History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
The royal marriage that broke the rules
The heir’s choice of a twice-divorced woman put his marriage plans at odds with the rules governing the crown. He gave up the throne rather than give up the…
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Martin Van Buren left his wife out of his autobiography
Martin Van Buren filled hundreds of pages with his political life but never mentioned his wife, Hannah. His autobiography made room for a career, not for the…
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A queen kept her crown while her family kept her confined
Joanna of Castile spent the years from 1509 until her death in 1555 at Tordesillas. Her father arranged the confinement, and her son continued it while…
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Beethoven poured cold water over his head to write
When his writing stalled, Beethoven doused his head with cold water to get himself going again. His solution to a creative block was less inspiration than an…
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Erik Satie put grated bones on an all-white menu
In a 1913 autobiographical essay, the composer described a diet restricted to white foods, including eggs, sugar and grated bones. The bizarre list belongs to…
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Klimt let stray cats take over his studio
Klimt let stray cats roam among his sketches and paints, even when they damaged his work. In his studio, the cats had more freedom than the masterpieces had…
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Carlo Gesualdo's biography contains both madrigals and a double murder
In 1590, the composer killed his wife Maria d'Avalos and her lover Fabrizio Carafa. He later remarried into the Este family and continued his musical career.…
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Sartre Once Thought Invisible Crabs Were Chasing Him
After a bad mescaline experience, Jean-Paul Sartre reportedly believed giant invisible crabs were following him around Paris for months. He eventually…
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Bernini had his lover’s face slashed
After discovering his mistress was involved with his brother, Bernini hired a servant to slash her face with a razor.
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Mondrian's road to abstraction passed through trees
Before the famous grids of primary colors, Mondrian repeatedly painted trees, simplifying their forms and relationships. Works such as The Grey Tree show…
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Dvořák memorized train schedules for fun
For Dvořák, railway timetables were apparently light reading: he memorized schedules and quizzed students on locomotive models.
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Brahms burned his own early music
Afraid his early works would be judged against Beethoven, Brahms destroyed dozens of them, including string quartets. He protected his reputation by making…
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Bernoulli shared a prize with his father—and was banned from home
In 1734, Daniel and Johann Bernoulli jointly won a Paris Academy prize. Johann took the tie as an insult and barred his son from his house. A family that…
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The Handel legend that turns dinner for three into one meal
A familiar anecdote has the composer ordering enough food for several people, then telling a waiting server that he is the whole party. The story belongs to…
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Caravaggio fled Rome after killing a man in a sword fight
In 1606, Caravaggio fatally wounded Ranuccio Tomassoni in a confrontation often linked to a tennis match, though the motive is disputed. Facing punishment, he…
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The philosopher who paid a lifelong pension after an assault
A quarrel over a neighbor’s loud talking turned into a bill that outlasted the argument: after Schopenhauer pushed her down the stairs, a court ordered him to…
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Olympia replaced the reclining nude's faithful dog with a cat
Manet's painting echoes an established reclining-nude tradition but gives its woman a direct gaze and a black cat at the bed's foot. Those choices contribute…
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Liszt fans fought over his cigar butts
At concerts, aristocratic women fought over broken piano strings and Liszt’s discarded cigar butts, which they wore in lockets. His celebrity was so intense…
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Kurt Schwitters built a sculpture that swallowed his studio
Beginning in the 1920s, Schwitters kept expanding his Merzbau in Hannover until the construction occupied much of his working space. It was an environment to…
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Kant's punctuality became part of his public legend
Biographer Reinhold Jachmann recalled neighbors judging whether it was seven by whether Kant had passed after visiting a friend. Heinrich Heine later helped…
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Rousseau's book on raising children followed his own abandonment of five
Before publishing Emile in 1762, Rousseau had sent his five children to a foundling institution. He later defended and revisited that decision in his…
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Wagner's conductor premiered Tristan while his wife was involved with Wagner
Hans von Bülow conducted the 1865 premiere of Tristan und Isolde. His wife Cosima had already begun a relationship with Wagner and later married him.…
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Schubert wrote over 600 songs in a life of just 31 years
Much of his music grew around a circle of friends in Vienna rather than a grand public career. His surviving work includes hundreds of songs alongside…
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The conductor who died after smashing his toe
Lully struck his toe with the heavy staff he used to keep time, then refused treatment. The wound became infected, and a conductor’s tool proved fatal.
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