The United Nations World Heritage List includes Monticello in its rankings along with such international sites like the Great Wall of China and the Tower of London. In fact, it is the only American residence making the prestigious list. The following article offers a wide array of facts, trivia and information about Thomas Jefferson and [...]
The I Ching, also called the Book of Changes, originated during an important time in Chinese history - the overthrow of the Shang dynasty by the Chou dynasty, which also collapsed. It was a time of much social unrest and confusion. The wise men and women of the time made up stories that they fashioned [...]
On June 30th 1908, there was an explosion in central Siberia. That fact alone may not seem particularly remarkable, but when other aspects of the explosion are taken into consideration, you may wonder how an event so big on a global scale could remain a total mystery, even to this day.
Even the bombing of Hiroshima [...]
* On February 17, 1920, a young woman was pulled out of a canal in Berlin. She spent several months in a mental hospital and over a year after her suicide attempt, she identified herself as Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas of Russia.
The mysterious young woman gave information about the royal family and [...]
US Representative Daniel E. Sickles is the first defendant known to have won an acquittal of a first degree murder charge with a plea of “not guilty by reason of temporary
insanity.â€Â In 1859 he shot and killed Philip Barton Key, the son of composer Francis Scott Key, in broad daylight in front of many witnesses. Key [...]
Chocolate could well be called the food of gods and kings. Early Mayan writings record pictures of gods with cacao pods and bowls of cacao beans. Elite members of upper Mayan society had ornately carved vessels depicting these same cacao pods. Chocolate drinks were important to Mayan ceremony as well and used to seal contracts [...]
The world of the Japanese Geisha is mysterious as it is glamorous. Recent books like Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha are returning this pleasure girl to a popularity she has not enjoyed since World War II. The following article chronicles the history of this illustrious group of women.
Some have likened them to European courtesans, [...]
Aerobics: Aerobics was a major part of the fitness craze that swept the western world in the 80s. Stars like Jane Fonda, Olivia Newton-John and Victoria Principal from Dallas led the charge in neon Lycra, sweatbands and legwarmers - Fonda’s workout book and video were bestsellers while Newton-John’s pumping music video for Let’s Get Physical [...]
Are women really the fairer sex? Here are some examples of women ‘behaving badly’.
Charlotte de Berry’s career as a pirate began in the 1600’s when she dressed up as a man to follow her husband into the Royal Navy. Charlotte’s ruse was discovered when the ship they were on was attacked and it was discovered [...]
Nubia is the ancient name of the land directly south of Egypt. This ancient kingdom straddled the Nile River between the first and sixth cataracts where navigation has traditionally been a tricky affair at any time. By land, Nubia was surrounded by deserts. In ancient times Nubia was a literal goldmine for the Egyptians who [...]
From the wheel to the rocket and all the remarkable inventions in between, the following text lists some highlights from the world of inventions. Although not discussed chronologically, these facts are loosely organized by type.
Cuneiform is the earliest form of writing. It was invented by the Sumerians between 4000 and 3000 B.C.
The chariot, or horse-drawn [...]
John Wilkes Booth
There are many theories on the burial spot of John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. One says Booth was taken to England for burial after he was surrounded and killed while hiding out in a barn. Another theory is that he is buried in an unmarked grave in Baltimore, [...]
King: Alfred the Great ( 849-901) - “I desire to leave to the men that come after me a remembrance of me in good works.”
Most of us shuffle off this mortal coil, having carefully set down what we leave where, and to whom. Some depart with nary a word put to paper, leaving them intestate, [...]
“Without lies humanity would perish of despair and boredom” - Anatole France
Whether it’s for personal gain and glory, revenge, or just plain silliness, pen pushers have been faking the words and intentions of others, for hundreds of years. People being what they are (gullible) it’s hard to say how many historical items or stories are [...]
Did you ever wonder why Henry VIII was forever pictured with a turkey leg in his hand? Or maybe why he was so grumpy, especially with his wives? All you need do is look at the menu of a medieval feast, to find out not only why he was so dyspeptic but why he was [...]
“Witch” was she- simple maiden or winsome witch? The young French girl, who began hearing voices at age 13 while living near Lorraine, France was given a daunting task: to save France and put Charles VII on the throne. It had more allure than milking the cows, but despite what she believed to be the [...]
One of the earliest peoples to explore the Mediterranean area for trade purposes were the Phoenicians-expert shipbuilders.
Between 1100 B.C. and 700 B.C. the Phoenicians had explored the entire Mediterranean; they even sailed into the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar.
The Egyptian began to build wooden ships after 2700 B.C. for trading with neighboring countries [...]
Thomas Edison is one of the world’s most famous inventors and geniuses. He is responsible for some of the technical wonders that today we take for granted — a long lasting, practical version of the light bulb immediately springs to mind. Almost every aspect of this man’s life was exceptional. . . read on to [...]
The Middle Ages have long held a great fascination for both historians and laypeople alike, and it is certainly easy to understand why. Many of our most cherished myths and folktales can be traced directly to this unique period of history. In addition, many of the most loved works of literature have been written during [...]
Pre Guillotine
Guillotine type beheading machines were used well before the French Revolution, when they were arguably at their most popular, but nobody can say for definite when or where they were first introduced. It is widely believed that very similar machines were used in Germany, Britain and Italy long before the turn of the 14th [...]
* In 1985, a dive tour operator discovered underwater structures that resembled pyramids off of the coast of Yonaguni-jima, Japan. The underwater pyramids have marks on them that indicate they may be manmade. Tools used to hew the structures have been located in the area. American geologists deny that the pyramids were made by an [...]
Yellow Fever was known as the “American Plague”.
Syphilis was considered having “Bad Blood”.
“Brain Fever” was what we know today as Meningitis.
“Rose Cold” is simply Hay Fever or nasal congestion from allergies.
Rheumatism was known as “Screws”.
“Jail Fever” was usually fatal. We know it as Typhus. It was also known as “Ship’s Fever”.
If a woman suffered from [...]
The Black Death in the Middle ages has left behind a few legacies.
Quarantine is derived from the Italian word “quaranti”, meaning “forty”. This came about after Venice decided to fight against the contamination of plague by requiring trading ships to wait a period of forty days before being allowed into the port. This was longer [...]
* Mountain gorilla researcher, Dian Fossey, was hacked to death at her research station in 1985. Was her murder committed by poachers, or was she the victim of a more sinister plot? Who could have hated this woman, whose goal in life was to study and preserve the silver-backs, so much that they would have [...]
The young bridegroom lay sprawled across his bed. Barely healed from the vicious stab wounds that had already brought him close to death, it was clear he would not recover from this attack. He had been strangled.
Alfonso, Prince of Naples, had fallen victim to one of the strangest and most obsessive relationships in history - [...]
Most of the earliest civilizations practiced some form of star worship in order to understand the natural world or to predict future events. The roots of what we understand as western astrology seem to come from the Sumerians, Babylonians, Chaldeans and Assyrians-in the area of Mesopotamia. From there, the study of astrology spread to India, [...]
The first evidence of the use of fire (c.600,000 BC) comes from China in the caves of Choukeoutien near Beiing. Fire was used to cook and probably to ward off dangerous animals or lure them into traps.
20,000 BC saw the first use of needles made from bone. As nomadic peoples moved to colder regions, they [...]
