Topic

History

A collection of 366 issues

Time's First Chapter: Unearthing the 10,000-Year-Old Lunisolar Calendar of Warren Field

In a field in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, lies the world's oldest known calendar. Created by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers around 8,000 BCE, the Warren Field monument consists of 12 pits that track lunar phases and align with the midwinter solstice, predating Mesopotamian timekeeping by millennia.

The Terminator and The Bolshevik: Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Kept a Statue of Lenin

Arnold Schwarzenegger, a staunch Republican and icon of capitalism, once owned a collection of Marxist busts. After his wife, Maria Shriver, asked for their removal, he kept one: a statue of Vladimir Lenin. He famously said he kept it in his office as a reminder of failure to "show losers".

The Saxophone's Identity Crisis: Why This Brass-Bodied Beauty Is Actually a Woodwind

Despite its metallic shine, the saxophone is a woodwind instrument. Its classification comes not from its body material, but from its sound source: a vibrating wooden reed. This simple fact places it in the same family as the clarinet, not the trumpet, challenging our visual assumptions.

Before Purple Rain, There Was the Prairie: Prince's Unlikely Role in The Oregon Trail's First Journey

Before he was a music legend, Prince Rogers Nelson was an 8th grader in Minneapolis. In 1971, his history class became the first-ever playtesters for a new teletype computer game designed by his teacher to teach about pioneer life. That game was The Oregon Trail.

The Dictator's Daughter: The Story of Nicaragua's Teenage 'Queen of the Army'

In 1941, as the world braced for war, Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Garcia staged a bizarre ceremony, crowning his 15-year-old daughter, Lillian, the 'Queen of the Army.' This was no fairy tale; it was a calculated move to fuse his family dynasty with the nation's military might.

The Unmade Comedy Masterpiece: Spielberg's 'Three Amigos' with Bill Murray, Steve Martin, and Robin Williams

Before it became a cult classic, 'Three Amigos!' was nearly a Steven Spielberg film starring a comedy dream team: Steve Martin, Bill Murray, and Robin Williams. This is the story of the Hollywood what-if that fell apart when Spielberg chose to make a 'little personal movie' called 'E.T.'

The Devil's Bargain: How the US Navy Partnered with the Mafia to Secure the Home Front in WWII

Fearing sabotage after a ship's mysterious capsizing, the US government secretly allied with imprisoned mob boss Lucky Luciano. This 'Operation Underworld' used the Mafia's control over the docks to protect New York's vital harbor, a pragmatic and controversial chapter of WWII history.

Shot, Trapped, and Falling: The Impossible Survival of WWII's 'Sky Rammer'

Soviet pilot Boris Kovzan is the only person to score four aerial kills by ramming. His last came after being shot in the eye. Trapped in his cockpit, he collided head-on with a bomber, was thrown clear, and fell 20,000 feet before waking up to pull his parachute and land in a swamp.