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."
Read MoreSince its inception in 1998, the virtual band, Gorillaz, created by Blur's Damon Albarn and Tank Girl's Jamie Hewlett has been about showing the music industry how to do things differently. From top-notch collaborators to experimental sounds to animation, here is there story.
Read MoreChristmas 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreJust about every type of war you can think of has been turned into a story for the masses, from sword clashes to naval warfare and the one we're here to talk about today, musket shootouts. The American Revolution isn't exempt from onscreen portrayal. Quite the opposite.
Read MoreThe Doobie Brothers have won Grammy Awards, sold nearly 50 million records, and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here's their story.
Read MoreA sample of saliva is all it takes for companies to paint a detailed picture of family trees. It started as a fun way to find new genetic connections. But that's not where it ended. Here's the coming-of-age of genealogical data, cold cases it helped solve, and where the technology might go next.
Read MoreThe mystique of the Orient Express has been tantalizing travelers since 1883. Read on for an enjoyable trip along the history of this magnificent train.
Read MoreIn his book, Lawrence recounts adventures and death-defying self-mythologizing during his time as a British intelligence officer working to take down the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Thanks to the 1962 film starring Peter O'Toole, it's even more difficult to separate fact from fiction.
Read MoreAmerica'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.
Read MoreIt's pretty sad when a family's avarice turns its own members against each other. They say blood is thicker than water, but apparently for the Quinn family of Ireland, greed goes deeper.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreBeing 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.
Read MoreIn November of 2020, Nine Inch Nails was finally, fittingly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the year after NIN legend Trent Reznor inducted fellow black-clad musical icons The Cure into the same halls.
Read MoreArtie Lange was arrested as a young man for a prank that didn't go as planned. As an adult, he's been arrested multiple times for things that are no laughing matter.
Read MoreAlthough rockstars have a reputation for living hard-and-fast lifestyles, many have gotten married in the midst of their careers or before they made it big. Carlos Santana is one example, marrying his first wife in 1973. Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last & they split in 2007.
Read MoreBoris Johnson, current prime minister of the United Kingdom, attempted to whip up an international incident involving U.S. President Barack Obama's racial heritage, suggesting he'd had a bust of Prime Minister Winston Churchill removed from the White House because of his part-Kenyan roots.
Read MoreIf 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.
Read MoreWe 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.
Read MoreGenes are complex and responsible for such things as health and susceptibility to certain diseases, body type, height, eye color, intelligence, and more. Genes can also cause quirks among us. Here's a look at some of the genetic quirks that are perceived to be normal occurrences but aren't.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreWhether 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.
Read MoreWhile 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.
Read MoreDennis Frederiksen served as the lead singer for acts such as Trillion, Angel, LeRoux, and Toto, and provided backing vocals for Survivor. Occasionally credited as Fergie Frederiksen or just Fergie, the Michigan native was credited with three big hit singles in three consecutive years.
Read MoreHillel Slovak was a founding member of the groundbreaking funk-metal group the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, a talented guitarist who used heavy guitars in what would become a major influence in honing the group's signature sound.
Read MoreHuge crowds gathered through the late '90s and early 2000s to listen to Hedberg's signature comedy style, which could be described as a stoner Jerry Seinfield calmly blasting the audience with disconnected one-liners without ever removing his shades.
Read MoreClemente was one of the best players in baseball history, both on and off the field. Aside from the 3,000 hits he racked up before his death, his 12 All Star appearances, and 12 Gold Glove awards, he was well known as an honest man of his word who had a great desire to help people.
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