Inventors, scientists, and writers of yesterday have weirdly […]
Mary, Queen of Scots (AKA Mary Stuart) is one of history’s most disastrous queens. From the time she became an infant monarch to her tragic demise, Mary attracted attention. And she still does. For centuries, novels, television shows (see the CW’s Reign for an example), and even songs have reviled […]
The Holodomor was a Soviet state-induced famine in Ukraine between 1932 and 1933. For nearly two years, Joseph Stalin starved Ukraine in the name of feeding the Soviet Union. Literal tons of food went to waste, and millions of Ukrainians died as a result. The Holodomor, or “death by hunger,” […]
Despite its reputation, the Wild West was nowhere near as wild as it’s cracked up to be. Statistically speaking, it was more peaceful than some major cities today. The image of the West we get from movies like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and video games like Red […]
The reality of nuclear combat’s devastation was clear as soon as the first atomic weapons were dropped during World War II, leading the U.S. government to develop a “doomsday plan” out of perceived necessity. In the Cold War era, the threat of impending nuclear warfare – and the fear it […]
Of all the places celebrities partied during Hollywood’s Golden Age, one of the most popular was more than four hours north of Tinseltown. Movie stars and others among Hollywood’s most famous drinkers often attended parties at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA, owned by publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst. While […]
People, trends, norms – they all come and go. As a result, history is full of firsts, lasts, and everything in between. What’s innovative one day may be rendered obsolete within a few years, decades, or even longer, while methods of communication continue to change at exponential rates. To read […]
