Hellburner: The 16th Century Weapon of Mass Destruction

Jun 29, 2019

In the age of sail, when ships were made of wood, fire was the number one enemy of sailors, and this fearsome tool was used in diabolic ways...

The World’s Longest Dinosaur Trackway

Jun 27, 2019

In the French village of Plagne, in the Jura Mountains, 200 kilometers east of Lyon, there is a set of huge footprints made 150 million yea...

The Triumphal Arch of Emperor Maximilian I

Jun 27, 2019

Like many rulers, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I had a fascination for large monuments, but instead of actually building them he roman...

The Longest Papal Election in History

Jun 26, 2019

The main attraction in the ancient city of Viterbo, in central Italy, is a 13th century palace built to serve as the country residence for t...

The World’s First Parachute Jump

Jun 25, 2019

On December 26, 1783, a crowd gathered outside the observatory in Montpellier, a French city near the south coast on the Mediterranean Sea. ...

Hermits As Garden Ornaments

Jun 24, 2019

Between the 17th and the 19th centuries, a certain reproachful and voyeuristic trend emerged among wealthy British landowners. Not content w...

Thomas Edison’s Forgotten Passion: Building Concrete Houses

Jun 21, 2019

Of all things Thomas Alva Edison is known for, concrete is not one of them. It was one of Edison's less successful ventures, but not one...

François Coignet’s Reinforced Concrete House

Jun 20, 2019

In a quiet suburb, north of Paris, by the River Seine, stands a derelict four-story building. Its windows and doors are broken, some are bar...

The Galloping Horse Problem And The World’s First Motion Picture

Jun 19, 2019

“The 1821 Derby at Epsom” by Théodore Géricault Horses have appeared in works of art throughout history. They have appeared in prehistoric...

Cunningham Sanitarium

Jun 17, 2019

On the shores of Lake Erie, in Cleveland, the United States, there once stood a giant steel sphere sixty-four feet tall. Inside the sphere ...