Fist Fights on Venetian Bridges

Oct 1, 2019

Throughout the Middle Ages and the early Modern Period, Venice was divided into many administrative districts and rival factions, who disp...

Fatberg: The Fatty Monster of The Sewer

Sep 30, 2019

Blockages in sewers are pretty common in cities across the globe. But how large a congealed mass of filth has to be before it gets its own n...

Russia’s Circular Warships

Sep 28, 2019

In the latter half of the 19th century, ships began to transition from wood to iron and many engineers thought the time was ripe to experime...

Fanny Burney’s Gruesome Mastectomy

Sep 26, 2019

In the days before anesthesia, the prospect of having to go under the knife was far more horrific than the affliction the procedure was supp...

The French Chateau With The World’s Largest Private Collection of Warplanes

Sep 26, 2019

Among the rolling hills of Burgundy's wine country, surrounded by vineyards and forested land, stands a 14th-century castle belonging to...

The Ottoman Sultans Who Were Raised in Cages

Sep 25, 2019

Topkapi Palace from across the Bosporus, Istanbul. Photo credit: Faraways/Shutterstock.com Situated in the heart of Istanbul and visible f...

Gloria Ramirez: The Toxic Lady

Sep 23, 2019

Do you have people in your lives that you can’t stand? A co-worker perhaps, or a family member, or a grumpy neighbor. You may call them “tox...

The Museum That Collects Houses

Sep 20, 2019

The Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex. Photo credit: Anguskirk/Flickr In the village of Singleton, in West Suss...

The Mountain Where Space Junk Litters

Sep 20, 2019

The Altai Mountains in Central Asia is exceedingly beautiful with snow-capped peaks, rich pine forests and valleys studded with stunning alp...

Gabon’s Ancient Nuclear Reactor

Sep 19, 2019

The nuclear age might have begun in America, but it was in Gabon where the world’s first fission reaction started. Gabon is one of the rich...

Meteor Burst Communication

Sep 16, 2019

Everyday billions of space rocks crash into the earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate before they reach the ground. This produces two main eff...

The Editor of Encyclopædia Britannica Once Wrote a Guidebook to Edinburg’s Prostitutes

Sep 13, 2019

In the late 18th century, tourists seeking carnal pleasure in Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh had a handy guidebook to start with. It det...

The Ancient Egg Hatcheries of Egypt

Sep 11, 2019

Chickens that are raised in farms are almost never hatched by their mothers. Instead, they are hatched using artificial heat in large elect...

The Moscow Cathedral That Was Once a Swimming Pool

Sep 10, 2019

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour near Moskva river, Moscow. Photo credit: Valeri Potapova/Shutterstock.com On the northern bank of the ...

Where Do The World’s Oceans Meet?

Sep 7, 2019

Two huge ocean waves clashing. Photo credit: David Bostoc/Shutterstock.com There are five oceans on earth, and all of them are connected w...

The Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector That’s Puzzling Modern Researchers

Sep 6, 2019

In the year 132 CE, a brilliant Chinese astronomer, mathematician and engineer named Zhang Heng presented to the Han court an impressive inv...

The Wonderful Art of Missing Pet Posters

Sep 5, 2019

“Have you scene [sic] my CAT ?”, pleaded a crude hand-made poster. Underneath it was a sketch of the missing cat, apparently drawn by a chi...

Punkah: The Hand Operated Ceiling Fans of Colonial India

Sep 4, 2019

When the British first came to India, they had to adapt themselves to a lot of unfamiliar things, such as the climate, the blood sucking mos...

Monadnock Building: The Last Brick Skyscraper

Sep 2, 2019

In a city full of high-rises, a sixteen story skyscraper might not seem like much, but the Monadnock Building standing in the south Loop are...

Britain's Last Remaining World War One Memorial Tank

Sep 2, 2019

After the end of the First World War, many British towns received gifts from the National War Savings Committee as recognition for the commu...