Gingerbread Houses And The Men Who Live In Them?
CULTURE | January 6, 2020
While it’s not uncommon to hear parents telling their children not to play with their food, there are certain traditions in which playing with food is encouraged. Fro...
The Rise Of Shaka And The Zulu Empire
CULTURE | January 5, 2020
In the southeast corner of Africa, the warrior-king Shaka Zulu built a powerful empire in the 19th century, but his descent into despotism and madness was his ultimate undoing. ...
Historical Imaginary Heroes That Children Believe In
CULTURE | January 4, 2020
08 December 2019, Thuringia, Erfurt: A reindeer figure with Santa Claus is standing at the entrance of the shopping centre Anger 1. On 08.12.2019 many shops were o...
Some of History's Most Notorious Hoaxes
CULTURE | January 3, 2020
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “History is a set of lies that people have agreed upon." While professional historians may take umbrage at L’empereur’s statement, history is litt...
The Origin Of The Tour de France
ENTERTAINMENT | January 2, 2020
Tour de France 2016. Source: (Photo by Tim de Waele/Corbis via Getty Images) While there are many bicycle races in the world, none have the prestige or publicity of the Tour de France....
Graffiti Was Here
CULTURE | January 1, 2020
The debate over graffiti has been ongoing for decades. Is it art? Is it vandalism? Should it be covered under freedom of expression? While these questions may never be answered, one thing is clea...
The Power And Mystery Of The Runes
CULTURE | December 31, 2019
J.R.R. Tolkien readers are familiar with runes, the mysteriously shaped letters that exert mystical power on things like secret maps or hidden doors. But Tolkien’s runes were based...
Why Do We Watch A Ball Drop On New Year’s Eve?
CULTURE | December 30, 2019
Every year on December 31, thousands of people gather in Times Square to ring in the new year. This televised New Year’s Eve celebration, which is watched by millions...
New Year’s Resolutions, A History Of Broken Promises
CULTURE | December 29, 2019
While breaking promises is generally considered a bad thing, there is one time of year when millions of people make promises - to themselves, their family, God, ...
The First Tsar: Ivan The Terrible
CULTURE | December 28, 2019
In terms of historic notoriety, few have the equal of Ivan IV, also called Ivan Groznyi, meaning Ivan the Terrible. Ivan was the first of the Tsars of Russia who set an autocratic p...
Capoeira: The Dance Of Death
CULTURE | December 27, 2019
Source: (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images) Two capoeiristas square off in a circle called a roda. Music is played on percussion instruments and songs are sung. The two move fluidly, b...
Broch of Mousa And The Isle Of Mousa
WORLD HISTORY | December 26, 2019
An interesting place to visit is the Broch of Mousa.Located on the island of Mousa in Shetland, Scotland is the tallest broch that is still standing at 44 feet high. This tall ro...
From Wassailing To Christmas Caroling
CULTURE | December 25, 2019
Every year, TV channels like Hallmark and Lifetime play countless Christmas movies set in Small Town, USA. And, at some point in most of these movies, the main characters will b...
The Origin of Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer
CULTURE | December 24, 2019
Most Christmas traditions, such as the nativity story, the Christmas tree, gift exchanges, even Santa and his elves, have roots in ancient history. The same cannot be sa...
Betty Crocker, the First Lady of Food
ENTERTAINMENT | December 23, 2019
Today, the name Betty Crocker is most recognizable as a brand of boxed cake and brownie mix, but that has not always been the case. Hailed as the “Dear Abby” of cooking, Betty C...
Zion National Park – Following The Trail
WORLD HISTORY | December 22, 2019
Zion National Park is breathtakingly beautiful but can be dangerous as well if you happen to be a hiker up on these mountains and you do not follow the trail very carefully....
The Story Of The Lost City Of Pompeii
CULTURE | December 21, 2019
In the south of Italy near the Bay of Naples there stood a city that went extinct but at that moment became immortal to history. The Roman city of Pompeii is a wonder of archaeo...
How The U.S. Government Poisoned Hooch During Prohibition
CULTURE | December 20, 2019
Most of the time, conspiracy theories are simply fantastical hoaxes. However, every once in a while, one proves to be true. Believe it or not, the U.S. gove...
Making Music With Mozart
CULTURE | December 19, 2019
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the greatest classical composers in history. His career was considered the height of the classic Viennese school. So capable was Mozart that he composed in a...
Discovery of Brazil
CULTURE | December 18, 2019
Brazil is quite an interesting country with qualities that have benefited the world and its tourists.A fleet of on its way to India landed in Porto Seguro in 1500, led by Pedro Alvares Cabral who ...
The Tall Tales Of Pecos Bill
ENTERTAINMENT | December 17, 2019
Pecos Bill riding a tornado/image from YouTube While heroes of folklore such as John Henry and Paul Bunyan are believed to have been inspired by real people, Pecos Bill has no such histori...
Washington Irving, America’s First Professional Writer
CULTURE | December 16, 2019
Best known for his short stories, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Washington Irving has gone down in history as the first professional writ...
Who Shall Be Shōgun?
CULTURE | December 15, 2019
Japan since its earliest recorded histories had been ruled by an emperor. However, starting in the late 12th century their powers were stripped with true ruling authority falling into the hands...
Discoveries Of The Mayan Civilization
CULTURE | December 14, 2019
The Mayans were highly skilled in many areas including math, engineering, architecture, astronomy, and writing. While many discoveries have been made regarding their civilization...
The Things They Left Behind: Disney’s Two Abandoned Parks
ENTERTAINMENT | December 13, 2019
The Walt Disney Company is constantly expanding its theme park business, opening new parks across the world, adding new attractions to their existing parks,...
Of Gods And Blood: Aztec Religion And Human Sacrifice
CULTURE | December 12, 2019
An Aztec Temple. Source: (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) The Aztec Empire was one of the most sophisticated civilizations in world history. They were magni...
The Sámi Of The North
CULTURE | December 11, 2019
The Sámi people of the shores of the Arctic Ocean are best known to the outside world for their practice of reindeer herding. The Sámi are still mostly known to outsiders as the Lapps or Lapla...
Did Mavis Beacon Really Teach Typing?
CULTURE | December 10, 2019
With the rise of personal computers in the final quarter of the twentieth century also arose the need for many people with limited familiarity with the QWERTY keyboard to learn h...
The Mad King And His Fairy Tale Castle: Neuschwanstein
CULTURE | December 9, 2019
Neuschwanstein Castle. Source: (Photo by DEA / M.SANTINI/De Agostini via Getty Images) In the south of Bavaria near the foothills of the Alps sits a castle that m...
Old Abandoned Mines In History
WORLD HISTORY | December 8, 2019
Old abandoned mines from the past can be intriguing and interesting. They have an air of mystery to them with shadows of the people who once occupied them. Gold miners who would work ...