World History

An artist's rendering of the CP-1 nuclear reactor.

How the First Man-Made Nuclear Reactor Reshaped Science and Society

In December 1942, Chicago Pile-1 ushered in an age of frightening possibility

A Plea to Resurrect the Christmas Tradition of Telling Ghost Stories

Though the practice is now more associated with Halloween, spooking out your family is well within the Christmas spirit

Statue of Memnon in the westbank in Luxor, with the community of Qurna in the background.

The Greatest Clash in Egyptian Archaeology May Be Fading, But Anger Lives On

After 200 years, the sad story of Qurna, a so-called 'village of looters', is coming to a close

An illustrated Greek medical text was found beneath the oldest Arabic translation of the Gospels.

Archaeologists Are Only Just Beginning to Reveal the Secrets Hidden in These Ancient Manuscripts

A project to scan documents found in the walls of a remote monastery is reshaping our view of the connections between East and West

The Ten Best History Books of 2017

From presidential biographies to a look at the long rise of fake news, these picks will surely interest history buffs

The Deadly Secret Kept From the Titanic's Passengers

The Titanic was specifically constructed to survive a high-impact collision like the one that sunk her

For the first time, scientists have created near-perfect cubic zirconia replicas of the diamond in its previous forms. From left to right: the original brought from India, King Louis XIV’s “French Blue” and the Hope Diamond.

Now There Are Near-Perfect Copies of the Hope Diamond

Scientists created cubic zirconia replicas of the historic gem's previous forms—the original brought from India and the famous "French Blue"

“This winter travel is a new and bold venture,” Scott wrote as his men trudged off to Cape Crozier.

The Daring Journey Across Antarctica That Became a Nightmare

Everyone knows about Robert Scott’s doomed race to the South Pole in 1911. But on that same expedition three of his men made a death-defying trip

In Fallujah, ISIS blew up this bridge during its 2016 retreat.

History of Now

What Does the Future of the Euphrates Spell for the Middle East?

In the wake of the war against Isis in Iraq, an ominous journey along the once-mighty river finds a new crisis lurking in the shallows

One of the Worst Man-Made Disasters in History

Residents of the valley of Vajont in Italy had reservations about a new hydroelectric dam--especially when cracks began to appear in the nearby mountain

The Orient Express circa 1883

What Was the Inspiration for “The Murder on the Orient Express”?

Agatha Christie wrote her famous detective novel based on an even more famous kidnapping

Gary Oldman plays Winston Churchill in the new release The Darkest Hour.

Winston Churchill’s Historic “Fight Them on the Beaches” Speech Wasn’t Heard by the Public Until After WWII

The recordings we hear today didn’t air over the BBC at the time, but that hasn’t stopped many Britons from remembering otherwise

Gaius Gracchus attempted to enact social reform in Ancient Rome but died at the hands of the Roman Senate in 121 B.C.

History of Now

Before the Fall of the Roman Republic, Income Inequality and Xenophobia Threatened Its Foundations

In a new book, history podcaster Mike Duncan describes what preceded Caesar’s rise to Emperor

USS Indianapolis Crew Battled Sharks and Hallucinations

A Japanese torpedo attack against the USS Indianapolis leaves the men with no time to launch lifeboats. For four grueling days, the survivors float

1996 Brazilian Flight Crashes Seconds After Takeoff

Shortly into TAM Flight 402's takeoff from Congonhas Airport, the pilots are stunned when the plane tilts dangerously to the right

Choosing Between Deadly Options on a Fiery Oil Rig

A deadly explosion aboard the Piper Alpha oil rig leaves the surviving crew scrambling to reach the evacuation helipad

What Caused the Giant Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion?

At 14,000 tons and 2.5 times the height of the Statue of Liberty, the Piper Alpha oil rig was one of the largest in the world

A 1939 photo of German Jewish refugees aboard the German liner Saint Louis.

Women in Science

The Forgotten Women Scientists Who Fled the Holocaust for the United States

A new project from Northeastern University traces the journeys of 80 women who attempted to escape Europe and find new lives in America during World War II

A poster from the Vichy period shows a disintegrating France on the left, with words like "communism" and "Jewishness" causing the foundation to crumble. On the right are the words of Pétain's France: work, family, fatherland.

Was Vichy France a Puppet Government or a Willing Nazi Collaborator?

The authoritarian government led by Marshal Pétain participated in Jewish expulsions and turned France into a quasi-police state

Georges Nagelmackers, creator of the Orient Express, envisioned "a train that would span a continent, running on a continuous ribbon of metal for more than 1,500 miles," writes one historian.

The True History of the Orient Express

Spies used it as a secret weapon. A president tumbled from it. Hitler wanted it destroyed. Just what made this train so intriguing?

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