Livius Drusus

Joined: Mar 30, 2015

Born in Connecticut and raised in Rome, Italy, livius drusus embraced destiny and became a history nerd from a very early age. A BA in History and English ensued. With the dawn of the Internet, that kid reading Bullfinch's Mythology under the covers with a flashlight long after bedtime transmuted into the bleary-eyed obsessive spending entire lost weekends following links down historical rabbitholes. The results of those benders are posted daily on TheHistoryBlog.com.

Cooks of yore had some interesting advice on how to prepare a turkey.

10 Odd Historical Hints for Preparing a Turkey

10 of History's Craziest Cat People

Pictures of disguises in Dosi’s scrapbook via Getty Images

Giuseppe Dosi, Italy's Famed Detective and Master of Disguise

Marie Connolly Owens, America's First Female Police Officer

10 Intentionally Deformed Skulls From Around the World

Intentional cranial deformation has been recorded on almost every continent over tens of thousands of years.

If this man were smart, he’d be heading into Rome’s Cloaca Maxima to look for archaeological treasures buried among the ancient poop.

8 Archaeological Treasures Found in Poop

Among its many fine qualities, human waste gives archaeologists a wealth of information about people's daily lives—and reveals the occasional treasure or two.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, ca 1503-1506. Photo by C2RMF via the History Blog

How the Mona Lisa Escaped Destruction During World War II

The rescue required a dedicated team, some crafty moves, and an ambulance with a stretcher.

Naples National Archeological Museum via The History Blog

10 Beloved Animals From Ancient History

These horses, eels, elephants, and more were deeply loved in life and immortalized by history after death.

The Oriental Institute via The History Blog

10 Revealing Scans of Historical Artifacts

Technology has made non-invasive examination possible in such detail that using your eyeballs pales in comparison.

15 Dubious Earache Remedies You Should Not Try at Home

No matter how much you're hurting, avoid these historical home cures.

6 Legendary Poisons and 1 Legendary Antidote

Before toxicology tests and forensic pathology, stories of mysterious poisons with chameleon-like properties abounded.

10 Things People Thought Lived Inside Their Bodies

The human body is full of weird, gross and awe-inspiring stuff as we know it—but for people who lived when ideas were unbound by strict anatomical correctness, it was even more so. Here are 10 things people thought, and in some cases still think, were inh

Jere Keys, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

7 Famous Death Masks That Had Lives of Their Own

Once a common type of memorial, death masks have been used in science, art, and beyond.

A larger companion piece to this chest was mistakenly used as a household item.

9 Historical Treasures Unwittingly Used as Common Household Items

Just because an artifact is ancient or historically significant or even sought after for years doesn't mean its owner is aware of it.

7 Duels Between Women

Some of these clashes were nothing short of epic.

8 Terrifying—and Unconventional—Ancient Weapons

Limestone, chicken feathers, and flaming pigs have all been deployed to gruesome ends.