Big Questions, History

No Rest for the Wicked: What Becomes of Bad Guys' Bodies?

Matt Soniak

It took more than two weeks after Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed to find a grave for his body.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

How Did Caesarean Sections Get Their Name?

Matt Soniak

Reader Alistair wrote in wondering about the supposed origins of C-Sections: “Was Julius Caesar really born this way and is it the origin of the medical procedure?”

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

What is Ricin?

Matt Soniak

Here’s what you need to know about the toxin everyone is talking about.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

Why Do We Knock on Wood?

Matt Soniak

Traditionally, when you speak of your own good fortune, you follow up with a quick knock on a piece of wood to keep your luck from going bad.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

How Did Pabst Blue Ribbon Win its Blue Ribbon?

Matt Soniak

Before it was called PBR or even Pabst, the official beer of hipsters, old blue collar Wisconsinites and Frank Booth was brewed under the name Best Select, starting in 1875.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

Can You Fire the Pope?

Matt Soniak

Reader Gabrielle wrote in to ask: “Can a pope be ousted? And has it happened before?”

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How Do They Make the Pope Smoke?

Matt Soniak

When the Catholic cardinals meet to pick a new pope in the “papal conclave,” they’re sequestered in the Sistine Chapel so that their deliberations aren’t influenced by the outside world and that their

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

Where Did High Heels Come From?

Caisey Robertson

High heels, though a staple of nearly every woman’s closet these days, aren’t exactly the most reasonably designed footwear.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT

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