Historical Events
From the Age of Enlightenment to the Christmas Truce, learn about some of history's most pivotal events.
Meet the Conman Who Sold the Brooklyn Bridge — Many Times Over
Shinzo Abe's Enduring Legacy Will Last in Japan for Generations
Civil Rights Icon Fred Gray Honored With Presidential Medal of Freedom
Is the Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre a Myth?
Was an Evil Spirit Released When Japan's 'Killing Stone' Split in Half?
Did the Lost Continent of Lemuria Ever Exist?
'Norse to See You': Take Our Viking Quiz!
Pripyat: The Ukrainian Ghost Town in Chernobyl's Shadow
London, Paris and Beyond: The European Capitals Quiz
New York City's Iconic Dakota Helped Gild the Gilded Age
America's Black Holocaust Museum Reopens After 14-Year Closure
Why Every Woman Wanted to Stay at the Barbizon Hotel
How Did Ancient Aztecs Use the Haunting Aztec Death Whistle?
How Many Countries Are There in the World?
9 War Photographers and Their Images That Moved Millions
The French Resistance Took Many Forms During WWII
Inside Unit 731, Japan's Gruesome WWII Human Experiment Program
Incredible History: When WWII POWs Held an Olympics in a Nazi Camp
Learn More / Page 4
Where were you when Farrah Fawcett died? Chances are you don't remember. But if we threw out Michael Jackson's name you could probably answer the question. Guess what? Both events were on the same day.
After nearly half a century capturing the attention and imaginations of millions, the infamous D.B. Cooper plane-hijacking case has been closed. Will we ever know the true culprit?
By Josh Clark
Spite is not just for kids with broken toys. Many adults have gone to unbelievable lengths to pay back someone who did 'em wrong. Here are 10 classic examples.
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The Gold Rush-era Egg War of 1863 saw business competitors in San Francisco engage in lethal violence... over eggs?
A new exhibition creates exact replicas of cave art, found in a remote region along the Silk Road and spanning centuries, cultures and styles.
The presidential digs have housed more than a few untraditional pets through the years. Rebecca the Raccoon and Josiah the Badger are but two.
By John Donovan
Identity errors have led to a range of awfulness, from lengthy prison sentences to the wrong person being declared dead.
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On the first Sunday in October, a fountain in the Italian town of Marino flows with wine. One year, however, things didn't go as planned.
With oil prices dropping, a report showed some cargo ships found it cheaper to sail around South Africa, rather than paying $465,000 to go through the Suez Canal.
By John Donovan
In 1835, a newspaper ran a series of articles on lunar discoveries, leading papers to fly off the shelf. There was just one problem.
By Bryan Young
A phone call from an early-1900s rural homestead was at the forefront of communications technology, and farms were the most networked communities of the time.
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Imagine a researcher eavesdropping on your conversation from underneath your bed and recording it for an experiment. That really happened.
By Bryan Young
How to go from a Bible verse to carving canals with nukes in just a few easy steps — almost. Learn how operation plowshare worked at HowStuffWorks.
By Oisin Curran
Think systemic racism was only a problem in the Southern slave states? Think again. It was alive and well in the Northwest, too. Is it still?
By Bryan Young
Imagine 2.3 million gallons of molasses pouring down city streets in a massive, lethal wave. That was the scene in Boston on Jan. 15, 1919.
By Bryan Young
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Mass hysteria epidemics are not as rare as you might think. They often occur in small, insular worlds like schools and factories where people feel stressed. We've got examples from the 16th century to the 21st.
Under repressive regimes, teens still need their rock 'n' roll. What drastic measures did Soviets go to to create an underground vinyl record market?
A placid lake above a hydroelectric dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay was once site of Guairá, among the world's most awe-inspiring. Why'd we get rid of it?
It's December 1915. San Diego is booming but its main reservoir is low when along comes a rainmaker by the name of Charles Mallory Hatfield.
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A spying dolphin or a subversive squirrel may seem like far-fetched fiction, but animals have been employed by military forces for years.
Windows shattered, furniture broken and dozens of cadets including Jefferson Davis nog-wild on smuggled booze. A "party" in 1826 nearly altered the course of history.
They may not seem stealthy to us, but back in World War I, zeppelins were airborne war machines. And some of them were made from cow intestines.
In a battle of the valiant versus the vermin, Australian veterans rose up against a few thousand flightless birds. Care to guess which side won?
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As they say, if we don't learn from history, we're doomed to repeat it. And as these 10 historical events prove, humans seem to be more prone to repeating than learning.
UCLA's Urban Simulation Team is freeing the 1893 World's Fair from the musty pages of history books and turning it into something you can experience virtually.