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History
158 articles-
When Galileo’s Cosmic Convictions Landed Him in Court
More than 300 years later, the astronomer was finally vindicated -
This Is What an Egyptian Mummy Smells Like
Every smell tells a unique story -
Bird Poop Powered the Success of This Ancient Kingdom
“In ancient Andean cultures, fertilizer was power” -
Edward Teller Tried to Move Mountains With Nuclear Bombs
The father of the H-bomb hoped to put these blasts toward civilian infrastructure -
The Woman Who Paved the Way for IVF
Miriam Menkin didn’t achieve the same fame as her colleague John Rock, but the life-changing procedure wouldn’t be possible without her -
Ancient Jokes Etched in Clay
These millennia-old punchlines aren’t exactly gut-busters today -
Recreating the Smells of History
Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies, and battlefields -
How Richard Feynman Found the Root of the Challenger Disaster
The famed physicist’s persistence led him to uncover shocking failures -
Did Edison Accidentally Create a Vital Superconductor?
In 1879, the inventor might have produced graphene, a crucial component of tech more than a century later -
A Closer Look at an Elusive Ancient Plague
Teeth have revealed that victims traveled from far-off homelands
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The Accidental Discovery of Aristotle’s Paradigm-Shifting School
The ancient institution shaped education as we know it today
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Pompeii’s Early Baths Were Petri Dishes
Things improved with an impressive aqueduct system—if you don’t count lead contamination
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When Fake Nuclear Disaster Fallout Reached Los Angeles
A 1965 test revealed how people would fare if a nuclear rocket launch went wrong
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The Amateur Archaeologist Who Found the Wrong Troy
Heinrich Schliemann was a thousand years off the mark—but he did still make meaningful discoveries
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X-rays Were a Life-Saving Accident
More than a century ago, a lucky accident gave us a revolutionary new look at our bodies
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When Canaries Actually Worked in Coal Mines
These feathery gas detectors became beloved pets in the dark depths -
An Ancient Fingerprint Among Clues to a 2,000-year-old Invasion of Denmark
Previously unexamined, “remarkable” evidence could help scientists track down the unsuccessful attackers whose boat was thrown in a bog -
Crick and Watson Did Not Steal Franklin’s Data
Matthew Cobb’s 3 greatest revelations while writing his book Crick: A Mind in Motion -
Did Volcanoes Spark the Black Death?
New research points the finger for precipitating Europe’s most deadly pandemic at scores of massive eruptions -
Easter Island Statue Construction Wasn’t a Top-Down Affair
New research reveals moai creation was a decentralized process