News | HISTORY

painting of the Titanic just as it's going under, with lifeboats in the foreground

Titanic Rescue Effort: 5 Ways the World Tried to Help

The sinking of the RMS Titanic on the night of April 14-15, 1912 is among the most infamous disasters in history. Yet, both factual and fictional accounts of the event often skip from the mayhem and death at the ship following its collision with the iceberg, to the lives of the survivors, once safely back […]

6 Key Figures of the Harlem Renaissance’s Queer Scene

Harlem in the 1920s and ’30s offered the Black creative class a sense of pride and possibility. It also had cross-dressing blues singers, extravagant drag balls and literary and artistic salons.

J. Robert Oppenheimer: 5 Facts About the ‘Father of the Atomic Bomb’

The theoretical physicist read Sanskrit, loved horseback riding in New Mexico and was targeted during the Red Scare.

A black-and-white engraving of a man stretched out on the bed of a torture device

7 Famous Torture Devices, Real and Mythical

Some instruments of torture, like the rack, were real. Others were probably made up to help perpetuate the myth of the medieval ‘Dark Ages.’

Beach Walker Finds 3,000-Year-Old Ancient Egyptian Goddess Figurine

The artifact, picked up by a retiree walking on a beach in Israel, depicts one of the most powerful deities of ancient Egypt.

Herma of Hermes, 1st century. Ancient Greek objects.

8 Everyday Objects From Ancient Greece

These eight objects played a role in the daily lives of people living in the cradle of Western civilization nearly 3,000 years ago.

Arlington National Cemetery during the Civil War.

How Robert E. Lee’s Home Became Arlington National Cemetery

When General Robert E. Lee left Arlington to lead Confederate forces, Union troops moved in and soon the general’s estate hosted Civil War burials.

The excavation of Homo naledi in South Africa, 2015.

When Did Human Ancestors Start Burying Their Dead?

Research claiming that human ancestors living between 240,000 and 500,000 years ago may have intentionally buried their dead, raises the question of when this behavior began.

7 Early Pioneers of the Gay Rights Movement

Before the Stonewall Riots, these individuals helped set the stage for advances in the LGBTQ civil rights movement.

Opera glasses owned by Mary Church Terrell.

11 Everyday Objects Used by Gilded Age Elites

During the Gilded Age era of opulence in America, certain objects signaled social status.

Did Polynesian Voyagers Reach the Americas Before Columbus?

The Polynesians were expert sailors—and research suggests they landed in the Americas centuries before Columbus.

5 Ways the Mongol Empire Promoted Innovation

The Mongols were brutal military conquerors, but they also took great interest in spurring intellectual collaboration.