Currencies of the World
Every day, billions of people exchange pieces of paper, metal coins, and increasingly, numbers on a screen. The names attached to that money often have histories stretching back centuries, with orig...
15 Aug 15min
The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of Deng Xiaoping
For decades, China was transformed by revolution, war, and the radical policies of Mao Zedong. After Mao’s death, however, power eventually fell to a man who had twice been purged, stripped of his p...
14 Aug 16min
The Battle of Antietam
September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest day in the history of the United States. In just 12 hours, 22,726 people were killed, wounded, or went missing just outside of Sharpsburg, Maryland, in one of th...
13 Aug 15min
All About Peppers
For thousands of years, humans in the Americas have cultivated an extremely hot plant.When it was transferred to the Old World, it transformed cuisines, inspired scientific measurements, and made some...
12 Aug 17min
The Rise and Fall of Napoleon III
For most of history, the name Napoleon has been associated with conquest, ambition, and empire. But decades after the first emperor's fall, his nephew of the same name rose to power and attempted to...
11 Aug 14min
Incredible Fan Movie Theories
Movies are filled with hidden meanings, unanswered questions, and details that inspire audiences to look beyond what appears on screen. Over the years, fans have created elaborate explanations for m...
10 Aug 14min
The History of Catalog Shopping
Long before smartphones and Amazon, shopping from home was already a global phenomenon thanks to the printed catalog. Peaking at more than fifteen hundred pages, the massive Sears Catalog became an A...
9 Aug 15min
Percy Fawcett and the Lost City of Z
In the early 20th century, a British explorer became convinced that somewhere deep in the Amazon lay the remains of a sophisticated civilization. He spent years gathering clues from old manuscripts, ...
8 Aug 15min
