Ashford v Thornton: The Last Challenge to Trial by Battle

Feb 18, 2022

Many personal disputes in the past have been settled by one-to-one combat. When a crime was committed, or a complainant accused a person of ...

The Donkey Wheel of Carisbrooke Castle

Feb 16, 2022

After King Charles I of England surrendered to Scottish forces following his defeat in the English Civil War (1642–1651), he was captured an...

The Pneumatic Clocks of Paris

Feb 15, 2022

When French-born but London-based civil and electrical engineer, Jules Albert Berly, traveled to Paris for the 1881 International Exposition...

Wood Gas Vehicles: Cars That Run on Firewood

Feb 14, 2022

In the early 19th century, in addition to coal and natural gas, a new kind of fuel became available to people. It was called synthetic gas (...

The Great Meteor Procession of 1913

Feb 11, 2022

On the night of February 9, 1913, inhabitants of a large portion of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada witnessed a meteo...

The Pyramid of Cestius

Feb 10, 2022

Although we associate pyramids with Ancient Egypt, these four-sided structures with a tapering top are found all over the world, built by ma...

Kīpuka: A Different Kind of Volcanic Island

Feb 10, 2022

Sometimes when a volcano erupts and the subsequent lava flows engulf the mountain slope and the surrounding terrain, some pieces of the land...

Acta Diurna: The First Roman Newspaper

Feb 8, 2022

According to Cicero, from the beginning of Roman history the Pontifex Maximus compiled on a white table the most important events that had ...

How to Color The World

Feb 7, 2022

In addition to classifying thousands of animals and plants, early naturalists faced an enormous challenge: accurately describing their color...

Weighing The Mayor of High Wycombe

Feb 4, 2022

Every year at the Annual Meeting of the Charter Trustees of the town of High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, England, a new mayor is elected. T...