HISTORY

Why Is the Unicorn Scotland’s National Animal?

Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. The reason isn’t because Scotland is a nation of unicorn lovers; rather, it’s thanks to the country’s bygone kings.

5 Wild Ideas Rejected by the Constitutional Convention

In researching his latest book, ‘The Year of Living Constitutionally,’ author A.J. Jacobs came across some bizarre suggestions floated by members of the Constitutional Convention for the new United States government.

Dwight Eisenhower Wrote a Letter Accepting Blame for D-Day's Failure, Just in Case

D-Day occurred on June 6, 1944, and kicked off the Battle of Normandy. Though it was a success, General Eisenhower was preparing for the worst.

You can't go wrong with a sweet treat and some flowers this Mother's Day.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Mother’s Day

In 2024, Mother's Day is on Sunday, May 12.

Fifteenth-century woodcut of a young woman who represents syphilis with the skeletons of dead lovers behind her bed.

Quiz: Can You Match the Disease to Its Olde-Tyme Name?

Ailments have gone by various names over the centuries. How many of these can you guess correctly?

We don’t know a lot about where the phrase came from.

What Does the Phrase ‘Keep It Under Your Hat’ Mean?

The phrase has evolved somewhat since its first uses—and its origin is something of a mystery.

George Washington went by a code name during the Revolutionary War. (And technically, he should be saying, “Hello, my 411 is 711”—411 was the code for “name.”)

12 Historical Code Words and Phrases

Asking a police officer “do you drink?” in the 1970s had nothing to do with grabbing a beer at a nearby bar.

What’s the Story Behind Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo, or May 5, is recognized around the country as a time to celebrate Mexico’s cultural heritage. Like a lot of days earmarked to commemorate a specific idea or event, its origins can be a little murky. Who started it, and why?

13 Stylish Facts About dELiA*s

Millennial women across the United States will remember rushing to their mailboxes after school to grab the hottest catalog of the ‘90s: dELiA*s.

A pixelated version of an illustration by Édouard-Henri Avril from the 1824 book ‘De figuris Veneris.’

The Research Error That Gave Us the Phrase ‘Missionary Position’

The origins of the phrase 'missionary position' involve Alfred Kinsey, some shoddy research, and zero actual missionaries.

10 Questions About the Kentucky Derby, Answered

Put on a fancy hat, grab a mint julep, and become the best-informed person at your Derby party.

The Real History of Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” Speech

Here's how one transcription of Sojourner Truth's 1851 speech fabricated her most famous quote.

‘Don’t Fire Until Your See the Whites of Their Eyes’ may (or may not) have been uttered at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

‘Don’t Fire Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes’: The Obscure Origin of the Military Command

Legend has it that a heroic American commander at the Battle of Bunker Hill implored his men to hold their fire until their enemies were under their noses. But did the event actually happen?

Why Do People Drink Mint Juleps at the Kentucky Derby?

How the bourbon-mint concoction took the horse-racing world by storm.

Everything you knew about normal human body temperature is a myth.

The 98.6°F Myth: Why Everything You Think You Know About Body Temperature Is a Lie

The average body temperature isn't actually 98.6°F, a fact scientists have known for at least three decades. So why does this myth persist?

Yves Klein: The Artist Who Invented a Color

Picasso and his Blue Period have nothing on Yves Klein, who created art almost exclusively in a shade of his own invention.

What do you think these Anglo-Saxon warriors are talking about?

20 Brilliant Anglo-Saxon Words We Should Bring Back

Old English had a rich array of inventive and intriguing words, many of which have either long since dropped out of use or were replaced.

Detainees at California's Manzanar War Relocation Center.

Researchers Have Published a List Honoring the More Than 125,000 Japanese Americans Incarcerated During WWII

The Irei Project and Ancestry have teamed up to publish the most comprehensive list ever assembled of the more than 125,000 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated on American soil during WWII.

D-Day: The scene of the Allied invasion on the Normandy beaches in June 1944.

13 Memorable Facts About D-Day

The Allied forces’ Normandy landings on June 6, 1944—an event better known as D-Day—became a pivotal moment in World War II .

Rawfords Mill near Huddersfield, Yorkshire, was a target of the Luddite movement.

The Luddite Movement’s Bloody Origins

The original Luddites were workers whose jobs were threatened by new technology—and who fought back.

The Most Common Last Name in Every Country, Mapped

The names were put into one of six different categories: ancestral, occupational, geographical, toponymic (or place name), personal characteristics, and patronage.

A 4000-year-old dog walks into a 4000-year-old bar ... / AevanStock, Master1307, and saoirse2013, via Shutterstock

9 of the World’s Oldest Jokes and Brainteasers

The oldest joke in recorded history is a fart joke that dates all the way back to 1900 BCE.

Mary and her little lamb, Humpty Dumpty mid-fall, and Little Jack Horner.

10 Interpretations of Popular Nursery Rhymes

You’ve probably grown up your entire life without putting much thought into the nursery rhymes drilled into your head. But there are tales behind each of them—some pretty dark.

Picasso Painting Breaks Auction Record At Christie's In New York

15 Things You Might Not Know About Pablo Picasso’s ‘Women of Algiers’

‘Les Femmes d’Alger’ (‘Women of Algiers’) isn’t a single artwork, but a series of 15 paintings—though one is more famous than the others.

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