European History

A European eel (not the world's oldest, however).

RIP, World’s Oldest Eel

The eel, 155, passed away in a Swedish well late last week

French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel with some of his works in Hong Kong, May 2014. The sculptures he is designing for Versailles have a similar pearl-strand shape.

For the First Time in 300 Years, a New Permanent Sculpture Will Grace Versailles

A fountain sculpture being installed on the grounds is intended to be the first permanent addition to the collection in centuries

A Royal Naval Air Service Bristol Scout D during a reconnaissance mission over the Western Front, February 1916. One of the first British single-seat fighter aircraft, the Bristol D was developed primarily for scouting. It was fast and maneuverable. The aircraft above was based on the HMS Vindex, a Royal Navy seaplane carrier operating in the North Sea.

World War I Special Report

Remembering the Great War and how we're still living through its legacy today

Teamwork Builds Ships, ca. 1918, William Dodge Stevens

The Posters That Sold World War I to the American Public

A vehemently isolationist nation needed enticement to join the European war effort. These advertisements were part of the campaign to do just that

A cyclist rides his bicycle on the former border patrol road between East and West Germany.

Cycle Through History on the Iron Curtain Trail

The trail stretches 4,225 miles from the Barents to the Black Sea

Parisian taxis assemble before being dispatched to the front.

A Fleet of Taxis Did Not Really Save Paris From the Germans During World War I

The myth of the Battle of the Marne has persisted, but what exactly happened in the first major conflict of the war?

Children’s Skulls Encircled Some Bronze Age Lake Villages

The bones may have been thought to ward off flooding in lakeside villages

Soviet propaganda, circa 1920

Thousands of Secret KGB Espionage Documents Are Now Available to the Public

The papers contain names of spies, descriptions of secret weapons and detailed plots against the West

British soldiers enter Baghdad in 1919.

The Disintegration of the Iraqi State Has Its Roots in World War I

Created by European powers, the nation of Iraq may be buckling under the pressure of trying to unite three distinct ethnic groups

Human towers for democracy at the anniversary of Castellers in Barcelona.

What Does a 36-Foot-Tall Human Tower Have to Do With Catalan Independence?

An eye-catching protest across Europe is steeped in cultural heritage says Smithsonian curator Michael Atwood Mason

Europe Was Probably Colonized By Island Hoppers

New genetic research shows that people and agriculture likely spread across the Mediterranean by going from island to island

Here’s What Actually Happens During an Execution by Molten Gold

It's probably not the gold itself that kills you, but rather the steam

You Could Smell Like A Viking

York has come up with a new tourism stunt: smell like a Viking

Europe Has Its Own Bison Species That Came Back From the Brink of Extinction

Bison were just reintroduced into a stretch of Romania where they haven't been found for two centuries

Dracula’s Castle Is for Sale

Bran Castle can be yours for a rumored $80 million

Berlin Children Cheering Airlift Plane

65 Years Ago Today, the Soviet Blockade of Berlin Ended

The first real showdown between the Soviet Union and the West ended 65 years ago today

Gino Bartali

This Italian Cyclist Defied Fascists and Saved Lives

The world didn’t learn about the heroism of Gino Bartali during WWII until after he died in 2000

Monument to Cervantes in Madrid

Spain Begins to Search for Cervantes’ Bones

Experts use ground-penetrating radar to search for the author’s bones

Poveglia Island

Lease a Haunted Venetian Island for 99 Years

Formerly a quarantine island for plague victims and an insane asylum, now you can call this island home

Roman Forum

Ancient Walls Show That Rome Is Older Than Legend

Romulus and Remus were 100 years late to the party

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