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History & Innovations

Remarkable Events From Our Past

Image of a wooden female figurehead

Nautical Legends

Seafaring Traditions That Endured for Centuries

Bronze cauldron, symbol of medieval alewives whose brewing traditions helped shape the image of the witch.

Cultural Traditions

When Beer Turned to Witchcraft

Photograph of SR-71 Blackbird Aircraft

Legends & Myths

The Real Story Behind Area 51

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Accidental Inventions

Curious Origins: How Some Innovations Really Happened

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Inventions

From Awkward Moment to Medical Marvel

Photograph of Thanksgiving Food

Cultural Traditions

What the First Thanksgiving Really Looked Like

Photograph of an ancient flute from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Inventions

What Came Before the Wheel? Music

Technology

Bluetooth was Named After a 10th-century Danish King

Illustration of the Palace at Versailles

Wars & Conflicts

How a Peace Treaty Helped Start World War II

Photograph of William D'Arcy

History

The Middle East’s Oil Age Began With William Knox D’Arcy’s First Strike.

After years of expensive and frustrating exploration, a drilling crew in southwestern Persia finally struck oil in 1908, launching the modern Middle Eastern oil industry.

An oil rig at sunset — a reminder of the 1908 Persian strike that gave Britain its first foothold in Middle Eastern oil.

History

The Oil Deal That Changed the Course of History

Image of Passport Visa Issued by Carl Lutz

Wars & Conflicts

The Diplomat Who Saved 62,000 Lives

Portrait of Noor Inayat Khan, WWII wireless operator in occupied France, remembered for her courage and sacrifice.

Wars & Conflicts

Noor Inayat Khan: The Spy Who Wouldn't Break

Portrait of Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat who issued thousands of transit visas and saved Jewish refugees during World War II.

Wars & Conflicts

Chiune Sugihara: The Diplomat Who Saved Thousands of Lives

Nancy Wake, WWII spy known as the White Mouse, who parachuted into France and led thousands of Resistance fighters.

Wars & Conflicts

Nancy Wake: The Most Wanted Woman in Europe

Witold Pilecki, Polish resistance fighter who volunteered to enter Auschwitz and was later honored posthumously as a hero

Wars & Conflicts

The Forgotten Hero of Auschwitz

Portrait of Vasily Arkhipov, the Soviet naval officer who refused to launch a nuclear weapon during the Cuban Missile Crisis

Wars & Conflicts

The Submarine Officer Who Quietly Saved the World

Illustration of the Three Kings

How Magi Became Royalty in Christmas Stories

Illustration of the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie

Wars & Conflicts

The Wrong Turn That Started World War I

Illustration of a Corset

Cultural Traditions

Waist Not, Want Not

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History's Most Bizarrely Entertaining Facts Explained

History's Most Bizarrely Entertaining Facts Explained

Stories of Strange Sagas of Kings & Queens

HISTORY Channel Trivia Game

HISTORY Channel Trivia Game

2000+ Fun Questions for Adults

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