Long before the word "branding" was used to describe the click-boosting tactics of Instacelebs, it was used by cowherds to keep track of field-roaming cattle (a funny comparison, to be sure). And we mean "long before," as in pre-written language scrawled on cave walls thousands of years ago.
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Alleged big cat "rescuer" Carole Baskin made news again when an employee at her Big Cat Rescue animal sanctuary was attacked by a tiger in December 2020.
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The story of palm oil is a story about the difficulty in backtracking from over-dependence, especially when entire nations' economies are at risk.
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Frau Perchta's role in Christmas, though, has changed over the years. It turns out that she tends to be most active between Christmas and the Epiphany, so people believed she's more of a holiday thing. Frau Perchta preyed on lazy people year-'round before becoming a general threat against children.
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Rafer Johnson, Olympic gold medalist and hero who helped subdue the man who shot presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy has died at the age of 86.
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Eddie Slovik was only 24 when he was drafted. This is the story of the one American soldier that was executed for desertion in World War II.
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Julius Caesar is the most famous Roman who ever lived, but he tends to be more famous for some things than others. Caesar is remembered as a general and a politician, but not as a priest, a title that Caesar held multiple times. Let's look inside Julius Caesar's connection to priesthood.
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We know they brought gifts, but most people aren't too familiar with the characters beyond that. When you hear the visitors mentioned in Christmas carols -- for instance, "We Three Kings," posted on YouTube -- they're often described as being, well, kings who follow a star from far off lands.
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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are an iconic image of Canada, but what do the RCMP actually do? This is the wild history of the Canadian Mounties.
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At Christmas we're inclined to stretch our suspension of disbelief beyond its normal limits.
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The tradition had very humble beginnings. Pre-20th century presidential administrations didn't officially observe Christmas. The president and his family traditionally decorated "modestly with greens and privately celebrated the Yuletide with family and friends."
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Christmas is still celebrated by soldiers during times of war. That doesn't stop the conflict that's going on, and the stress of combat doesn't dissipate for the holidays. The celebrations that are typical to the military are nothing like they are stateside, but there's still some holiday cheer.
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The San Juan County Sheriff's Office shared a joke "Most Wanted" poster with nine alien faces and posted it to Facebook for a laugh, but it didn't seem like anyone had any idea who put the monolith there and no one reported any stolen property.
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The mystique of the Orient Express has been tantalizing travelers since 1883. Read on for an enjoyable trip along the history of this magnificent train.
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America's sixth president, John Quincy Adams, was known for his intellectual mind and passion for science and exploration. During his presidency, explorers were charting the western frontier like never before, and revolutionary scientific findings were being examined and documented.
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In the 1960s and 197s, the CIA conducted illegal intelligence operations, collecting information on over 300,000 Americas. Here is the story of Project CHAOS.
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The earliest evidence of people skating on ice was 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists found evidence of ice skating around that time in areas surrounding Scandinavia and Russia. They believe the Finns made the earliest skates in order to move across frozen water and away from predators efficiently.
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Being a teenager is tough, from all the changes teens go through to the fact that adults have complained about them in every period of history. But at least the Renaissance era was an interesting time to annoy adults and become one yourself. This is how teens during the Renaissance really lived.
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It's no coincidence that Santa appeared to spread a little holiday cheer, thanks to artist Thomas Nast. Here's his fascinating and occasionally dark story.
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If you've ever seen a nativity scene outside of a church during Christmas service, then you no doubt know what it looks like, but nativity scenes are actually much older than you may think. The first-ever nativity scene was put together by St. Francis of Assisi in 1233.
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We all know that Santa Claus has supernatural abilities, and the origin of Santa Claus' powers are explained by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum in his story The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. This is the surprising connection between Oz and Santa.
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In the final month of 1988, Armenia was struck by an earthquake that absolutely devastated the northern region of the country and displaced thousands of people.
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Whether it be at the dawn of the Roman empire in the B.C. era or the heights of the Cold War a few generations back, powerful states have attempted and failed many times to conquer land. The reasons vary on why these invasions may have failed. Here is a list of invasions that went horribly wrong.
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On the afternoon of May 13th, 1985, the city of Philadelphia did the unthinkable and dropped a bomb on one of its own residential neighborhoods.
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While modern Christmas traditions are nearly universal thanks to pop culture, they used to be very different. If you look back at the 19th and early 20th centuries, you'll see unexpected holiday celebrations. Here are some strange Christmas traditions that were considered normal 100 years ago.
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After Simon Wiesenthal was liberated, he brought escaped Nazis brought to justice. This is the crazy, real-life story of Simon Wiesenthal, Nazi hunter.
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Blue is one of the most soothing colors. But, if you lived during ancient times, you might not have the chance even to choose that color.
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