The Past

Washington first took the oath of office of the president of the United States with just one natural tooth remaining.

Was this a moment when humans interbred with Neanderthals?

After it became clear that the world wasn’t 6,000 years old, some proposed that northern peoples had emerged independently from others.

A study proposes that an ancient trading network, called the Hopewell tradition, may have been wiped out by what is known as a cosmic airburst.

Although saying the wrong thing could often get you killed in ancient civilizations, history shows that the ideal of free speech has deep roots.

When Saint Ambrose of Milan was venerated, his life became public property, its meaning expanding with the unique interpretations of each new generation.

Many first-hand accounts from the golden age of piracy were grossly embellished, meaning it’s extremely difficult to separate Blackbeard the legend from Edward Thatch the person.

Einstein’s theories of relativity faced fierce opposition. One critic claimed he was attempting to subvert the scientific method.

For a long time, important events could only be visualized retroactively through paintings. Photography allowed us to capture history as — or sometimes even before — it happened. 

A new analysis of an ancient hominin fossil sheds light on the “Out of Africa” dispersal events that occurred more than one million years ago.

Math offers good evidence that humans can solve any problem — as long as there’s money in it.

The Siege of Leningrad lasted over two years and claimed nearly a million lives. It also inspired writers to record the bleak conditions in which they lived.

Behind the scenes, Hitler had at least three disastrous relationships, including a short-lived marriage.

Dating of volcanic ash suggests the remains are at least 230,000 years old.

Despite losing most of his extended family to the guillotine, Tocqueville grew up to become a fervent supporter of democratic revolution.

Once numbering just 27 birds, the global population of California condors is now in the hundreds.

Many key inventions were unique: one-offs.

Scientists used 3D scans to analyze the corpse of Amenhotep I. They discovered that his brain was never removed and that he was circumcised, among other curiosities.

Distinguishing fact from fiction can be tough, especially when it comes to people as controversial as Stalin. 

Haters and disrespect aside, fruitcake is still a robust American tradition.

For consumers of festive beverages, the news is bad: this holiday season, Guinness may not be on tap and glass for bottling wine is scarce. Climate disasters, like British Columbia’s floods, have further weakened already […]

The German-American cartoonist introduced the idea that Santa Claus traveled with a sleigh and reindeer.

In her 2020 book, “The Alchemy of Us,” Ainissa Ramirez explores how important material inventions shaped the course of human experience.

In America, Cup Noodles has succeeded by hiding its Japanese roots.

What was this mammoth tusk doing on the ocean floor 150 miles from land?

It’s all well and good to discuss how our humanity evolved – but what even is humanity?

Bears, chimps, or humans? A track of five poorly preserved footsteps at Laetoli has puzzled paleontologists for decades. Now, a research paper from Nature claims to have solved the mystery.

Today, every Homo species is extinct besides humans. But one of our close evolutionary relatives still lives on in our DNA.

Far from acting as the conduits of a benevolent deity, these religious leaders threw the teachings of their own church out of the window.

Missing link? More like the weakest link.