History Facts

In a world without cameras, biometric databases, or even consistent spelling, identifying individuals could be quite a complex challenge. Before photography helped fix identity to an image, societies developed a range of creative methods to determine who someone was — a task that could be surprisingly difficult, especially when that someone was outside their home community. From scars to seals to signatures, here’s how identity was tracked before photo IDs. Names (and the Trouble With Them) A name was the most basic marker of identity for centuries, but it often wasn’t enough. In ancient Greece, to distinguish between people with the same first name, individuals were also identified by their father’s name. For example, an Athenian pottery shard from the fifth century BCE names Pericles as “Pericles son of Xanthippus.” In ancient Egypt, the naming convention might have reflected the name of a ...Read More

With the ratification of the Constitution in 1788 and the Bill of Rights in 1791, citizens of the fledgling United States of America could count on documentation that guaranteed the separation of federal powers and an array of personal liberties. Of course, what good is freedom without a sound financial system to give people the opportunity to thrive? To address that issue, Congress passed the Banking Bill in 1791 to create the Bank of the United States, and the Coinage Act of 1792 to establish the U.S. Mint and the denominations of coins it would produce. While that first national bank lasted just 20 years, the Mint is still around and going strong, with 13.1 billion coins sent into circulation in the 2023 fiscal year. Here are seven facts about this treasured institution that has provided Americans with pocket change since the heyday ...Read More

Most of us are familiar with Benjamin Franklin’s scientific inventions, and his role as one of the United States’ foremost Founding Fathers. But his ingenuity extended far beyond his most defining accomplishments; Franklin, it seems, was a visionary without limits. For instance, did you know his rustic clothing inspired European copycats? Or that he was instrumental in understanding the Gulf Stream? These lesser-known facets of Franklin’s legacy underscore the breadth of his intellect and the enduring impact of his innovations. Here are five fascinating ways Franklin’s forward-thinking approach made him one of the most fascinating figures in American history. He Was a Cultural Icon in France In late 1776, early in the Revolutionary War, Franklin sailed from Philadelphia to France on a diplomatic mission. Although he was ultimately there to secure French support for American independence, he also became somewhat of a style ...Read More

The ages of U.S. Presidents have varied significantly over the years, changing with voting demographics and shifting societal attitudes toward age. Younger presidential candidates have been seen as symbols of change and energy, appealing to young voters or people seeking a fresh perspective. Older candidates have often brought decades of experience and a sense of maturity. Here is a full list of the ages of the U.S. Presidents at the time of their inauguration, listed from oldest to youngest, spanning an almost 40-year age difference, from 42 to 78. Over 70  When 46th President Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20, 2021, he became the oldest U.S. President to date, at 78 years and 61 days old. Just four years prior, the second-oldest President, Donald Trump, was sworn in at 70 years and 220 days old. He was about 15 years older ...Read More

The U.S. military is divided into six branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force. Each has its own individual hierarchy, featuring the most accomplished and decorated officers at the very top and recent enlistees at the bottom. Along this chain of command you’ll find ranks such as captains, colonels, and sergeants, all of which are familiar terms. But unless you’ve served in the military, you may be wondering how those ranks stack up, and who answers to whom. In the military, there’s no ambiguity about who your commanding officer is. There’s a firmly established chain of command so each rank knows where they stand, though the exact terminology varies among the different branches of the military. Let’s look at the ranks of the U.S. military in ascending order, from the lowest to highest positions. Army The U.S. ...Read More

In the popular lexicon, “snake oil” refers to a scam product or bogus claim, particularly related to health. That connotation originated with one of history’s most notorious American hucksters, Clark Stanley, who sold “snake oil” he claimed would cure pain and rheumatism in the late 19th century.  Stanley would demonstrate to audiences how he would kill and boil a rattlesnake, letting its fat rise to the surface. But his Snake Oil Liniment was, to be clear, a scam. Not only were his claims about rattlesnake fat unverified, but the actual product he was selling didn’t even contain snake oil — it was a combination of capsaicin from chili peppers, mineral oil, turpentine, and tallow, probably from beef. If Stanley’s supposed cure-all had contained a specific kind of snake oil, it might have been at least somewhat effective. Oil from Chinese water snakes has ...Read More

What one historian called the “greatest single act of corporate espionage in history” wasn’t in search of stock market tips or a coveted algorithm. It was about tea, which by 1800 was the most popular drink among the British — something of a problem for the empire, as all tea was produced in China at the time. And so the English did something at once sinister and cunning: They sent a botanist to steal tea seeds and bring them to India, a British colony at the time. The thief in question was Robert Fortune, who was recruited by the East India Trading Company for the job. This leafy skulduggery inspired the aforementioned historian Sarah Rose to write For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History. The book details how Fortune not only came into possession ...Read More

The mighty conqueror Genghis Khan is one of history’s most formidable world leaders, but his legacy is far better known than his actual name. He was born to a ruling Mongol family and was given the name Temüjin, which means “of iron” or “blacksmith” in the Mongolian language. Temüjin was sent into exile with his mother and siblings when he was 9 years old, after his father was poisoned by political enemies. Despite living in poverty and even a brief enslavement, he clawed his way back to power by killing leaders of rival tribes and gathering allies. By his early 20s, he had emerged as a tribal leader with a large, loyal army. In 1206, when Temüjin was in his late 30s to mid-40s (his birth year is the subject of debate), he gathered leaders — the ones he hadn’t killed — from ...Read More

In 1942, amid fear of potential air raids, the British army used bamboo to cover the Taj Mahal’s dome.

The name “Manhattan” comes from the Lenape “Manahatta,” their word for the hilly, forested area that became one of the biggest cities int eh world.