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Why Greece Is Considered the Birthplace of Democracy
In the late 6th century B.C., the Greek city-state of Athens began to lay the foundations for a new kind of political system. This demokratia, as it became known, was a direct democracy that gave political power to free male Athenian citizens rather than a ruling aristocratic ...read more
When the College Football Stars Played NFL Champs
From 1934-1976, the NFL’s preseason tradition included The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game, a game featuring college standouts against the league champion. The last game in the long-forgotten series, played mostly at Soldier Field in Chicago, was forgettable: a 24-0 ...read more
Why America's Deadliest Wildfire Was Largely Forgotten
On the night of October 8, 1871, women snatched their children from their beds, men formed ad hoc fire brigades, and the terrified residents of Peshtigo, Wisconsin fled what would become the deadliest wildfire in American history. So why did the Peshtigo wildfire fade from ...read more
10 Historic Moments of Olympic Hype and Heartbreak
Although they were favored to win gold at the Olympics, some Americans failed to even medal. In an especially cruel twist, two sprinters didn't even make it to the quarterfinals at the 1972 Games in Munich. 1. Overhyped Decathlete Dave Johnson Settles for Bronze at 1992 Barcelona ...read more
How Nelson Mandela Used Rugby as a Symbol of South African Unity
On June 24, 1995 at Johannesburg's Ellis Park Stadium, South Africa won the Rugby World Cup 15-12 over its arch rival New Zealand. The match stands as a hugely symbolic moment in South African history. It marked the nation’s first major sporting event since the end of its ...read more
What Caused the Bronze Age Collapse?
More than 3,200 years ago, the Mediterranean and Near East were home to a flourishing and interconnected Bronze Age civilization fueled by lucrative trade in valuable metals and finished goods. The great kingdoms and empires of the day—including the Egyptians, Babylonians, ...read more
6 Times the Olympics Were Boycotted
The Olympic Games aim to help build a better, more peaceful world through sports. But in the 125-year history of the modern Games, the quadrennial international competitions have been marred by geopolitical drama, resulting in cancellations, bans and boycotts. Some Games, such ...read more
8 Facts About Ancient Egypt's Hieroglyphic Writing
Next to the pyramids, the Sphinx and mummies, one of the most intriguing discoveries from ancient Egyptian civilization is a form of writing that appears like stylized pictures of people, animals and objects. Hieroglyphic writing, whose name comes from hieroglyphikos, the Greek ...read more
How Returning WWII Vets Helped Establish America’s Biker Clubs
For America’s GIs, returning home from World War II and integrating back into society wasn’t always easy. At a time when veterans were expected to quickly forget the war and the wider world they’d seen—and settle down into stable homes, families and jobs—motorcycles offered a ...read more
6 Common Jobs in Colonial America
In the colonial era, the most prestigious jobs were reserved for well-off white men, who secured appointments as colonial governors and military leaders. But there were many other types of jobs in Britain’s 13 American colonies. Benjamin Banneker, a free Black man born in ...read more
The Most Influential Classic Shows from TV's ‘Golden Age’
When television flickered into America's living rooms in the years after World War II, it took less than a decade for it to overtake radio as the nation's dominant entertainment medium. Between 1948 and 1959, years now considered the “Golden Age of Television,” a mix of ...read more
How Early Humans Survived the Ice Age
The most recent ice age peaked between 24,000 and 21,000 years ago, when vast ice sheets covered North America and northern Europe, and mountain ranges like Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro and South America's Andes were encased in glaciers. At that point our Homo sapien ancestors had ...read more
Why the Nile River Was So Important to Ancient Egypt
When the Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the ancient Egyptians' land was "given them by the river," he was referring to the Nile, whose waters were essential to the rise of one of the world’s earliest great civilizations. The Nile, which flows northward for 4,160 miles from ...read more
What Happened to TWA Flight 800?
Minutes after its take off from New York’s Kennedy International Airport, a Boeing 747 headed for Paris exploded midair over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Long Island on July 17, 1996, leaving all 230 people aboard dead. The four-year investigation into what caused the ...read more
History of Flight: Breakthroughs, Disasters and More
For thousands of years, humans have dreamed of taking to the skies. The quest has led from kite flying in ancient China to hydrogen-powered hot-air balloons in 18th-century France to contemporary aircraft so sophisticated they can’t be detected by radar or the human eye. Below ...read more