World History

Spanning 92 feet across the Daiya River, the nearly 400-year-old Shinkyo Bridge serves as the sacred gateway to Nikko and the Toshogu Shrine complex.

The Way of the Shogun

Looking for the soul of modern Japan on an ancient road once traveled by poets and samurai

The so-called "Letter From Heaven" was marketed as a message from Jesus himself, conveying instructions and conferring protection on those who sent them to others.

Before Chain Letters Swept the Internet, They Raised Funds for Orphans and Sent Messages From God

Recipe exchanges, poetry chains, photo challenges and other ostensibly comforting prompts are enjoying a resurgence amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters congregate at Los Angeles' Hollywood and Highland intersection on June 7, 2020.

History of Now

How Urban Design Can Make or Break a Protest

Cities' geography can aid, underscore or discourage a movement's success

Demonstration on May Day with antifascist banners, on May 1, 1929 in New York.

A Brief History of Anti-Fascism

As long as the ideology has threatened marginalized communities, groups on the left have pushed back with force

Henry VIII likely commissioned this painting of the Field of Cloth of Gold toward the end of his reign.

When Henry VIII and Francis I Spent $19 Million on an 18-Day Party

Five hundred years ago, the English and French kings proclaimed their friendship—and military might—at the Field of Cloth of Gold

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The Bloody Hell of Okinawa

More than seventy-five years ago, the final great battle of WWII convinced Allied leaders to drop the atomic bomb on Japan

This month's selections include The Beauty and the Terror, Feasting Wild and Splash.

Books of the Month

The Dangers of Space, Military Rivals and Other New Books to Read

These five recent releases may have been lost in the news cycle

Moshe Nahon Synagogue in Tangier, Morocco. This is a flattened view of a 360-degree photograph from Diarna’s archives.

Virtual Travel

Inside the Incredible Effort to Recreate Historic Jewish Sites Destroyed Years Ago

The digital venture, called Diarna, takes you back to painstakingly revived synagogues and destinations once lost to history

A Mosquito from the RAF’s 105 Squadron, used on several low-altitude daylight bombing operations during 1943.

When the RAF Buzzed Over Germany to Drown Out Nazi Broadcasts

The thundering mission that stifled the Germans during World War II

Photo illustration of Philip II of Macedon, left, and his son Alexander the Great. Sculptures are first-century Roman copies of Greek originals.

Was Philip of Macedon Even Greater Than His Son Alexander?

Archaeologists in Greece are showing how the murdered king paved the way for his scion to become a legend

Paul Rivet addresses a congress of the French Socialist Party on July 2, 1948.

The Museum Director Who Defied the Nazis

For years, Paul Rivet opposed the ideology fueling Hitler's rise. Then he helped French fighters take the battle underground

Elle Fanning portrays the eponymous empress in Hulu's "The Great."

Based on a True Story

The True Story of Catherine the Great

Hulu's "The Great" offers an irreverent, ahistorical take on the Russian empress' life. This is the real history behind the period comedy

This week's selections include Enemy of All Mankind, Who Ate the First Oyster? and Daughter of the Boycott.

Books of the Month

A Notorious 17th-Century Pirate, the Many Lives of the Louvre and Other New Books to Read

The seventh installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

This week's titles include Death By Shakespeare, Empires of the Sky and How to Feed a Dictator.

Books of the Month

Shakespearean Stabbings, How to Feed a Dictator and Other New Books to Read

The sixth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

An engraving by Levasseur after Jules-Elie Delaunay depicts the angel of death at the door during the 165 A.D. plague in Rome.

What Rome Learned From the Deadly Antonine Plague of 165 A.D.

The outbreak was far deadlier than COVID-19, but the empire survived

A five-week course, "Rome: A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City," focuses on the building of the ancient city of Rome and how it laid the groundwork for the construction of cities throughout the world.

Virtual Travel

Six Online Courses About Europe to Take Before You Can Safely Travel There Again

Sheltering in place doesn’t mean you can’t study up for your next European adventure

Worshippers, some of them wearing protective masks, take part in the Friday prayers at Mecca's Grand Mosque on March 6, 2020, a day after Saudi authorities emptied Islam's holiest site for sterilization.

Covid-19

This Pandemic Isn't the First Time the Hajj Has Been Disrupted for Muslims

Plague, war and politics have altered the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca throughout history

This week's selections include The Betrayal of the Duchess, Anonymous Is a Woman and Nerve.

Books of the Month

The Science of Fear, the Royal Scandal That Made France Modern and Other New Books to Read

The fourth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

Artifacts from the Lendbreen site

Treasure Trove of Artifacts Illustrates Life in a Lost Viking Mountain Pass

Lendbreen, a pass high in the Norwegian mountains, was an important route from the Roman era until the late Middle Ages

In May 1967, the Beatles celebrate the completion of their new album, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

The Inside Story of the Beatles' Messy Breakup

Tensions leading to the split, announced 50 years ago today, had been bubbling under the band’s cheery surface for years

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