History
120 articles-
Monumental Burial Mounds Rewrite Ancient History
The colossal structures, built by hunter-gatherers, are way older than archaeologists had thought possible -
A Truer Story of Native America
Pulitzer-winner Kathleen DuVal on Indigenous power in colonial times -
The History Hidden in Names
Etchings in ancient Hebrew artifacts reveal nuanced social dynamics -
The Surprising History of Scientific Ballooning in 11 Missions
It started with farm animals—now it’s revealing secrets of the cosmos -
The Genius of Benjamin Franklin
Richard Munson’s 3 greatest revelations while writing Ingenious, his biography of Franklin, the scientist. -
How the Occult Gave Birth to Science
For scientists of yore anything—from mermaids to alchemy—was on the table. -
“This Is a Great Day with Me”
Alexander Graham Bell reflects on the very first telephone call in a letter to his father. -
Is Discovery Inevitable or Serendipitous?
The role of chance and predictability in scientific breakthroughs. -
How History Did the Dodo Wrong
Who are you calling inept and unfit? -
The Perpetual Quest for a Truth Machine
Why human attempts to mechanize logic keep breaking down.
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The Force Was with Them
My generation of filmmakers shook up cinema forever. Where are history’s periodic surges of creativity taking us?
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Magic Died When Art and Science Split
Renée Bergland’s 3 greatest revelations while writing Natural Magic: Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and the Dawn of Modern Science.
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The Smartphone of the Middle Ages
An accident of lighting uncovers Jewish, European, and Islamic origins.
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Is Christianity Based on Psychedelic Trips?
A radical theory that pagan cults gave rise to early Christianity.
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The Feminist Botanist
A 19th-century tale of hermaphrodite flowers, Charles Darwin, and women’s right to vote.
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The Prizefighters
If you want to know what it takes to succeed in science, head to the Nobel Prize ceremony. -
What a Bronze Age Skeleton Reveals About Cavities
Here’s a hint: He didn’t eat processed foods and sugar. -
Archaeology at the Bottom of the Sea
David Gibbins on his 3 greatest revelations while writing A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks. -
The Women Who Found Liberation in Seaweed
How a shared love of algae got a community of women hooked on marine science. -
History’s Five Best Body Part Stories
Charles I’s neck bone, Queen Victoria’s armpit, and other fabulously gruesome medical tales.