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Representational image of the anti-Freemasonic standoff between Catholic Elites and the Freemasons. A 1884 satirical cartoon of Pope Leo XIII at war with Freemasonry by Joseph Keppler. Source: Public domain

Catholic Elites Wage War on the Freemasons

In 1738, Pope Clement XII banned Catholics from becoming Freemasons, and in 1983 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger reminded Catholics that being a Freemason placed them “in a state of grave sin.” Now Rome is...
Kabayan cave mummy of the ancient Ibaloi people, Philippines. Tadolo/ Flickr

Fire Mummies - The Smoked Human Remains of the Kabayan Caves

Mummification of the deceased is a well-known practice from ancient times. Most notably, the Egyptians utilized a mummification process that led to today’s cliché image of a deceased body covered in...
The Legend of the San Nicolas Cookie. Source: YouTube Screenshot / Great Big Story.

The Legend of the San Nicolas Cookie (Video)

The San Nicolas Cookie isn’t just a soft and delicious treat, it carries a rich history and unique characteristics that make it stand out. Originating in the 1600s in the Philippines , these cookies...
Basket weaving. Source: pinzonoob / Adobe Stock.

Early Humans Were Weaving Baskets in the Philippines 40,000 Years Ago!

Recent examination of ancient stone tools reveals that as early as 40,000 years ago, the early inhabitants of the Philippines were crafting ropes and baskets from plant fibers. This discovery pushes...
Gold inlaid teeth of the Bolinao Skull.  Source: National Museum of the Philippines

Unveiling the Secrets of the Bolinao Skull: A Journey into Ancient Human History

In the world of modern archaeology, the Bolinao Skull stands as an intriguing discovery, shrouded in mystery and absolute uniqueness. This enigmatic human skull, discovered in the idyllic coastal...
Samurai vs conquistador. Source: AI generated.

The Ultimate Showdown: Samurai vs. Conquistadors in battle (Video)

It’s always a lot of fun to imagine what would happen if history’s greatest warriors had ever clashed. Medieval Knights vs Spartans. Vikings vs the Roman Legion. But there’s one epic clash which isn’...
Manananggal, mythical creature of the Philippines. Source: Public Domain

Alleged Sighting of the Mythical ‘Manananggal’ in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety

Police in the Philippines are working to ease the fears of residents in a city where reports of a fearsome creature have been circulating. The strange incident began last Thursday evening in the...
An amateur has found a new piece of timber from the Spanish galleon known as the Beeswax wreck. To date, many artifact fragments have been found on this rough coastline area, including pieces of Chinese porcelain. This image shows an unnamed wooden shipwreck have buried in a sand beach. Source: Scott Williams / Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

Wreckage from 17th Century Spanish Galleon Found Along Oregon Coast

A beachcomber exploring sea caves along the north coast of western Oregon, USA discovered timbers from the hull of the Beeswax wreck Spanish galleon that sunk in the Pacific Ocean more than 300 years...
Left, award-winning reconstruction of the Denisovan face. Right, Young Aeta girl from Mariveles, Bataan, in 1901        Source: Left, © Maayan-Harel. Right, Public Domain

New Research Shows Philippine Indigenous Group Has Most Denisovan DNA

A small indigenous group surviving on the Bataan Peninsula on the Philippine island of Luzon has more Denisovan DNA than any other ethnic population in the world. That is the conclusion of an...
Dragon, Broncefigur, Golden Dragon, Thailand

The Devil’s Sea: Bermuda Triangle of the Pacific

The Devil’s Sea, otherwise known as the Dragon’s Triangle, is a region in the Pacific Ocean that has come to be associated with numerous accounts of disappearing ships and planes, sightings of ghost...
Hard Evidence of Neolithic Little People In Scotland, Hawaii, Indonesia…

Hard Evidence of Neolithic Little People In Scotland, Hawaii, Indonesia…

From the lush, foggy hills rolling through the Scottish Isles, to the primordial peaks of glorious Hawaii, and all the way across the globe to the wild rainforests of Indonesia, evidence of a “little...
The coast of the Visayas islands, Philippines, today.               Source: attiarndt / Adobe Stock

Did Visayan Raiders Plunder the Coast of the Song Dynasty?

