During the medieval period through the Tudor era, executions were common in England. Kings like Henry VIII executed thousands of his subjects, including two wives. Queens like Mary I (who earned the nickname Bloody Mary) burned protestant heretics at the stake. Even royalty wasn’t safe from a swift and brutal death. For example, Charles I […]
Jack Ketch: One of History’s Bloodiest Executioners Read More »
When one thinks of a marathon, one likely imagines a race run by many people, with bystanders on the sidelines armed with encouragement, towels, and water bottles. They likely imagine numbers plastered across fronts and a distinct finish line that the winner would break through, resulting in a loud chorus of excited cheers, where each
How the Marathon Got its Name: An Origin Rooted in Battle and Myth Read More »
Tattoos have had a fraught and complex history around the globe. What was once an important sacred and cultural form of expression quickly became stigmatized by the advent of modernism and colonialism. No one country can lay a claim to inventing the art form. Ancient Greek pottery depicts tattooed Thracians, and a 5,300-year-old mummified body
Irezumi: The Fascinating History of Tattoos in Japan Read More »
Every age has its celebrities. In early modern England, they were actors on the stages of London’s theatres. In Belle Époque France, it was the dancers of the Moulin Rouge and the Folies Bergére. Forty years after that, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Greta Garbo became the first stars of Hollywood. But before any of
Who Were Ancient Rome’s Most Famous Gladiators? Read More »
People have been throwing things at each other as long as there has been war. If they explode or start a fire, it’s all the better from a military perspective. By the seventh century, the Byzantines were throwing jars of ‘Greek Fire,’ a mysterious concoction probably made of a mix of naphtha and quicklime, at
Molotov Cocktail: The Strange History Of This Iconic Weapon Read More »
Politics can be cruel sometimes, that’s for sure. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, for instance, many prime ministers and presidents were quickly removed from power in countries across North America and Europe by electorates furious at what had happened. Some of these same leaders had only just entered office before the crash
Why Was The Dutch Prime Minister Johan De Witt Murdered and Eaten? Read More »
People today usually associate chainsaws with cutting down trees, but their original use you’re more likely to associate with something like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In the dark ages of modern medicine, the chainsaw was invented to assist in childbirth. Why Were Chainsaws Used in Childbirth? We often take for granted how miraculous C-sections are,
The Horrifying Reason the Chainsaw was Invented Read More »
What if we told you that it’s possible that the person who planted the seeds for the inflatable sex doll industry was modern history’s greatest villain, Adolf Hitler? To be clear, the truth of this is not clear, but there is some interesting evidence that may suggest this is the case. German Soldiers in France
Was Hitler Responsible for the First Inflatable Sex Doll? Read More »
We are nearly all familiar today with the elaborately dressed formal guards stationed around Vatican City in Rome. Their brightly colored dress uniforms of blue, red, orange, and yellow and armor and halberds are a relic of a bygone era. Known as the Swiss Guards, they have been a feature of the Papal microstate throughout
The Swiss Guard: Why Does The Vatican Use Foreign Soldiers? Read More »
We are all familiar with Joseph Stalin, the Georgian leader of the Soviet Union for nearly thirty years between the mid-1920s and his death in 1953. To say his reputation is not good is an understatement. In the late 1920s, Stalin turned the Soviet Union into one of the most totalitarian states in human history,
The Tragic Lives of Joseph Stalin’s Children Read More »
