The term “snake oil salesman” is often used to describe someone dishonest and untrustworthy. But where did this term come from? And was it always used in a negative light? We will explore the term’s origins and discuss how it has evolved. We will also look at how the word is portrayed in popular culture. […]
Where Did the Term “Snake Oil Salesman” Come From? Read More »
The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world, but her identity has remained a mystery for centuries. Some people believe that she was based on a historical figure, while others think she was entirely fictional. Let’s look at some of the theories about her identity and discuss what researchers have
The History and True Identity of the Mona Lisa Read More »
Albert Einstein is widely recognized as one of the most brilliant minds in human history. His theories and discoveries revolutionized our understanding of the universe and continue to shape modern physics today. But what happened to Einstein’s brain after his death? Let’s explore the fascinating story of the preservation and examination of Einstein’s brain and
What Happened to Albert Einstein’s Brain After He Died? Read More »
In the early spring of 1637, the madness surrounding tulips reached its height in cities like Amsterdam. For years there had been a growing obsession with the flowers, which are native to Central Asia and believed to have only been introduced to Europe through the Ottoman Empire in the mid-sixteenth century. However, by the mid-1630s,
How Did Tulips Create the World’s First Economic Bubble? Read More »
Unless you took a biology class a few centuries ago, you most likely didn’t learn about the dodo bird– an ostrich-like bird that died out. While this bird is extinct, you can still find preserved bones in museums. What did Dodos look like, where they lived, and why did they go extinct? Dods (Raphus Cucullatus)
How and Why Did The Dodo Bird Go Extinct? Read More »
The relationship between police officers and doughnuts is a well-known and widely accepted cultural stereotype. But where did this association come from? From the origins of the modern police force to the present day, we’ll explore how this unlikely pairing has come to define a cultural icon. How did this common belief originate? The main
What is the Historical Link Between Cops and Doughnuts? Read More »
Slavery was an everyday fact of life in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire which followed it. Although scholars have to rely on approximations and the prevalence of slavery varied over time, it is estimated that upwards of 20% of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. That would be roughly 15 million
What Was Life Like for a Roman Slave? Read More »
Most people are familiar with the events of the Black Death, as it killed upwards of half of the continent’s population in the space of half a decade between its first arrival in Italy in 1347 and the end of the first wave in the early 1350s. But what was just as significant was what
What Happened After the Black Death Ended? Read More »
Egyptians were the first to recognize gout as a disease in 2640 BC. Hippocrates recognized its debilitating nature by the fifth century BC, calling it the “unwalkable disease.” He often used aphorisms, which still ring true to this day, to describe it. He referred to gout as the “arthritis of the rich” or the king’s
The Strange History of Gout, the King’s Disease Read More »
Queen Elizabeth I is one of the most famed monarchs in European history. This woman led the English resistance to Spain during the Armada crisis of 1588 when the Spanish nearly conquered the country. Countless books and many films in recent times have been to be produced on the monarch. But one of the lesser-known
Did Makeup Cause the Death of Queen Elizabeth I of England? Read More »
