WEIRD HISTORY
By Anthony Wood – A reconstruction of the ancient female, based on DNA extracted from ancient birch pitch. Illustration by Tom Björklund. – Scientists have successfully extracted a complete human genome from a 5,700-year-old piece of “chewing gum” that was discovered in southern …
The mythical holiday beast is once again on the prowl, but beware, he’s making his way across the Atlantic A man dressed in a traditional Perchten costume and mask performs during a Perchten festival in the western Austrian village of Kappl, November 13, …
The finding bolsters the idea that even 44,000 years ago, artistic ingenuity was shaping cultures across the Eurasian continent. Six humanoid figures with animal features surround an anoa, a small type of buffalo, in a 44,000-year-old Indonesian cave mural. (Ratno Sardi). By Katherine …
Archaeologists now can more closely date when the religion spread to the Aksumite Empire. At an archaeological site in Ethiopia, researchers are uncovering the oldest Christian basilica in sub-Saharan Africa. (Ioana Dumitru). By Andrew Lawler Smithsonian.Com – In the dusty highlands of northern …
During World War II, the stalls served as rendezvous points for French Resistance fighters. Photographer Charles Marville captured this snapshot of an open-air urinal with three stalls in 1865. Public domain. By Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian.Com – To keep precious military intel …
“Faceless” Indus Valley City Puzzles Archaeologists. Mohenjo Daro 101 By John Roach – A well-planned street grid and an elaborate drainage system hint that the occupants of the ancient Indus civilization city of Mohenjo Daro were skilled urban planners with a reverence for …
Photo: Unknown/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0. Was the real Lone Ranger African American? Most likely, yes – and his name was Bass Reeves. By Melissa Sartore – Bass Reeves was born into slavery in 1838 in Arkansas but later became one of the most successful and …
By Genevieve Carlton – On September 29, 1929, the USSR had its last Sunday for 11 years. In an effort to boost productivity and eliminate religion, Josef Stalin instituted a new Soviet calendar, known as the Soviet Eternal Calendar. Under the Soviet Union’s …
Dubbed “America’s Cowboy Philosopher,” Rogers was a vaudeville, newspaper, radio and movie star By Sarah Wells – In today’s media landscape, we’re used to seeing Jacks and Janes of all trades — celebrities writing memoirs, starring in movies or expressing their 2 a.m. thoughts …
By Genevieve Carlton – Everyone’s heard of Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy. But not as many people are familiar with Desilu Studios, and even fewer know the true story behind Lucille Ball and Star Trek. In fact, according to an influential studio executive, Star Trek never would …
