Believe it or not, only a small percentage of historically important or significant artifacts have been preserved for museum displays. Most items that we would attach a great historic value to have either been lost to time or purposefully hidden away or stolen. Sure, some have probably been irreparably damaged over time or completely destroyed…
There is a belief… a curse, if you will… that says that child actors are doomed to wash up before they hit puberty. As the cute precociousness of childhood wears off, the child actor finds less and less scripts coming their way. We have numerous examples that demonstrate how this curse is real, but we…
In history class, we are taught about the most powerful and influential people who made their marks on history. But the only problem is, textbooks put a lot more emphasis on the men over women. Powerful female figures have also impacted the world and changed the tides of history. Some might say their feats were…
2018 has been an exciting year for royal weddings. First, in May, all eyes were on England as Prince Harry wed American actress Meghan Markle. And then, in October, Princess Ayako of Japan married her fiancé, Kei Moriya. But imagine if Prince Harry was forced to give up being a prince if he wanted to…
One of our first history lessons as kindergarteners is to learn about the story of the first Thanksgiving. The story of the helpful Native American, Squanto, who taught the Pilgrims survival skills for living in the New World, is engrained in our culture. So thankful were the Pilgrims, so the story goes, that they hosted…
Many of us are familiar with the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, but have you heard of Squanto, the Patuxet Native American from Cape Cod Bay that saved the Pilgrims from disease and disaster? Squanto was a young man when, in 1614, he was abducted by Spanish conquistadors. He was forcefully taken by ship back…
Researchers are fascinated by footprints that appear to be made 5.7 million years ago and debate continues to rage on about whether they are from our human ancestors. Ancient hominin footprints found on the island of Crete have thrown our understanding of human evolution out the window. Most scientists and historians alike believed that after…
The Chicago River, which flows into Lake Michigan, had always been a source of life with fresh water readily available, fertile lands for farming, and a meeting point for trade. The native Potawatomi made this land their home, and referred to it as Shikaakwa, the name of a wild garlic that was widespread in the…
Hailing from Mexico and South America, the Mayans are an indigenous people that have fascinated and excited us for many decades. This is due to not only the mystery that surrounds them but also their incredible feats. Mayans had extraordinary astronomical skills, mathematical genius, and exceptional skills with medicine. The Mayan culture is still shrouded…
If you think election time in the United States has gotten out of hand, it hasn’t even come close to some of the craziest things that have happened in other elections. From America’s past to other countries’ present, some wild things have happened in election history. You might find it surprising that a mayor debated…
It seems like every day there are new discoveries being made about the ancient civilizations that have come before us. Archaeologists and scientists have been able to find and research artifacts from the ancient world to learn more about how our ancestors lived and how we came to be who we are. Most of the…
