WEIRD HISTORY
“We know that a lot of innovation is coming out during that time period.” By Nina Pullano – Over a thousand years ago, the Maya civilization was dealing with an unpredictable climate. In response to natural obstacles including overpopulation and drought, the Maya …
It gave them access to water, drainage, and ready building materials. By Sarah Wells – Machu Picchu, the 600-year-old Incan citadel in modern-day Perú, is notoriously hard to get to. Built on a narrow ridge in the Andes Mountains, this UNESCO world heritage …
In more than a dozen countries as far apart as Portugal and Russia, ‘Smith’ is the most popular occupational surname. By Frank Jacobs – Image: Marcin Ciura. ‘Smith’ is not just the most common surname in many English-speaking countries In local translations, …
A new study casts doubt on historical lore. By Sarah Sloat – The saying goes that history is written by the victors. But sometimes that history is written inaccurately by the disease-bearing colonizers who defeated the original (and supposed) victors. Case in point: …
No wonder the dinosaurs didn’t survive. By Passant Rabie – The day a massive asteroid hit our planet about 65 million years ago may have been the most chaotic day on Earth, and we’re not just talking about the mass extinction part. New …
Woodhull sought to unite a coalition of African Americans, abolitionists, laborers, suffragists and 19th-century Spiritualists — groups that found themselves without a voice in government and relegated to the fringes of power. By Kayla Epstein – Five women are running for president of …
Meet Greater Adria. By Sarah Sloat – Around 180 million years ago, Earth fundamentally changed when Gondwana began to dismember. Today, present-day places, including South America and Australia, are visible chunks of this former ancient supercontinent, as well as not-so visible slices of …
By David Szondy – High-resolution mapping of the distribution of elements in a sample from the 2,000-year-old Temple Scroll, as shown by the colors at the right of this image, is providing insight into the scroll’s ancient fabrication method. James Weaver. – A …
By Mike Hanlon – The first car to reach Rouen was a De Dion-Bouton steam tractor and single-axle passenger trailer driven by Count Jules-Albert de Dion himself, but was disqualified because it needed someone to tend the boiler. (Credit: Mercedes-Benz). This week …
In a new exhibition, the overlooked contribution of Chinese workers is being brought to light for the 150th anniversary of the railroad’s completion. By Nadja Sayej – Tea carrier at tunnel, about 1867. Photograph: Courtesy of Library of Congress When one thinks of …
