HISTORY

Why Is Sneakily Leaving Called an “Irish” Goodbye or Exit?

What is an Irish goodbye—and why is it called that?

When Ernest Hemingway Walked Away From Two Plane Crashes Just Hours Apart

The novelist endured a crash in East Africa. Then his 'rescue' plane went down, too.

These cats went to sea and to space, and inspired artists, writers, and scientists.

17 of History's Coolest Cats

Anyone with a cat will probably argue that their feline is the coolest—but there have been at least a few other candidates through the ages, from Able Seacat Simon to Abraham Lincoln’s kitties to the feline that inspired Nikola Tesla.

The history of pizza is packed with myths and misconceptions—but it sure is delicious.

A Brief History of Pizza

The history of pizza is a large pie—half Margherita and half lies. Let’s take a bite out of pizza’s past, covering styles from Neapolitan and New York to Sicilian and St. Louis and beyond.

The Girl With the Green Ribbon: A Grisly History of ‘Headless Woman’ Stories

Precursors to the story about the girl with the green ribbon were written by Washington Irving, Alexandre Dumas, and more famous authors.

A detail of Édouard Manet's ‘Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe’

15 Facts About Édouard Manet’s ‘Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe’ (‘Luncheon on the Grass’)

Today, ‘Luncheon on the Grass’ (or ‘Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe’) is regarded as 19th century French painter Édouard Manet's greatest triumph.

Why Do We Sometimes Call Aluminum Foil “Tin Foil”?

Tin foil and aluminum foil are not the same thing.

Georges Seurat. A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, 1884/86. The Art Institute of Chicago. Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection.

15 Facts About ‘A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884’

A close look at Georges-Pierre Seurat's 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884' reveals much more than a warm portrait of a sunny day in a lovely park.

Union coal miners on strike, August 1, 1993.

The Reason Why People Who Cross Picket Lines Are Called ‘Scabs’

By the late 1700s, laborers adopted the insult to refer to workers who wouldn’t join a strike, a union, or take part in organized labor and undermined their fellow workers.

Not every woman wanted alcohol to be banned.

Queens of Prohibition: The Wild Story of 8 Women Bootleggers, Moonshiners, and Rum Runners

These daring dames ventured into the underworld of contraband liquor.

The Bizarre (and Blatantly False) Conspiracy Theory That Says the Middle Ages Never Happened

We’re currently living in the year 1725, not 2023. At least, that’s what adherents of the Phantom Time Hypothesis would have you believe. The historical conspiracy theory alleges that the years spanning from 614 to 911 CE never actually happened.

11 Miniature Mischief-Makers From World Folklore

The milk has curdled? Must be a brownie. Someone drank all your wine? Your cellar might be infested with clurichauns.

The origins and history of the word ‘cakewalk’ may make you want to reconsider using it.

The Racist Origins of 7 Common Phrases

From ‘cakewalk’ to ‘no can do,’ the origins of these common idioms and sayings are surprisingly dark.

Dolly the sheep created a media frenzy in 1997.

Dollymania: When Dolly the Sheep Created a ’90s Media Sensation

Dolly the sheep was the first animal cloned from a single adult cell—and raised a lot of questions about the future of human cloning.

Jacques Barraband, ‘Carolina Parakeet’ (1801)

The Curious Extinction of the Carolina Parakeet: An Avian Cold Case

The North American parrots vanished mysteriously in the early 20th century. Now scientists are closer to solving their disappearance.

Watch a Baby Chimpanzee Explore Coney Island in 1936

Shorty the Chimpanzee rides the merry-go-round and climbs on the Ferris wheel in this lighthearted 1936 newsreel.

Thiess was a little too forthcoming in his testimony.

Thiess of Kaltenbrun, the Man Who Went on Trial for Being a Werewolf

Thiess strolled into court in 1691 to testify in a theft trial. He wound up admitting he turned into a wolf and feasted on pigs. You know, that old story.

Benjamin Franklin’s Long List of Synonyms for ’Drunk‘

“The Drinkers Dictionary,” published by Franklin in the ‘Pennsylvania Gazette’ in January 1737, features terms like ‘nimptopsical’ and ‘cherubimical’ as synonyms for ‘drunk.’

How Sesame Street Dealt With 9/11

'Sesame Street' has a long history of teaching kids how to deal with traumatic events. In the wake of 9/11, the show's creators wanted to find a way to bring the real-world horror to their young audience's attention.

Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park on September 23, 2023, and volunteer to keep the heavily visited park in top shape.

Visit Any National Park Property for Free on September 23—or Volunteer to Help Maintain Them

On September 23, 2023, you can visit the Statue of Liberty, Alcatraz Island, or any of the 400-plus other monuments, parks, and historical sites overseen by the National Park Service for free.

‘The Persistence of Memory’ at a MoMA exhibit in Berlin.

14 Facts About Salvador Dalì’s ‘The Persistence Of Memory’

'The Persistence of Memory' is the most recognizable work by Salvador Dalì, who painted it in the midst of a hallucination.

Which offbeat attraction do you want to visit?

The Coolest Offbeat Attraction in All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.)

Let’s take a roadtrip through the country, with stops at a self-flushing latrine, a collection of human brains, and much more.

Burial of the Nickelodeon Time Capsule 4/30/92 c. Nickelodeon/Viacom 1992

Every Item in Nickelodeon’s 1992 Time Capsule

In 1992, Nickelodeon assembled items important to the kids of the day, put them in a big orange time capsule, and buried it in front of Nickelodeon Studios in Universal Studios. Here’s the full list.

A stereotypical depiction of a witch, wart and all.

Why Do Witches Often Have Warts?

The reason they’re often associated with the growths goes hand in hand with the same centuries-old superstitions that gave witches an undeservedly bad rap.

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