In 480 BC, a force of Spartans, along with many other Greeks, held off the Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. Thermopylae is a famous battle in ancient history and endures in movies and books to this day. But what happened at Thermopylae? Why did the Spartans choose to make their stand there? Let’s […]
The Amazing Truth Behind the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae Read More »
Many phrases exist today that we normalize as just being run-of-the-mill, as it were. ‘Run of the mill’ is one of them. But it only came into usage in the early twentieth century to say something is ‘average,’ ‘typical,’ or ‘common.’ Before this, it was used in industrial factories packing flour in Britain. So it
The Strange Origin Of The Term ‘Pyrrhic Victory’ Read More »
The medieval world was full of tales of supernatural and magical occurrences. Many of these stories were later collected by antiquarians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, individuals like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, each of which collected and recorded these centuries-old folklore tales before their memory was forgotten entirely. England has its
Who Were the Green Children of Woolpit? Read More »
Ancient empires lasted longer, generally speaking than modern states. For example, the Pharaohs ruled Egypt for a staggering period of 3,000 years. That’s twelve times longer than the United States has been around. Yet, even though these ancient societies constitute the bulk of human history, we often know little about how the average person lived
What Was a Day in the Life of an Average Roman Like? Read More »
Of all of the world’s empires, few have risen from such inauspicious beginnings to such heights as did that of the Romans. For several hundred years following its mythical foundation in 753 BCE, Rome was just one of many towns in Central Italy. It controlled little more than some farmland in the surrounding countryside. In
The History Behind the Cruel Roman Practice of Decimation Read More »
One would think that of all the senior members of the Nazi regime, someone like Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazis, or Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, would have been deemed ‘The most dangerous man in Europe.’ But that wasn’t the case. By the end of the Second World War in 1944,
‘The Most Dangerous Man in Europe’: The Life of Otto Skorzeny Read More »
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were the golden age of classical music. In the early part of the eighteenth century, known as the Baroque period, Johann Sebastian Bach perfected the fugue technique. In the Classical period, Ludwig van Beethoven composed his famed orchestras. Perhaps the most significant composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s career, fell between these
What Really Killed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Read More »
During the medieval period through the Tudor era, executions were common in England. Kings like Henry VIII executed thousands of his subjects, including two wives. Queens like Mary I (who earned the nickname Bloody Mary) burned protestant heretics at the stake. Even royalty wasn’t safe from a swift and brutal death. For example, Charles I
Jack Ketch: One of History’s Bloodiest Executioners Read More »
When one thinks of a marathon, one likely imagines a race run by many people, with bystanders on the sidelines armed with encouragement, towels, and water bottles. They likely imagine numbers plastered across fronts and a distinct finish line that the winner would break through, resulting in a loud chorus of excited cheers, where each
How the Marathon Got its Name: An Origin Rooted in Battle and Myth Read More »
Tattoos have had a fraught and complex history around the globe. What was once an important sacred and cultural form of expression quickly became stigmatized by the advent of modernism and colonialism. No one country can lay a claim to inventing the art form. Ancient Greek pottery depicts tattooed Thracians, and a 5,300-year-old mummified body
Irezumi: The Fascinating History of Tattoos in Japan Read More »
