A Brief History of Timekeeping
Our ability to measure time is one of the fundamental things which makes us human. We’ve gone from very crude and inexact measures of time to time measurements which are so accurate that it would take...
31 Aug 202012min
The Plague of Justinian: The First Pandemic
Pandemics can be world-changing events. The aftermath of a pandemic can shape societies and topple empires. Whether it's the flu, smallpox, cholera, or the bubonic plague, these pandemics have killed ...
30 Aug 20209min
Eponymous Laws: The Stories Behind Laws Named After People
Everyone is probably familiar with Murphy’s Law which says that “Anything which can go wrong will go wrong.” However, there are many such laws, known as eponymous laws, which are sayings, adages, or t...
29 Aug 202010min
The Common Origins of American Football, Soccer, and Rugby
While different countries may debate as to what sport should really be called ‘football’, the reality is that the word football describes a broad family of sports all of whom have a very similar backg...
28 Aug 202010min
How the Latin Alphabet Took Over the World
The Latin Alphabet has become the most widespread system of writing in the world. Its origins can be traced back thousands of years to Ancient Romans and to civilizations before that. It is probably t...
27 Aug 20209min
Why are French Fries called French Fries?
Everyone loves french fries. It is one of the few things which most people can agree on in the world today. The average American consumes over 16 pounds of them every year, and they have become a stap...
26 Aug 20209min
The Last US Civil War Pension
On May 31, 2020, Irene Triplett passed away at the age of 90. Her life was rather unremarkable save for one important fact: she was the last person who received a pension from the United States govern...
25 Aug 20207min
Happy Birthday To You: The Most Famous Song in the World
If there is one song almost everyone knows it is Happy Birthday to You (yes, that is the actual title of the song, even though everyone just calls it Happy Birthday). Not only has the song been sung a...
24 Aug 202010min
