You may not hear a lot about him today, but in the 9th century, Hastein was a rising star in the Viking community. The chieftain made his name with raids in the […]
How a Brilliant Military Maneuver Conquered the Wrong City
Peace Treaties More than 2,000 Years in the Making
In the movie Patton, we see General George S. Patton visiting a battlefield from the Third Punic War. He describes the battle that was fought there 2,000 years earlier and proclaims, “I […]
How Many People Were Killed in the Gladiator Games?
When you think about gladiators, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of movies such as Spartacus, Ben-Hur, or Gladiator. Most of us have some awareness of the fact that gladiator games […]
The Epic Prank that Became History’s Greatest Practical Joke
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) was an accomplished architect, designer, sculptor, and mathematician. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of Renaissance architecture and holds the distinction of being the first […]
Flush These Fun Toilet Facts
Perhaps the most important but least-talked-about piece of furniture in your home is the humble toilet. We tend to take it for granted — unless it is unavailable when we need it. […]
Coffee, Crypts, Bones, and Friars — the Origin of the Cappuccino
What do coffee, crypts, bones, and friars have in common? No, they aren’t the ingredients for a misguided Halloween party theme. They are, instead, the basis for what may be one of […]
Buying the Roman Emperor Title at an Auction
People have bought some unusual things at auctions. In the Digital Age, thanks to eBay and Facebook, it is possible to bid on almost every imaginable commodity. Despite the untold advances of […]
Shoes, Buildings, Sand, and Cheese — the Outlandish Spending Sprees of Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos (born 1929) was the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. She made a name for herself as one of the biggest spendthrifts of all time, taking the […]
The True Tale of the Meowing Nuns With Biting Issues
The Sisters of Plenitude are familiar to fans of BBC’s Doctor Who. The nuns lived on New Earth in New New York (technically, “New New New New New New New New New […]
What’s the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?
Have you ever wondered how you are supposed to refer to that nation that is home to Queen Elizabeth II? Are you supposed to call it England? Great Britain? The United Kingdom? […]
The Disturbing Precursor of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a holiday dedicated to love and is marked by the exchange of cards, flowers, candy, and romantic sentiment. If you go far enough back in time, you would see […]
The 27th Letter and Why it was Removed From the Alphabet
Every schoolchild knows there are 26 letters in the English alphabet. It seems self-evident that this fact must be as old as the language itself. Surprising as it may seem, as recently […]
The Forgery that Helped Shape Europe
During the political chaos of the early Middle Ages, there was one stable, unifying force that held things together in Europe: the Roman Catholic Church. While Europe scrambled to pick up the […]
The Confounding Case of the Lost Recipe for Concrete
Take a stroll through the ancient ruins of the Romans, Egyptians, Persians, and the Assyrians, you may notice something odd about their concrete structures. Despite being thousands of years old, they seem […]
Who was the Best-Paid Athlete of All Time?
In today’s era of multi-million dollar salaries for professional sports figures, it might surprise you that even the wealthiest of modern athletes cannot hold a candle to the best-paid sportsman of all […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 