history

Latest about history

Recent excavations of viking boat burials reveal the remains of a man, a horse and a dog.

Fantastically Preserved Viking Boat Grave and Skeletons Unearthed in Sweden

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

The boat held the remains of a man, a horse and a dog.

Vikings
Recent excavations of a viking boat burial revealed the remains of a man.

Photos: A man, a horse and a dog found in Viking boat burial

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

Such viking boat burials are rare and likely only used for burying the elite.

Vikings
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Book Excerpt: 'Archaeology From Space'

By Mindy Weisberger published

'Space archaeology' is transforming how experts study ancient civilizations.

Archaeology
people from the back watching fireworks

The First Fireworks Came from a 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Quest for Immortality

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Ancient alchemy never did discover a death defying concoction — but it did produce a bang

Human Behavior
The fall of the Roman Empire may have been a partial result of the decade of famine and plague that began in A.D. 536, the authors of a new study say.

536 Was a Garbage Year for Mankind (So Give 2018 a Break)

By Brandon Specktor published

Worst. Year. EVER.

Geology
Alarm clock

How Did People Wake Up Before Alarm Clocks?

By Emma Bryce published

How did people wake up before the invention of modern alarm clocks?

Sleep
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Alien-Hunting Agents Seek the Truth About UFOs in 'Project Blue Book'

By Mindy Weisberger published

How (and why) was the U.S. Air Force investigating UFOs between 1952 and 1969?

Extraterrestrial Life
World's Columbian Exposition

How Did Christopher Columbus Become a National Symbol?

By William Francis Keegan published

Opinion An anthropologist tells the story of how Columbus actually came close to falling into historical obscurity, until American hubris got in the way.

Opinion
So-called "base-ring juglets" were widely traded in the eastern Mediterranean around 1650 to 1350 B.C. When inverted, the shape of the containers resembles the seed heads of opium poppies. Now, researchers have discovered traces of opium in one of these c

Ancient Mediterranean 'Juglet' Contained Traces of Opium

By Rachael Rettner published

A curious-looking container, discovered in the Mediterranean and dating back to more than 3,000 years ago, has been found to contain traces of opium.

Human Behavior
An artist's illustration tries valiantly to convey what's going on in this paper.

Scientists Have a Plan to Hunt the Ancient, Dead Star that Birthed Our Solar System

By Rafi Letzter published

Billions of years ago, a huge star blasted open and spewed its guts into space. We were born from the rubble.

Astronomy
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