The Grain Race
Kaushik Patowary
Apr 9, 2020
By the end of the 19th century, steam-powered vessels had almost completely replaced sailing ships in the commercial shipping business. But ...
The Green-Haired Mary River Turtle
Kaushik Patowary
Apr 9, 2020
The Mary River turtle lives exclusively in the waters of the Mary River in south-east Queensland, Australia. Despite being one of Australia’...
Operation Tat-Type: Why Some American Kids Got Tattooed With Blood-Type
Kaushik Patowary
Apr 7, 2020
Photo: Hole in the Clouds The paranoia during the early years of the Cold War was so great that many American school children were made ...
The Caprivi Strip
Kaushik Patowary
Apr 6, 2020
The country of Namibia has a sizeable landmass with an enviable coastline by the South Atlantic Ocean. Yet, a thin sliver of land, no more...
Nyepi: Bali’s Day of Silence
Kaushik Patowary
Apr 3, 2020
Every year, towards the end of March, the entire island of Bali in Indonesia, goes into standstill. Flights are grounded, shops remain close...
Digitally Reconstructed Medieval Castles
Kaushik Patowary
Apr 3, 2020
Europe is known for its magnificent castles and fortresses, but only a few survive in their original form. Since reconstructing them would b...
The Guillotine Haircut
Kaushik Patowary
Apr 1, 2020
Women traditionally wore their hair long. So when did short hair become the vogue? Some say it became fashionable only about hundred years...
Forgotten Jobs: Dog Whipper And Sluggard Waker
Kaushik Patowary
Mar 30, 2020
Photo: Nelson Antoine/Shutterstock.com In 16th-century England, stray dogs disrupting church service became such a big problem that many...
Joseph Bell, The Real Sherlock Holmes
Kaushik Patowary
Mar 28, 2020
An illustration of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson that appeared in a stamp printed in Alderney, circa 2009. Photo: Olga Popova/Shutterstoc...
The Quarantine Quarters of Dubrovnik
Kaushik Patowary
Mar 26, 2020
Social distancing and quarantine are not new concepts. During the Middle Ages, when Europe and Asia were devastated by deadly outbreaks of p...
