WEIRD HISTORY
The complicated lineage of our ubiquitous decks. The standard 52-card deck (54 with these guys) is common, but not universal. Toni Reed/Unsplash – by Dan Nosowitz, 2020 Jul 13 – The history of playing cards is, in one major way, just like the …
The Forgotten Drink That Caffeinated North America for Centuries Yaupon tea, a botanical cousin to yerba maté, is now almost unknown. At a council, the chief sits at the place of honor surrounded by his advisors. Cassina is prepared by women in the …
By reinventing herself as Indian, Lillian Smith became a wild west sensation—and escaped an unhappy past – Lillian as Princess Wenona, with beloved horse “Rabbit.” This was probably taken around 1915, while she was contracted with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West. …
Silly names like “grand wizard” lost all of their silliness amid the murder, terror, and destruction this group has caused. KKK gathering – Shutterstock – By Nicholas Vrchoticky 2020 Jun 17 – It might not be surprising that a white supremacist group …
In a controversial new study, scientists cite artifacts dating the event to more than 26,000 years ago – A stone point from Chiquihuite cave (Ciprian Ardelean) – By Brian Handwerk, SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Jul 22 – Surprisingly old stone points found in a Mexican …
Rep. Bella Abzug, center, with Rep. Shirley Chisholm to her left, join antiwar activists marking the opening of the 92nd Congress with a peace demonstration on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Bettmann / Contributor/Getty – By Pamela S. Nadell 2020 Jul 21 …
Queen of Sheba Shutterstock – By Brit McGinnis 2020 Jan 02 – The Bible mentions a whole lot of people who remain a mystery to this day, from Adam and Eve to the Antichrist. Naturally, many of these characters haven’t been historically verified, …
In extraordinary times, as statues fall, Bettye Kearse has written an extraordinary book. It contains lessons for all Americans A visitor watches a video presentation at James Madison’s Montpelier in Orange county, Virginia. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters – By Michael Henry Adams, 2020 Jul …
An illustration of a sugar plantation in Antigua. The British Library, CC BY-ND – By Tom Zoellner, Professor of English, Chapman University 2020 Jul 10 – While many companies have trumpeted their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, others are beginning to …
The Chaco Canyon chocolate-drinking jars have a distinct shape, with connections to similarly shaped Mayan vessels. After testing distinguishable jar fragments from an excavated trash pile in in the canyon, archaeologists determined all of the drinking jars were used to consume cacao. (A336494, …
