An Artist Is Building a Parthenon of Banned Books
More than 100,000 books will become a monument to intellectual freedom in Germany next year
Why We Call the Axis Powers the Axis Powers
On this day in 1936, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared an axis between Berlin and Rome, coining a term that would be used by both sides in WWII
Pope Francis Isn’t Using His Summer House, so the Vatican Is Letting the Public in
Get a rare look at the pope’s luxurious vacation home
The Oldest-Known Carving of the 10 Commandments Is Going up for Auction
But the buyer won’t be able to take it home
Walls of “Jesus’ Tomb” Exposed for the First Time in Centuries
During repair work, archaeologists removed the marble slabs that covered the walls of the limestone cave where Jesus was purportedly laid after crucifixion
Are You Descended From Witches? New Digital Document Could Help You Find Out
The Wellcome Library manuscript lists people accused of witchcraft during the Scottish witch panic of 1658-1662
Join an English Scavenger Hunt for Spooky, Supernatural Scratches
“Witch marks” are all over old buildings in England—and this Halloween, a preservation group is calling on the public to help document them
Genetic Sleuthing Clears ‘Patient Zero’ of Blame for U.S. AIDS Epidemic
Scientists debunk the myth of the man once thought to have brought the virus to the states
Kids Ditch Princess Costumes in Favor of Superheroes This Halloween
For the first time in over a decade, princesses falter on the charts
New U.K. Law That Would Pardon Gay Men Once Convicted of Sex Crimes Fails in Parliament
The private member’s bill will not go ahead
How the Poppy Came to Symbolize World War I
Red blooms help the world commemorate a bloody war
What to Know About NASA’s Historic Astronaut Beach House
The famous bungalow is on track to be repaired by 2018 when SpaceX is hoped to launch humans into space once again
The History of Presidential Politics’ Most Important Dinner Date
For decades, the Al Smith Dinner has helped Catholic voters dine and decide
A Skeleton Found in a Castle Could Be the Key to Cracking a 17th-Century Cold Case
A murder mystery complete with royal intrigue
Archaeologists Detect Two Previously Unknown Cavities Beneath Giza’s Great Pyramid
But don’t get too excited just yet
China Now Has a 20th-Century Architectural Heritage List
A country with an uneasy relationship to its past will preserve 98 buildings of the 20th century for future generations
China Will Finally Release the Last Tiananmen Square Prisoner
Miao Deshun has been in prison for the majority of his life
Did the Greeks Help Sculpt China’s Terra Cotta Warriors?
New analysis and DNA evidence suggests the 8,000 life-sized figures in emperor Qin Shi Huang’s necropolis owe their inspiration to the Greeks
Five Things to Know About Bob Dylan
When it comes to awards, the times are a’ changin’—and now the iconic musician is a Nobel laureate
Discover One of History’s Most Ambitious Maps
Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map was the oldest document to use “America” to describe the body of land between Africa and Asia
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