Americans do countless little things every day without ever questioning why. The original purposes have often been forgotten, even as the habits themselves survive.
Duchess Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp had no chance of rising to power herself. Instead, she schemed to become the mother of a great emperor. Ironically, she wouldn’t live to see her daughter, Catherine the Great of Russia, fulfill her dreams.
When Wenxiu married Emperor Puyi of China and became his Imperial Consort, she likely imagined a life filled with luxury. Instead, she got tragedy.
Discover the surprisingly practical origins behind everyday American customs, from knocking on wood and avoiding ladders to saving wedding cake, spilling salt, shaking hands, and other familiar traditions.
Henry “Box” Brown found one of history's most unusual—and riskiest—paths to freedom from slavery.
Prince Philip wasn't just the longest sitting Prince Consort in British history, he had a lifetime full of more intrigue than most people can even imagine.
It seems impossible to believe the world's most powerful waterfalls once dried up and came to a standstill for an entire day.
The Queen of Sheba was famous across the ancient world, but the mystery of who she was still hasn't been solved.
From Ponzi schemes to McCarthyism and gerrymandering, discover the real scandals, betrayals, crimes, and controversies that turned ordinary surnames into infamous words still used around the world even today.
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