History, Popular Stories

The worst polar expedition ever and nine warmer links, including a church consumed by nature, and eleven more such places of worship given a new lease of life...

Thanks to their practical and energy efficient design, the turf houses of Iceland have been around for centuries – and may be the future of eco-conscious home design...

A brief look at some of the more unusual customs and beliefs surrounding sex and sexuality from earlier periods history.

The Cappadocia region of Turkey is full of amazing historical sights, but its most beautiful and intriguing treasures lie in landscapes where rock has been carved into...

Images of men who lost their limbs – and almost their lives – during the Civil War, when an staggering 50,000 amputations were performed in less than sanitary conditions.

The intriguing and turbulent history behind Ireland's finest National Treasure – and one of Europe's priceless historical artifacts.

The magic and history of Santa Claus told with vintage photographs! Happy Christmas!

Smoking opium was a craze in the 19th century that spread from China via South East Asia to the Western world...

Here are seven pioneering inventors whose deaths were a direct result of their own innovations...

The curse of the demon core and more! Links don't come much cooler!

In Japan's so-called 'Asian Auschwitz', a top secret bio-weapons facility operational during World War Two, people were experimented upon in truly horrific ways.

The earthquake of 1931 in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand decimated cities and killed hundreds.

Intriguing photos showing the lives of regular street folk and tradesman in 19th-century Russia.

Disturbing images of public executions that took place during the early 20th century in various countries in the Far East.

Have you ever wondered who first thought of putting ice into drinks to cool them? Well, his name was Frederic Tudor... Click through to read his story...

A read through the coroners' reports detailing some strange and unexpected deaths from the 16th century!

Clinging to a hill sloping down to the sea in Northern Italy lies Cervo, a town that refused to be blighted by the 20th-century tourism boom and where cars are not allowe

Egyptian physicians made wearable prostheses as far back as 600 BC, proof that "this branch of medicine should be firmly laid at the feet of the ancient Egyptians."

China may today be a modern, bustling country – and the world's most populated – but these images from back in the 19th century show a very different style of life.

Do you know the history of African American participation in the Civil war? Read on to learn all about it.