Roughly between the Song Dynasty years of 1174 AD to 1189 AD there were little-known accounts of ferocious tattooed bandits that terrorized the south-eastern shores and islands of China. As the Song...
Human interaction accelerates innovation.   Source: (Image: beamue/ UZH)

Cooperation Between Hunter-gatherers Accelerated Human Evolution

Humans began developing a complex culture as early as the Stone Age . This development was brought about by social interactions between various groups of hunters and gatherers, a UZH study has now...
Miagao Church, a Baroque Spanish Style Historic Site, Philippines.      Source: nathanallen/ Adobe Stock

Miagao and The Baroque Churches of the Philippines

There are many important architectural and historic sites in the Philippines dating from the four centuries of Spanish occupation . Their influence is to be found in many areas, including the Baroque...
The Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines

Unique and Unsettling: The Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines

The Igorots are an indigenous tribe living in Sagada, Luzon Island, Philippines. The Igorots practice unique funerary customs, in which the dead are buried in coffins which are tied or nailed to the...
Portrait of Ferdinand Magellan and his ship Trinidad on postage stamp

500 Years Ago Today Magellan and Elcano Set Sail to Conquer the World

On August 10, 1519, King Charles of Spain watched naval officers Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano set sail to the ‘Spice Islands’, now the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. 239 brave men...
Representations in the Boxer Codex of two of the ethnic groups of people living in the Pre-Colonial Philippines - A Zambal Couple (Public Domain) and Pintados of the Visayas (Leyte or Samar). (Public Domain)

The Rarely Told Story of Pre-Colonial Philippines

The Philippines were ruled by Western powers - first the Spanish and later the United States, for some 350 years. Except for a few religious minorities, the Philippines has also become thoroughly...
‘The Divorce of the Empress Josephine’ (1843) by Henri Frédéric Schopin

Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Divorce Laws Have Evolved, But One Country Is Holding Back

Divorce can be traced all the way back to ancient Greek and Roman societies. But the idea of marriage in these cultures was different from what is found in modern Western society, so it makes sense...
Trading Treasures and Curiosity: The Fascinating History of Manila Galleons

Trading Treasures and Curiosity: The Fascinating History of Manila Galleons

Every remarkable story starts with curiosity. That is the primary reason why people travel and want to discover new lands. It applies to every period in history, from antiquity to our times. The...
Yamashita's Gold: Enormous War Treasure Hoard Remains Elusive

Yamashita's Gold: Enormous War Treasure Hoard Remains Elusive

Yamashita’s Gold (known also as Yamashita’s Treasure) is the name given to the alleged war loot accumulated by the Japanese armed forces in Southeast Asia during the Second World War. This alleged...
The Marriage of the Sky and the Sea: Visayan Creation Myths

The Marriage of the Sky and the Sea: Visayan Creation Myths

Although there are different versions of the Visayan creation myth, they are similar in characters, conflicts and resolutions. The way the story was narrated and its different subsequent retellings...
The Laguna Copperplate Inscription.

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription: An Ancient Text That Changed the Perception of the History of the Philippines

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the name of an inscription written on an artifact that has great significance for the understanding of the history of the Philippines during the 10th century AD...
Teleport (Wikimedia Commons)

Teleportation Man: Transport in the Blink of an Eye of a Spanish Soldier

Teleportation is the transportation of a person or object from one place to another instantaneously. There are many accounts where people have supposedly disappeared suddenly and the phenomenon is...
A depiction of the Battle of Mactan

Chief Lapu-Lapu - Warrior and Hero of the Philippines

In the early 16 th century, Spain was becoming a global superpower due to innovations in navigation and seafaring. At the end of the previous century, Christopher Columbus, whose voyage had been...

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