history

history

Latest in history

Pieces of Japanese plate armor arranged against pink background
Archaeology

Armor buried under Japanese temple linked to ancient Korean kingdom

By Andrew Paul

A high-resolution photograph shows both sides of a damaged, circular silver-gilt pendant depicting John the Baptist. The artifact is chipped on the right side and features a small suspension hole at the top. The obverse (left) shows a profile view of a bearded figure wearing a crown or headdress, while the reverse (right) features a central equal-armed cross enclosed in a beaded circle and surrounded by medieval-style lettering.
Archaeology

Metal detectorist finds Viking Age gold coin that might upend history

By Sarah Durn

Rendering of a reconstructed polybolos within a virtual environment derived from reality-based documentation of the city walls. Digital survey and 3D model by S.B.; rendering and animation by V.C. with Lumion Pro Student 2024.
Archaeology

Rome unleashed an ancient ‘machine gun’ on Pompeii

By Andrew Paul

Terracotta incense burner with the investigated ash residues. The rim is adorned with three female figures, probably depicting deceased persons who were venerated after their death.
Archaeology

What did Pompeii smell like before it burned?

By Margherita Bassi

Probable examples of Indigenous dice tools
Archaeology

The first gamblers were Ice Age women on the Great Plains

By Andrew Paul

A retro-style color illustration depicts a cross-section of a futuristic multi-tiered moving sidewalk system. A group of elegantly dressed commuters from the mid-20th century stand on an elevated, reddish-brown platform that is supported by a series of visible white mechanical rollers. The illustration shows three parallel platforms layered at slightly different heights to indicate varying speeds, with a dark subterranean tunnel and a stationary train car visible in the lower-left corner.
Engineering

In 1871, cities almost got moving sidewalks. Why are we still waiting?

By Bill Gourgey

A side view of the command center when engineers would keep tabs on the Voyager’s journey (left). Members of the Artemis II launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems participate in an emergency escape or egress demonstration simulation for the Artemis II mission inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy on August 12, 2024. (right)
NASA

NASA’s 1977 computers aboard Voyager are still working in interstellar space

By Mack DeGeurin

A digital illustration of a large, prehistoric marine reptile, specifically a Pliosaur, swimming in a deep blue ocean. The creature has a dark, streamlined body with a pale underbelly, four powerful flippers, and a massive, elongated head. Its jaws are slightly open, revealing rows of sharp, protruding teeth. Beams of sunlight pierce through the water's surface from the top right, illuminating the predator as it glides through the clear, underwater environment.
Ocean

The sea monster goes ‘bloop’—or does it?

By Andrew Coletti

Man giving thumbs up next to Viking age ship beam
Archaeology

Sewer line workers stumble on Viking ship timber

By Andrew Paul

Close up of two people clinking together red wine glasses
Agriculture

This pinot noir hasn’t changed in 500 years

By Andrew Paul

Inscribed sling bullet (B19655) found at Hippos with the inscription ΜΑΘΟΥ, meaning "Learn your lesson!" Credit: Eisenberg et al. 2026
Archaeology

2,100 years ago, someone hurled a rock inscribed with ‘Learn your lesson!’

By Andrew Paul

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings
Archaeology

The biggest medieval march in English history never actually happened

By Andrew Paul

A black chess player about to win against a light-skinned cleric. Chess problem 88 in the Libro de axedrez, dados e tablas (Seville, 1283). Credit: Patrimonio Nacional. Real Biblioteca del Monasterio de El Escorial
Archaeology

Medieval chess was more inclusive than the world around it

By Andrew Paul

A colorized historical photograph of prolific inventor Beulah Louise Henry, known as "Lady Edison," seated at a desk. She is dressed in a formal purple satin dress and pearls, operating a complex, specialized typewriter of her own design. She is looking down at a sheet of paper she is feeding into the machine.
Engineering

Inventor Beulah Louise Henry’s unstoppable rise to becoming ‘Lady Edison’

By Shoshi Parks

Two men standing next to boiler setup in pump station
Engineering

Volunteers spend 30 years restoring a Victorian sewer pump station

By Andrew Paul

Timeline of dress fahsions by decade from 1960 to 2010
Science

Clothes really do come back in style every 20 years

By Andrew Paul

Close up of bronze bull head sculpture held in palm
Archaeology

Hiker finds 3,000-year-old bull sculpture in Spain

By Andrew Paul

a satellite image of ireland's west coast showing gray rocks surrounded by green
NASA

Ireland’s 250-million-year-old gray spot

By Laura Baisas

an illustration showing bronze age women weaaving
Archaeology

3,500-year-old loom tells a revolutionary tale

By Laura Baisas

two pages of an ancient book. one has text while the other has an illustration of a saint
Archaeology

Long-lost page from Greek manuscript discovered in French art museum

By Margherita Bassi