History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
The painter who sneaked back into museums to retouch his art
No painting was ever truly finished in this artist's mind. Bonnard would secretly visit galleries that had already purchased his work, wait for the security…
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Brancusi walked to Paris to become a sculptor
Lacking the funds for a train ticket but overflowing with artistic ambition, Brancusi quite literally walked across Europe. He hiked from his small village…
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Rossini traded opera for pigs and truffles
After reaching the absolute peak of operatic fame by age 37, Rossini decided he was completely done with the stress of the theater. He retired in luxury,…
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The flood that refilled the Mediterranean
Long ago, the Mediterranean was nothing but a scorched, salty basin. Then, the Atlantic ocean finally breached the rocky barrier at Gibraltar, triggering an…
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He planned murder in a maid's dress
Handling rejection with absolute zero grace, Berlioz planned to murder his ex-fiancée and her new lover while disguised as a maid. He packed pistols, poison,…
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Boxing gloves were introduced to protect hands
Contrary to popular belief, slipping heavily padded mittens onto fighters wasn't actually meant to protect faces from getting smashed. Human knuckles are…
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The Emmys were almost called the Ikes
The prestigious television award came dangerously close to having the worst name in showbiz. They originally considered 'Ike' after the iconoscope tube used…
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Ugg boots started as surfers' beach shoes
Before they became the definitive winter staple of every college campus, these bulky sheepskin boots were worn exclusively on sandy beaches. Surfers used them…
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Why I Love Lucy changed sitcoms forever
The format of almost every sitcom you've ever watched was invented just so Lucille Ball didn't have to live on the East Coast. Broadcasters wanted her to…
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The first modern bra was made from two silk handkerchiefs
The foundation of modern lingerie was born out of pure frustration with stiff corsets. In 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob bought a sheer evening gown and realized her…
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Why men's and women's shirts button differently
There is a deeply unnecessary historical reason you fumble with your shirt in the morning. Historically, wealthy women did not dress themselves; their…
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Basketball once used peach baskets with bottoms
When James Naismith invented an indoor game to keep young men busy during winter, he didn't exactly have a massive budget. He nailed two peach baskets to the…
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Football helped bring color TV into homes
Consumers largely refused to upgrade to expensive color television sets until they simply couldn't tell teams apart on the screen. Broadcasters started…
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The journalist who invented the ballpoint pen
László Bíró was utterly exhausted by his fountain pens endlessly smudging ink all over his paper. He noticed that the ink used in printing presses dried…
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Longest running television show is a soap opera
Guiding Light holds the absurd record of churning out episodes for 72 straight years. It started on the radio in 1937 before seamlessly transitioning to…
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Early baseballs were made with melted galoshes
In the mid-19th century, sporting goods stores didn't exactly have massive supply chains. Early manufacturers would actively purchase old, discarded rubber…
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Queen Victoria gave away enormous underwear
The woman whose name is synonymous with extreme prudishness and corseted elegance spent her twilight years rocking a thoroughly modern, body-positive…
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Why ancient Greeks ate cabbage after drinking
Ancient Greeks completely convinced themselves that staring at or vigorously eating raw cabbage was a flawless cure for a brutal hangover. They literally…
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Why Europeans thought porcelain was made from eggshells
European traders were so baffled by the delicate, translucent nature of imported Chinese porcelain that they firmly convinced themselves it was made by…
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Spartan warriors drank blood soup
The legendary toughness of the Spartans likely stemmed from the sheer misery of their diet. They regularly consumed an intensely disgusting broth made…
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Mughal emperors were weighed against gold
Mughal emperors celebrated their birthdays with an absurd flex: sitting on a massive scale opposite an equal weight of solid gold, silver, and precious gems.…
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The cinnamon trade was guarded by imaginary birds
Arab traders kept their cinnamon supply chain a total secret by telling gullible Europeans that it was guarded by giant, terrifying flesh-eating birds.…
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When doctors treated burns with boiled onions
Instead of using anything remotely soothing, historical doctors frequently told severely burned patients to simply slap a hot, heavily boiled onion directly…
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Why nobles built fake ruins in their gardens
When having a perfectly manicured garden wasn't enough, European aristocrats actively paid architects to build completely fake, crumbling stone ruins on their…
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