Though John Adams was old and ill when he died, the curious timing of his demise sparked countless unusual theories.

Other, lesser-known towns were often just as raucous as Tombstone and Deadwood. Jerome, Arizona, for example, was once called "the wickedest town in the West" because of its proliferation of bars, ...

Although many in the modern day associate the Soviet Union with Russia, it was one of the world’s largest multi-ethnic states, comprised of 15 republics. The Soviet Union’s first census, conducted in ...

Throughout the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the early years of the Gilded Age, Thomas Nast used his political cartoons published in Harper's Weekly to satirize current events, expose corruption, and ...

Countless people around the world have been captivated by ancient Egypt since Roman times, but especially after King Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922, Egyptomania spread across Europe and the ...

At the time, Italian food wasn’t widely known in the U.S., and all of the nicer restaurants served French cuisine. So, when Ettore Boiardi started serving up his Italian recipes, customers noticed.

Later, another of Ragnar’s sons, Ubba, conspired against his father. Ubba sent envoys to Sweden to gain support for a rebellion, but Björn refused to participate. According to Saxo Grammaticus, “Björn ...

Recently, the world’s largest ocean exploration initiative announced their discovery of more than 850 new marine species found around the globe. The Ocean Census, created two years ago by the Nippon ...

Caesar’s adopted son and heir Octavian ultimately emerged victorious in the ensuing power struggles, and in 27 B.C.E., he took the new name Augustus and became Rome’s first emperor. With that, the ...

In most Christian churches across the West, the Virgin Mary is portrayed with light skin, much like her son Jesus Christ. But an estimated 400 to 500 versions of the Madonna portray her with dark skin ...

The Ark of the Covenant is first mentioned in the Book of Exodus, when God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to build an ark (a chest) out of “acacia wood” that is “two and a half cubits long, a ...

Tickling may seem like a harmless and playful act, but it actually has a long and complex history that stretches across different cultures and eras. Its ability to immobilize and cause discomfort has ...