Salt , beyond its culinary role, shaped civilizations. Marco Polo's 13th-century travels brought back treasures from China, including salt, propelling Venice to economic greatness. Salt's...
Directors of historical feature films face a difficult task. How can they make the characters familiar to an audience without reducing them to caricatures? How can they make sure that knowledge of...
In the annals of history, there exist tales of love that transcend the boundaries of time and society, romances that have left a permanent mark on the world. From the passionate but doomed romance of...
The Venus de Milo, an armless ancient statue , has an intriguing story that spans centuries and involves a possible cover-up. Discovered by a Greek farmer in 1820 and sold to the French, the statue's...
During the tumultuous Napoleonic Wars , from 1803 to 1815, Europe was engulfed in violence. However, in the wake of the bloodshed, an unusual legend emerged from the northeastern coast of England—a...
The crucial role of intelligence among the various royal navies of Europe during the 17th and the 18th centuries cannot be underestimated. Since naval warfare was a very powerful weapon during these...
Animal companionship is nothing new to humankind. Throughout history, people have sought out furry (and not-so-furry) friends to spend their days with. However, it wasn’t always just cats and dogs...
Modern naval history is considered to have commenced in 1616, but the ensuing century between 1715 and 1820 marked an era not only of geopolitical change, but also a time when oceans were turned into...
The title of “emperor” is commonly seen as superior to that of “king”. But that has not always been the case. Ironically, what is now translated as “emperor” started out not as a title at all but as...
Cavers exploring underground spaces in Alderley Edge, Cheshire in northwestern England were stunned to discover a sealed and abandoned mineshaft that hadn’t been visited by anyone since the early...
There has long been speculation about the true cause of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death on the island of St. Helena on May 5, 1821. As we mark the 200th anniversary of this event, a biochemist from De...
The Trojan horse really exists, or rather did exist until a few years ago. It is a horse that has crossed history over the last 3,000 years, who has made poets, princes, kings, and emperors fall in...
The only child and heir of John Denis, 1 st Marquess of Sligo, Westport House estate, Co Mayo and his wife Louisa, daughter and co-heiress of Admiral Richard Howe, British naval hero, victor of the ‘...
A Spanish professor has established that a historic crucifix in a Christian cathedral was owned by one of medieval Europe’s greatest warriors. Based on documentary evidence, the professor has proven...
Toothaches are the worst. We all get them, and we all hate them. Going to the dentist can often seem like a very unpleasant necessity. But in the 21 st century, it is often taken for granted –...
The French Revolution is often considered to be one of the most significant events not only in the history of France and Europe, but also in the world. This revolution is known also as the Revolution...
A 200-year-old mystery, dating from Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, may have been solved. Researchers believe that they have finally found the remains in Smolensk of one of Napoleon’s favorite...
A team of archaeologists working with army veterans has uncovered four amputated limbs at the site of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium. The team also unearthed a French cannonball and evidence of a...
In the modern world, a chauvinist is a person who has “excessive or prejudiced support for one's own cause, group, or sex”. Before this, the word ‘ chauvinism ’ had a narrower scope, and was used...
Sophie Blanchard was the world’s first female aeronaut . She is not only remembered for her incredible achievements and bravery in early ballooning, but for her dramatic and tragic death. Sophie...
Even though Napoleon Bonaparte had tasted a series of successes within weeks of setting foot in Egypt, including an important victory against the dreaded Mamluks, his plan to conquer the entire...
At the end of the 18th century, Great Britain and France were vying to dominate one another by colonizing several territories across the globe. The English were already ahead in this race – but only...
History is often presented in grey, rather dry terms, but when you do a bit of digging, our past is full of remarkable people who had wicked senses of humor and died with as much vigor as they lived...
In 1798 the French general, Napoleon Bonaparte, led an expedition to Egypt vowing to annex the country and halt the military and commercial march of the British. But a little over three years later,...