The Strange Truth Of Andrew Jackson's Burial
In June of 1845, Andrew Jackson was 78 years old -- roughly 248 in 19th century years. Soon he'd be buried -- but not how you might expect.
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What Happened To The Slaves At The Alamo?
Part of the narrative of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo is that the defenders were there to liberate Texas from the tyranny of Mexico. One of the points that often gets lost amid the flag-waving and coonskin caps is that by the time of the Texas Revolution, Mexico had abolished slavery. Texas hadn't.
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How To Survive Sinking In Quicksand
Quicksand is probably more important as a motion picture plot device than as an actual natural phenomenon that's waiting to suck you to your death the next time you stroll in the woods/jungle/cursed mall.
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The Mysterious Death Of Mt. Everest Explorer George Mallory
"He saw two black dots he assumed to be Mallory and Irvine near one of the final ridges before the peak before disappearing into the clouds again. It was the last time both of them were seen alive..."
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This Man Is The Only Human Buried On The Moon
In terms of ideal career paths, being an astronaut is one of the coolest jobs you could imagine. NASA accepts around 12 astronauts into its training program every couple years, but there's another way to make it to the moon, and Eugene Shoemaker is proof.
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Abraham Lincoln Co-Founded A Bar. Here's What We Know About It
Abraham Lincoln was a great many things. And before he was president, he held a very different job dedicated to serving the people: that of bar owner.
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What You Probably Didn't Know About Herodotus, The First Western Historian
Was Herodotus the first Western historian, or "the father of lies?"
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You'll Be Surprised At How Much The Vice President Of The U.S. Really Gets Paid
The vice president makes roughly enough to buy 100 medium-range French bulldogs. Here's how much that is.
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There's A Coin Shortage In The United States. Here's Why
To add to the list of things you'd never thought you'd see in your lifetime that happened in 2020, there is now a coin shortage. Here's why.
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Here's Who Eleanor Roosevelt Wanted On Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore could have looked very different.
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What Life Was Like For Women In The Inca Empire
The Incan empire quickly grew during the 16th century CE to encompass nearly the entire western coast of South America. Here's what life was like for its women.
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What Life Was Like For Women In Ancient Persia
One of the world's first superpowers, the Persian Empire was located in modern-day Iran, Syria and Turkey. Compared head-to-head with other ancient world civilizations, there's something oddly endearing about Persia.
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The Unsolved Mystery Of Bob Marley's I Shot The Sheriff
While song lyrics tend to stick to an unmistakable point — usually along the lines of "Oh, I love you" — they occasionally are just ambiguous enough to leave it up to the listener to decide what's happening. Bob Marley achieves this in "I Shot the Sheriff."
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These Are The Facts About The Creepy Poem On Shakespeare's Grave
If there's one thing we know about Shakespeare, it's -- well, practically nothing. But there's plenty to talk about, including the poem on his grave.
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History Channel's Ridiculous Theory About Amelia Earhart's Disappearance
Through extensive advertisements and daytime talk show segments, the History Channel announced that they had finally solved the big one: the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Boy were they wrong.
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What The Last Surviving Star Of Ben-Hur Is Doing Today
If anybody knows anything about Ben-Hur, it's chariot races. Even the film version feels pretty ancient. So it may not be a surprise that almost every cast member is no longer alive. Save for one.
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The True Story Of The Ancient Aztec Capital Of Tenochtitlan
The ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan is the source of a flood of fascinating history. Then again, it's also the source of many fascinating rumors and half-truths, thanks to repression after the Spanish conquest. This is the true story of the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.
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The Origin Of Demons In Christianity
Everybody's familiar with demons. Conceptually, they are more or less universal. But what are their origins in Christianity?
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The Truth About The Mysterious Toxic Lady
The life of a hospital Emergency Room staffer is never dull. And the unexpected can ratchet up the pressure even more. This was the experience of ER staffers at Riverside General Hospital one night in 1994. To this day, the mysterious Toxic Lady, Gloria Ramirez, still has not fully been explained.
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The Crazy True Story Of The Haitian Revolution
At the turn of the 19th century, slaves in the French colonies in Haiti pulled off an unprecedented feat.
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Why Travis Fimmel Didn't Return After Vikings Season 4
Vikings has been a truly massive success for the History Channel, and for the show's first four seasons, it was spearheaded by a larger-than-life main character.
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What Solomon Northup's 12 Years As A Slave Were Really Like
Solomon Northup's tale is unique because his account of slavery was from the lens of a free man. He was educated, married, and had children before he was stolen and forced into 12 years of cruel bondage. This is what Solomon Northup's 12 years as a slave were really like.
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The 1922 Riots That Were Started Because Of A Clothing Item
The year is 1922... don't get caught wearing this kind of hat.
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Here's How Much The President Of The United States Really Gets Paid
It's not the cherriest of gigs, running the free world. Still, the office is nice, and you get your own bowling alley. Maybe that's why children across the United States dream of the day when they'll grow up to be president.
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Here's How Abraham Lincoln Predicted His Own Death
Recollections of Abraham Lincoln 1847-1865, an 1895 book which collects anecdotes from Ward Hill Lamon about his presidential friend, included one particularly odd note about a dream.
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The Real Reason People Used To Believe Griffins Existed
The griffin -- also gryphon (says Mythology), also grypes (says Theoi) -- traditionally is a blend of an eagle's front crafted onto the body of a lion. And it may have been based on a real animal.
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The Real Reason Thomas Edison's First Invention Failed
Recent history has not been kind to Thomas Edison. Once remembered as a titan of creative thought, today he's become more or less synonymous with the corrupt underpinnings of American industrialism and man's capacity to dash his rivals' dreams, or go to New Jersey and electrocute an elephant.
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