How Did the Ottoman Imperial Harem Operate?
Nothing fascinated Europeans about the Ottoman Empire quite like the harem. Since no foreigners were permitted to enter it themselves, imaginations ran while about what sort of licentiousness happened...
18 Jul 201715min
Where Did Sea Monsters From the Edge of Medieval Maps Come From?
Have you ever seen a picture of an old map of the world and wondered why they contained enormous serpents, giant squids, Krakken, and other terrifying creatures drawn on its edges? What is the purpose...
14 Jul 20178min
What Are Some Inventions That Are Much Older Than We Think?
Many of us assume that cars, computers, and batteries are modern inventions. Before that time we lived in a technological dark age too barbaric and boring to contemplate. But what if the 21st century'...
13 Jul 20178min
Who Was the Most Powerful Woman in the Middle Ages? 2/2
Joan of Arc has one of the most incredible stories in history. Consider this: How did an illiterate peasant lead an army into victory against England in the Hundred Years War? Learn about her upbringi...
12 Jul 20179min
Who Was The Most Powerful Woman in the Middle Ages? 1/2
Eowyn, the Shieldmaiden of Rohan, is one of the best characters from the “Lord of the Rings.” But J.R.R. Tolkien didn't invent her out of thin air. Ever the scholar of Anglo-Saxon England, Tolkien bas...
11 Jul 20179min
How One Man Ruled 1920s Kansas City Like a Caesar—Jason Roe
America attempted to legislate morality in the 1920s by outlawing the production, sale, and transport of intoxicating liquors through the Volstead Act. But that didn't stop the drinks from flowing dur...
10 Jul 20171h 3min
Was There a Real-Life Dr. Frankenstein?
Was there a real life Dr. Frankenstein who tried to bring the dead back to life by science and alchemy? Yes there was, and his name was Johann Dippel. He lived in the transitional period between alche...
7 Jul 20178min
Who is the Bravest Person Who Ever Lived?
In the early 1800s there was no English explorer greater than James Holman. He covered a distance almost twenty times farther than Marco Polo on foot or cart—almost never using trains or steamships. H...
6 Jul 201711min
