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The pyramids of Egypt.

Why did ancient Egyptian pharaohs stop building pyramids?

By Owen Jarus

Modern Egyptologists have several ideas as to why the ancient Egyptians stopped building pyramids.

Two different views of the pendant, crafted from mammoth ivory. The scale bar is 1 centimeter.

41,500-year-old ivory pendant may be oldest human-decorated jewelry in Eurasia

By Owen Jarus

Archaeologists have found the oldest jewelry decorated by anatomically modern humans in Eurasia on record.

Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the national bird?

Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the US national bird?

By Ashley P. Taylor

Franklin was being sarcastic. But dig into the story of how the myth arose and it just gets weirder and weirder.

A picture taken on November 22, 2021 shows pages of one of the preparatory manuscript to the theory of general relativity of Albert Einstein, during their presention a day before being auctionned at Christie's auction house in Paris.

Rare Einstein manuscript sells for record-smashing $13 million at auction

By Brandon Specktor

A 54-page document co-written with engineer Michele Besso sold for a record-breaking $13 million at auction on Tuesday, Nov 23.

A portrait of Catherine the Great by Dmitry Levitsky and a letter from Catherine the Great on smallpox vaccination will go up for auction at MacDougall's Fine Art Auctions in London.

Empress Catherine the Great's letter on smallpox vaccination to go up for auction

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

A letter written by Russian empress Catherine the Great on April 20, 1787, stressing the importance of the smallpox vaccine will go up for auction in London.

The Menlo Park lab of Thomas Edison, who invented the lightbulb, is shown here after its relocation to the Henry Ford Museum in Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan. The arrow on the vacuum pump (center) marks the site of Edison's recreation of the lighting of the incandescent bulb on Oct. 21, 1929.

Who invented the lightbulb?

By Elizabeth Palermo, Callum McKelvie

Reference Though Thomas Edison credited as the man who invented the lightbulb, this revolutionary technology was in fact developed by several inventors.

Reference
The excavation in Lachish Forest, aerial view.

Evidence of Hanukkah's Maccabee rebellion unearthed in Israel

By Mindy Weisberger

More than 2,000 years ago, a guerrilla army of Jewish rebels stormed and defeated a stronghold of the occupying Seleucid Empire.

The 54-page document shows Einstein setting the foundation for his legendary theory of relativity.

Rare Einstein manuscript is 'most valuable' ever to come to auction

By Brandon Specktor

A rare 54-page manuscript written by Albert Einstein and Michele Besso could earn a record sum at auction on Tuesday, Nov. 23

History of War magazines

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Battle of the Alamo

Battle of the Alamo: Background, events and aftermath

By Ailsa Harvey

Reference In the Battle of the Alamo, outnumbered Texan rebels defended against a Mexican army during the Texas Revolution

Reference
Boomerangs are made from wood, so it is unusual for them to survive intact for very long unless they are protected by water or some soils.

5 non-returning Aboriginal boomerangs discovered in dried-up riverbed

By Tom Metcalfe

Five rare "non-returning" boomerangs found in dry riverbed in South Australia were probably used hundreds of years ago to hunt waterbirds, according to a new study.

Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa went missing in 1975. The FBI is once again on the hunt for his body in a former New jersey landfill.

FBI searching one-time New Jersey waste dump for body of Jimmy Hoffa

By Brandon Specktor

The former waste dump, condemned as an environmental disaster site in the 1980s, could be the resting place of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa, a recent deathbed confession revealed.

When John White returned to the Roanoke colony with supplies from England, he found that all the people had disappeared — and the word "CROATOAN" had been carved nearby.

What happened to the 'vanished' colonists at Roanoke?

By Owen Jarus

Historians are still uncertain about what happened to the vanished English colonists at Roanoke, but they have several theories.

Archaeologists discovered around 25 skeletons in a mass grave in Peru.

15th-century Chan Chan mass grave discovered in Peru

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

In the 15th century, a group of elite women in the ancient city of Chan Chan spent their days making textiles while living ... and in death.

A red powder.

Earliest evidence of mercury poisoning in humans found in 5,000-year-old bones

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

The earliest evidence of mercury poisoning has been found in 5,000-year-old bones of humans buried in Spain and Portugal, according to a new study.

About 5,500 Roman silver coins were found in the hoard. Cleaning and analysis of the coins is underway.

Massive hoard of Roman-era silver coins unearthed in Germany

By Owen Jarus

Nearly 5,500 silver coins dating from 1,800 years ago have been discovered in Augsburg, Germany.

The ancient iron dagger is richly decorated with inlays of silver and brass. It belonged to a Roman legionary, and may have been buried intentionally as a token of thanks after a victory in battle.

Metal detectorist finds 2,000-year-old dagger wielded by Roman soldier in battle with Rhaetians

By Tom Metcalfe

An amateur archaeologist in Switzerland has discovered an ornate dagger wielded by a Roman soldier 2,000 years ago.

This portrait of Vlad III, or Vlad the Impaler, was painted in the early 16th century, hangs in the museum at Castle Ambras in Innsbruck, Austria

Vlad the Impaler: The real Dracula

By Marc Lallanilla, Callum McKelvie

Reference The fictional Dracula was loosely based on a real person with an equally disturbing taste for blood: Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia or — as he is better known — Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes).

Reference
Influenza Epidemic 1918 - Masks for protection against influenza. Typist wearing her influenza mask. Aroused by hold that disease has taken in New York City, New York, practically every worker has muffled their faces in gauze masks as a protection against disease

20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history

By Owen Jarus, All About History

Disease outbreaks have ravaged humanity from prehistory to modern times, sometimes changing the course of history and even wiping out entire civilizations.