European History

Carl Laemmle in 1918

This Hollywood Titan Foresaw the Horrors of Nazi Germany

Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Pictures, wrote hundreds of affidavits to help refugees escape Europe

The Saalfelden hermitage

Austrian Town Seeks Professional Hermit

The beautiful locale makes up for the spartan lifestyle expected of successful applicants

The Heinkel He-280, the world's first jet fighter, was developed in Nazi Germany during World War II.

Since First Successfully Used More Than 75 Years Ago, Ejection Seats Have Saved Thousands

The faster an airplane is moving, the harder it is to get out of: that's why ejection seats are so important

Norway Killed the Radio Star

The Scandinavian country began a controversial phase out of FM radio broadcasts this week in favor of Digital Audio Broadcasting

The warning label on cartons of duty-free cigarettes in Munich, Germany circa 2006.

People Have Tried to Make U.S. Cigarette Warning Labels More Graphic for Decades

On this day in 1964, the surgeon general officially said that smoking causes cancer. But warning labels in America still don't show its effects

British double-agent Guy Burgess was one member of the Cambridge Five ring of spies.

The Student and the Spy: How One Man’s Life Was Changed by the Cambridge Five

An unlikely friendship with Guy Burgess, the infamous British double-agent, brought unexpected joy to Stanley Weiss

A daguerreotype portrait of Samuel Morse by his student, Mathew Brady, circa 1844-1860.

The Inventor of the Telegraph Was Also America’s First Photographer

The daguerreotype craze took over New York in the mid-nineteenth century

Joan of Arc on horseback in an illustration from a 1505 manuscript.

Remembering Joan of Arc, The Gender-Bending Woman Warrior Who Changed History

The Maid of Orleans and her holy voices were in many ways too different to live

Poland Gets a da Vinci at a Big Discount

The world famous Princes Czartoryski Foundation was recently acquired by the Polish government for a fraction of its value

President Boris Yeltsin hands over a copy of the Russian constitution to Vladimir Putin, December 21, 1999.

The Popularity of Putin and What It Means for America

In the 25 years since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has changed dramatically--and it’s more important than ever to understand those changes

A technician takes an X-ray fluoroscope of a female patient. Fluoroscope exams delivered much more radiation exposures than modern X-rays.

Just Months After Its Discovery, the X-Ray Was in Use in War

The public was also fascinated by the fact it was possible to take pictures of somebody’s insides

Patrons of the sciences once offered cash prizes, exotic pets and even islands for world-changing discoveries. Here, Louis XIV surveys the members of the Royal Academy of Sciences in 1667.

For Your Contributions to Science, I Humbly Bequeath You This Pet Moose

A history of motivating scientific endeavor through cash prizes, islands and exotic pets

The Bay of Naples, with Mount Vesuvius in the center and the Campi Fleagri Caldera on the far left

The Volcano That May Have Killed Off the Neanderthals Is Stirring Once Again

Responsible for Europe's largest eruption, the volcano is showing signs of another pending explosion

Nördlingen is located in a crater in southern Germany.

This German Town Is Embedded with Millions of Tiny Diamonds

Scientists estimate that Nördlingen and the surrounding area contain approximately 72,000 tons of the gemstone

Holiday spices have a long history, stretching back hundreds of years. (Alamy)

How the Crusades Helped Create Your Gingerbread Latte

Spices have been shaping cuisine for thousands of years, especially around the Christmas season

Tycho Brahe was extremely wealthy and lived an unusual life that included a pet moose.

Astronomer and Alchemist Tycho Brahe Died Full of Gold

The shiny element was important to Renaissance scientists. Very important

Rudolf Hess and Adolf Hitler during the Reichstag session at which Hitler gave his last warning to the British Empire.

The First Moments of Hitler's Final Solution

When Hitler solidified his plan to exterminate Jews – and why it matters 75 years later

The Beckery monastery as it would have looked in the fifith century

Oldest Community of Monks in U.K. Discovered

The find was thanks to a community training dig

The new, meatier five-pound note

Why Vegetarians Hate the U.K.'s New £5 Note

The new currency uses a polymer that contains some animal fat, and it turns out at least 24 other nations use the same product

A detail of a 17th century map found stuffed in a Scottish chimney.

Rare 17th-Century Map Found Shoved Up a Chimney Is Restored

Nothing like an antique document to block a draft

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