Category Archives: History

The Fascinating Reason Witches are Commonly Depicted Flying on Broomsticks

Emily A. asks: Why do witches fly on broomsticks? We’ve heard this one. To get high, of course! But seriously, it’s thought the idea of witches flying around on broomsticks came from the practice of concocting “witches flying ointment” (read  hallucinogens) and then using a broomstick to administer the drug to certain sensitive regions, thereby bypassing some of the negative […]

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Americans and The Date Format and How That Relates to Data Storage, Holy Wars and Soft-Boiled Eggs

M. Seager asks: Why do Americans write dates Month/Day/Year and most others Day/Month/Year? In the United States, the date format begins with the month and ends with the year (MM/DD/YYYY), and this arrangement is relatively unique. In most of the rest of the world, the day is written first and the year last (DD/MM/YYYY), although in some places like China, […]

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The Remarkable Indus Valley Civilization

The Egyptians built massive pyramids, and the Babylonians instituted the first known written system of laws. The Chinese began a fortified wall that eventually spanned (depending on whom you ask) as much as 13,000 miles, and the people of the Indus Valley? Well, they had an excellent sanitation system. Apparently peaceful, well organized, clean and with a high standard of […]

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Who Invented the Internet?

Jeremy D. asks: Who invented the internet? While the World Wide Web was initially invented by one person (see: What was the First Website?), the genesis of the internet itself was a group effort by numerous individuals, sometimes working in concert, and other times independently.  Its birth takes us back to the extremely competitive technological contest between the US and […]

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How Did Oktoberfest Start?

Michael R. asks: How did Oktoberfest get started? As we move past the summer and into the fall, we can count on certain things: the leaves changing color, the weather growing crisper, ghost stories being told, and the celebration of the Bavarian tradition of Oktoberfest. Even here in America, Oktoberfest is beloved as a time for dancing, dressing in lederhosen, […]

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The Tlatelolco Massacre of 1968

The Mexico of 1968 showed every indication of being the most modern nation in Latin America. President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz oversaw a country with a booming economy and a middle class predominately able to send their children to college for the first time in Mexico’s history. Mexico City was even getting ready to host the 1968 Summer Olympics to open […]

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What Killed Mozart?

Karly N. asks: What did Mozart die from? In 35 short years, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart produced over 600 works for symphony, concert, chamber, opera and choir, including Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro (and some less than family friendly works that few speak of today) before suddenly dying in 1791. Despite 200 years and countless theories, […]

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