The Gregorian calendar: Why we have Leap years and April Fools' Day By Robert Coolman The Gregorian calendar — used by most of the world — was introduced to fix errors in the Julian calendar mostly having to do with leap years.
'Rusty lump' turns out to be 2,000-year-old silver dagger used by Roman soldier By Laura Geggel It's rare to find daggers in Roman graves, as these soldiers weren't buried with weapons.
What was the Manhattan Project? By Isobel Whitcomb Hundreds of thousands of Americans participated in the Manhattan Project. Most of them had no idea.
Mysterious, centuries-old rock inscription finally deciphered By Mindy Weisberger For decades, an enigmatic inscription in a rock on a French beach defied translation. But experts finally decoded the puzzling text.
No nose picking! 15th-century guide taught kids how to mind their manners By Stephanie Pappas The British Library has digitized a 15th-century manners book for children, including advice against nose picking, burping and being too greedy around cheese.
Ancient inscription reveals lost civilization in Turkey that may have defeated King Midas By Yasemin Saplakoglu The lost kingdom was one of the largest settlements to exist in ancient Turkey at the time.
3,000-year-old Canaanite temple discovered in buried city in Israel By Tom Metcalfe A 3,000-year-old temple, built by the Canaanites around the time of the ancient Israelite invasion, has been unearthed in southern Israel.
Raising the flag on Iwo Jima: Here's the story behind that iconic World War II photo By All About History, Tom Garner On Feb. 23, 1945, six Marines raised the U.S. flag over the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Their photo is one of the most iconic images of World War II.
Why was whaling so big in the 19th century? By Emma Bryce For centuries, we plundered the ocean's depths, hauling up whales by the thousands. But what was the purpose of this dangerous and destructive industry?
Tomb of Rome's mythical founder Romulus unearthed By Tom Metcalfe A tomb that was buried thousands of years ago and revered by ancient Romans as the resting place of their city's mythical founder Romulus has now been rediscovered beneath the Forum in Rome.
Bones of Neolithic immigrants killed in massacre found in Spanish cave By Tom Metcalfe Vicious attack has the hallmarks of a "xenophobic" clash between enemy groups.
Wreckage of lost American WWII planes finally found, in a Pacific lagoon By Mindy Weisberger During a pivotal World War II battle, three U.S. aircraft and their seven crewmen were lost at sea. The planes were recently located in a lagoon in the Pacific Ocean.
Dozens of ancient Egyptian graves found with rare clay coffins By Laura Geggel Archaeologists have found 83 graves filled with the bones and artifacts of ancient Egyptians, not too far from the Mediterranean Sea.
Bone walls made of human limbs and skulls discovered under church in Belgium By Laura Geggel Almost no children's bones were found in the walls.
Photos: Squashed skull of 70,000-year-old Neanderthal discovered in cave By Laura Geggel Archaeologists found the upper body of a Neanderthal who lived about 70,000 years ago.
Ancient engraving of warrior with 'elaborate hairstyle' and 'pronounced butt' discovered in Scotland By Yasemin Saplakoglu "The warrior is an essential part of society, the central part of power."
The Battle of Iwo Jima: A gruesome victory for the Allied Forces By All About History, Tom Garner Fought on a tiny volcanic island 75 years ago, this brutal clash between American and Japanese forces defined the horror of the Pacific theater.
Plague victims in medieval mass grave were arranged with care by 'last chance' hospital's clergy By Mindy Weisberger New analysis of a mass grave in medieval England reveals a bleak glimpse of a community overwhelmed by the Black Death.
Ancient game board could be a missing link tied to the Egyptian Book of the Dead By Stephanie Pappas A game board bridges the gap between old and new in ancient Egypt.
Bermuda Triangle theory busted: 1925 ship Cotopaxi found near Florida By Laura Geggel Artifacts found by divers at the shipwreck hinted that these are the remains of the SS Cotopaxi.
