HISTORY

’Tis the season to learn about your favorite Christmas songs.

The Origins of 10 Popular Christmas Songs

You’ve sung them while clutching cups of hot cocoa. You’ve heard them played in shopping malls. But do you know how some of the world’s best-known Christmas carols were created?

Learn Amazing Facts About the U.S. Constitution With A.J. Jacobs

Author A.J. Jacobs spent a year living like a Founding Father to better understand the U.S. Constitution. Here’s what he learned.

Horns Aplenty: The Ancient Greek Origins of the Cornucopia

Here's how the cornucopia went from ancient gods to American dinner tables.

A dish of homemade cranberry deliciousness.

Why Do We Eat Cranberry Sauce on Thanksgiving?

Your Thanksgiving cranberry sauce—be it homemade or Ocean Spray’s canned classic—is all part of America’s history.

Just your average stroll with a baby carriage and knight's helmet.

Iron Man: The Weird Wager of Harry Bensley, Who Walked 2400 Miles in a Helmet

In 1908, a playboy made a bet he could walk around the world without being identified. Then things got weird.

A vintage 1950s postcard with a bounty of Thanksgiving dishes.

10 Olde-Timey Thanksgiving Recipes We Should Bring Back

These historical recipes, featuring old-fashioned takes on some of the Thanksgiving dishes that we know and love, are ripe for a comeback.

11 Fascinating Facts About The Velvet Underground

To rock snobs, art-school students, and dads everywhere, the Velvet Underground are the cornerstone of rock and roll. Here are 11 facts on their background and influence.

The Reason Why Thanksgiving Is on the Fourth Thursday in November

It used to be a little harder to keep track of, and not just because you couldn’t Google “When is Thanksgiving?”

A Neanderthal skull against a backdrop of the German valley where the first specimens of the human ancestor were found.

‘Thal Order: 11 Things You Might Not Know About Neanderthals

Often dismissed as “primitive,” our extinct relatives were surprisingly thoughtful. Some were also cannibals.

If you want to visit the Trevi Fountain in Rome, you should probably wait until maintenance is done.

Visitors in Rome Settle for Makeshift Pool as Trevi Fountain Undergoes Maintenance

People won’t get to throw coins in the Italian city’s biggest fountain for a while.

For a time, people couldn’t make up their minds.

The Debate Behind How to Number a President

Grover Cleveland caused quite the conundrum when he was elected for the second time in 1892 after a four-year break from the Oval Office.

The Surprisingly Lewd Origins of the “Rub-a-Dub-Dub” Nursery Rhyme

The popular nursery rhyme may have emerged in the 14th century—and it didn’t have anything to do with bathing.

Are the flags flying for Memorial Day or Veterans Day? Sometimes, it's tough to say.

What’s the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Both Memorial Day and Veterans Day are meant to celebrate military veterans, but there's one important distinction you should remember.

35 Celebrities Who Served in the Military

You probably didn’t know about a few of these celebrity veterans who served the red, white, and blue.

Thanksgiving is a day filled with small rituals.

7 Overlooked Thanksgiving Rituals, According to Sociologists

The first major sociological study of Thanksgiving appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research in 1991. Here’s what the authors learned.

How Did Mary Jane Shoes Get Their Name?

Mary Janes have an early-20th-century comic strip to thank for their name.

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest did not go well for the Romans.

8 Places the Romans Failed to Conquer

Ireland and Scotland are not the only places the mighty Roman Empire failed to vanquish.

Ruby Slippers From ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Stolen in 2005 Are Up for Auction

Judy Garland’s iconic red slippers have hit the auction block years after they were stolen.

Scroll down for a version you can enlarge.

America’s True Crime Obsession, Mapped

The analysis crunched data from internet searches to see which states were the most—and least—obsessed with true crime.

9 Famous Figures Who Have Been Awarded Purple Hearts

Kurt Vonnegut and Oliver Stone have something in common: They both earned Purple Hearts. Discover other famous veterans have earned this venerated medal.

President Obama departing the White House on January 20, 2016.

Here’s When a President’s Term Officially Ends

Inauguration Day isn’t just a matter of scheduling—presidential term limits are exactly four years, down to the hour.

14 Bold Facts About Bald Eagles

Bald eagles are powerful symbols of America—but there's much more to know about these quirky birds.

A replica of the Laetoli footprints discovered in Laetoli, Tanzania; The original footprints were dated to 3.6 million years ago.

9 Fascinating Discoveries that Changed Our Understanding of Human Evolution

Scientists have uncovered ancient fossils, prehistoric artwork, and other clues to human evolution. Here are nine of the most revealing discoveries that have changed our understanding of our early ancestors—and ourselves.

7 Historical ‘Wars on Christmas’

Christmas has been canceled a fair number of times throughout history.