Music History #16: "Nothing Has Been Proved"
“Nothing Has Been Proved” Written by Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe (1989) Performed by Dusty Springfield The
“Nothing Has Been Proved” Written by Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe (1989) Performed by Dusty Springfield The
Initially developed to haul loads over snowy terrain, sleds quickly evolved into recreational devices. I can fondly recall many a snow day spent hurtling down the hill in my backyard, inevitably ending up in the hedge, and emerging, scratched and exhilara
Wikimedia Commons Rognvald Eysteinsson didn't want to be a Scottish Earl, and his brother paid the price for it. Eysteinsson, a Viking warrior and sailor, helped Harald Finehair subdue various bands of Viking raiders after they rejected Finehair's autho
Wikimedia Commons If you were very bored one day and built a 3D model of the state of Connecticut, then ran your hand along the top, you’d get to a place, just north of the town of Granby, where your hand would fall into a strange little pocket. This is
By Harold
Installment #50: In mid-December 1912, as Europe seemed to teeter on the edge of war, diplomats representing the Great Powers, the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire hurried to an international conference in London organized by British foreign secretary
On June 12, 1987, President Reagan stood by the Berlin Wall and implored: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" It is one of Reagan's most famous speeches and most memorable lines—but it almost never made it past Reagan's lips.
In the 1980s, U.S. and Canadian media were up in arms over Dungeons & Dragons and the problem of teen suicide.
1. Daniel Auber, La Muette de Portici Auber’s five-act opera (the title translates as The Mute Girl of Portici), regarded as the earliest French grand opera, was a revolutionary work in the most literal sense. It debuted in Paris in 1828, but it was its
Tonight's 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief is the latest in a long tradition of performers coming together to raise spirits and money for a charitable cause. See how many of these previous fund-raising festivals you remember. 1. The Concert for Banglade
From cloaks banned by Augustus Caesar to dog-toting hand muffs, here are some of the more interesting moments in the history of winter wear.
Poinsettias are as indispensable to Christmas as evergreen trees and mistletoe. Every year, they come out of the greenhouses and off the store shelves into our homes, and every year, some well-meaning but factually-challenged aunt or family friend warns u
“Enola Gay” Written by Andy McCluskey (1980) Performed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (better known as OMD) The
President Lincoln's funeral train in Philidelphia near the start of its 13 day journey from Washington to Springfield. Photo courtesy of After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, his body was taken from Washington, D.C., by train to be laid in a t
Installment #48: As 1912 drew to a close, Europe seemed to be teetering on the brink of war. The victory of the Balkan League over the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War put Serbia on a collision course with Austria-Hungary over the issue of Serbian a
During the American Civil War, the Union Army quickly figured out how to play Confederates’ own prejudices against them. They found that many Confederate troops would speak openly about tactics and troop movements or leave maps and orders out in plain vie
“Marie Provost” Written by Nick Lowe (1978) Performed by Nick Lowe The
That depends on how you define a “car.” In 1869, Irish scientist Mary Ward was riding in a steam-powered automobile built by her cousins.
It's December 5th, and we all know what that means: The time has come, once again, to celebrate Martin Van Buren's birthday. In commemoration of the eighth U.S. president, who would have turned a ripe 230 years old today, his upstate New York hometown of
“Midnight Rambler” Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (1969) Performed by The Rolling Stones The
The historical medical uses for leeches (some of which are still being practiced today) are pretty well known. But being covered in blood suckers is still nowhere near as gross as many of the medical treatments of the past covered in this great article on
Installment #47: Seeing his armies exhausted following their defeat at Chataldzha, Bulgaria’s Tsar Ferdinand (pictured) finally listened to the pleas of the Bulgarian civilian government and the advice of Bulgaria’s patron Russia, and consented to an armi
"The Rich Man" by Cornelis Anthonisz (1541), courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, Europeans illustrated their books mainly with woodcuts. A woodcutter would etch a block of wood with an image so that when the block was di
“What exactly is a pigeonhole anyway?" semi-creepy fast food mascot Jack in the Box wondered on Twitter last month. "Last I checked pigeons live in parks.” Reader @amyh914 put up the bat signal and called us into