The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

In the middle of one of the harshest deserts in North America sits a city that, by all rights, shouldn’t exist.  What began as a watering hole for ancient peoples became a railroad stop, then a gambl...

8 Apr 14min

Every day, thousands of ships crisscross the oceans, carrying the goods that power the global economy. But flying at the stern of those ships often flies a flag that puzzles people. Many vessels are...

7 Apr 15min

A thousand years ago, the world was a radically different place. Europe was fragmented and struggling, while China and the Islamic world stood at the height of their power and innovation.  Great empi...

6 Apr 13min

They are some of the largest bodies of freshwater on Earth, yet they weren’t carved by ice, but by a continent literally tearing itself apart.  These lakes are older, deeper, and more biologically di...

5 Apr 15min

Long before modern democracies, before constitutions or elections as we know them, a society of Viking settlers gathered in a windswept valley to create laws, settle disputes, and govern themselves wi...

4 Apr 15min

In the early 20th century, a glowing new element promised progress, prosperity, and even health.  It lit watch dials, captivated the public, and symbolized the cutting edge of science.  But behind t...

3 Apr 14min

Approximately 3,400 years ago, Egypt was at the height of its power during the 18th Dynasty.  In the midst of this period came a Pharoah who completely upended Egyptian society. He built an entirely ...

2 Apr 15min

April derives from the Latin Aprilis, traditionally linked to aperire, meaning “to open,” referring to the opening of buds and flowers in spring.  Another theory connects it to Aphrodite, the Greek g...

1 Apr 15min