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ANCIENT HISTORY
View All PostsAdoption was an important way for the Roman elite to maintain their familial lines, and it became integral to succession within the Roman Empire.
The Tribune of the Plebs was the elected representative of the Plebeians. With the power to veto all other magistrates, he could freeze Rome’s government.
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HISTORY
View All PostsWas Columbus the first European to cross the Atlantic? Is there evidence that people as diverse as the Vikings and the ancient Egyptians visited America?
Smallpox was the most devastating disease humanity ever faced. Vaccination and a united global movement led to the eradication of the monstrous virus.
PHILOSOPHY
View All PostsNietzsche despised Christianity for, in his view, naysaying life. Yet he took great inspiration from a devotional painting of Christ.
Altona is a play about bad faith. Ostensibly written about German guilt over World War II, the ideas are also applicable to French actions in Algeria.
ART & ARTISTS
View All PostsVincent van Gogh lived a fascinating yet difficult life that led him to produce more than 2,000 artworks with a unique character and style.
In 1606, Caravaggio killed a man in a street fight and spent the rest of his life on the run.
TRAVEL & CULTURE
View All PostsDiscover eight underground museums that prove the most extraordinary cultural experiences are sometimes found by digging a little deeper. Pun totally intended.
Journey through Mali and Niger to uncover the river cities that once powered West Africa’s greatest empire: the Songhai.

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View MapsReligion
View All PostsChristians assert that Jesus rose from the dead. Others question the reality of the Resurrection and offer non-miraculous explanations for the sightings of Jesus.
Despite the patriarchal slant of scripture, several influential women in the Bible stand out among the many because of their courage, steadfast faith, endurance, or impiety.
Stories
View All PostsHere are ten famous cocktails, listed alongside their origins and ingredients. But which historic figures were they named after, and why?
Jane Austen drew on her family life, social circle, and extensive education to write her beloved novels that reinvented the narrative of morality.




























