The Ancient Practice of Sleeping Twice a Night
Before artificial lighting, people didn’t sleep in one long stretch—they had two separate sleep periods. Historical records show that many…
Tag: history
The Forgotten Jobs That No Longer Exist
History is filled with strange jobs that no longer exist. In medieval times, people hired knocker-uppers—workers who tapped on windows…
The Forgotten Time When Rich People Had Pet Hippos
Imagine walking into a wealthy home in the early 1900s and seeing a hippo lounging in the garden. Sounds bizarre,…
History’s Forgotten Genius: The Woman Who Invented Wi-Fi
Most people think of Wi-Fi as a modern invention, but did you know that a Hollywood actress helped create it?…
The Napoleon Height Myth: How History Made Him “Short”
Picture Napoleon Bonaparte: a tiny, temperamental general, standing on his tiptoes to look taller in battle. It’s an image that’s…
The Mysterious Double Life of Ferdinand Demara – The Great Impostor
Ferdinand Waldo Demara, also known as “The Great Impostor,” was a man who lived not just a double life, but…
The Town That Vanished Overnight
In 1930, an entire Inuit village in Canada disappeared without a trace. When a fur trapper arrived at Lake Anjikuni,…
The Laughing Plague That Took Over a Town
In 1962, a laughter epidemic swept through a Tanzanian village, starting with a few schoolgirls and spreading uncontrollably. What began…
The Great Fire of 1910
In August 1910, the United States experienced one of its most devastating wildfires, known as the Great Fire of 1910…
Stature in the White House
The average height of U.S. presidents is approximately 5 feet 11 inches, which is notably taller than the average American…
The Year 2000 Bug Fear
As the world approached the year 2000, there was widespread concern over the “Y2K bug,” or “Millennium Bug.” This was…
The Myth of the Cowboy Hat
While we often associate the cowboy hat with the Old West, it wasn’t the most common headwear for cowboys in…
Roman Concrete Mystery
Ancient Roman concrete, used in structures like the Pantheon, has withstood the test of time far better than modern concrete.…
Praying Mantis’s 3D Vision
Praying mantises are among the few invertebrates capable of stereoscopic or 3D vision. This ability allows them to accurately judge…
Secret Code of Mary Queen of Scots
In 2019, historians and codebreakers deciphered letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her imprisonment in the late 16th…
Library of Alexandria’s Lost Knowledge
The Library of Alexandria, once the largest and most significant library of the ancient world, is believed to have housed…
The Last Japanese Soldier to Surrender
Teruo Nakamura, a Taiwanese soldier serving in the Japanese army, was the last known Japanese combatant to surrender after WWII,…