History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
A repeating crossbow stored the next shot above the last one
Its magazine fed another bolt into place as the operator worked a lever. That reduced the repeated hand-loading that slows an ordinary crossbow, trading some…
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The horned winter demon who hunted naughty children
Some winter festivals featured a horned beast said to stuff naughty children into a sack and drag them away.
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The nursery-rhyme author who lobbied for Thanksgiving
Sarah Josepha Hale, author of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb,' spent decades campaigning for a shared national Thanksgiving. She wrote to presidents and promoted the…
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Wu Zetian gave petitions their own copper inboxes
In 686, she introduced receptacles for messages to the court, with categories covering advice, grievances, recommendations, and sensitive information. The…
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First photo in India captured a street scene
In 1840, an exposure in Calcutta captured a street scene. Photography soon offered people an alternative to sitting for a painted portrait.
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A medieval king became the villain of a joke about God's design
A hostile chronicle written decades after Alfonso X's death claimed he would have improved creation if God had consulted him. Later retellings turned the…
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The gruesome cowpox trick that inspired vaccination
The gamble was that cowpox, a milder infection, could protect people against deadly smallpox. Doctors introduced material from cowpox blisters through cuts in…
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Early trains sometimes left their steam engine at the station
On steep sections such as the approach out of London's Euston, a stationary engine could haul carriages using a rope. The heavy power source stayed put while…
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The Bastille key Lafayette sent to Washington
Lafayette sent the key to George Washington as a token of liberty, and it still hangs in the hallway at Mount Vernon.
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Why Puritans banned the Maypole
Puritan leaders saw Maypole dances as a threat to public morals, so they chopped down the poles and outlawed the celebrations. The target wasn’t the wood; it…
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Rembrandt painted himself through success, age, and financial ruin
Across decades of self-portraits, the costumes, lighting, and expressions change along with the man. A late painting such as the 1659 self-portrait comes…
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Paris held a kite contest that had to wait for the wind
The 1900 Paris Exposition included kite competitions alongside the sprawling Olympic-era program. The large-kite contest was postponed because there wasn't…
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Emily Post had instructions for juggling a hat and a handshake
Her etiquette guide explained which hand should hold a hat when a gentleman stopped to greet a woman, including what to do if he also carried a walking stick.…
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Victorian vegetables were brightened with poison
To make canned peas and pickles look freshly green, Victorian manufacturers added copper sulfate. The color came back; so did the poison.
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Lord Byron turned a found skull into a drinking cup
Byron said a gardener uncovered the skull at Newstead Abbey, and he had it made into a vessel for wine. He even wrote a poem for it. The macabre object was…
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The first recorded Olympic winner was a cook
Coroebus of Elis won the stadion sprint in 776 BCE, the earliest Olympics with a recorded victor. The race covered one length of the stadium. Before the Games…
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An unfinished game helped mathematicians invent better odds
Pascal and Fermat's 1654 correspondence tackled the problem of dividing stakes when a game stops early. The fair share depends on each player's chance of…
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The marriage trial that lasted a year and a day
Couples tied their wrists together for the year-and-a-day trial, but could walk away if they decided not to commit permanently.
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Pirates had surprisingly democratic workplace rules
Pirate crews agreed to written rules covering pay, injury compensation, and conduct—and could vote out a captain who abused his authority. Even at sea, the…
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Britain used war to defend a trade China wanted stopped
The East India Company controlled opium production in India and sold it into a trade carried onward by merchants to China. Chinese suppression of the illegal…
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Why Calvin Coolidge rode a mechanical horse
He thought vigorous riding would ease his digestive problems, so he put an electric mechanical horse in his bedroom and rode it each morning. The president…
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A famous yellow pigment came with a very strange origin story
An 1883 investigation described Indian yellow as being made from the urine of cows fed mango leaves. That account became the standard explanation for the…
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Why early tea cups had no handles
Without handles, drinkers had to pinch the hot porcelain directly and risk burning their fingers.
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When baseball players caught fastballs barehanded
A padded glove could look like weakness, so players chose bare hands instead. The tradeoff was hard to miss: dislocated fingers and broken bones came with the…
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