[ weird things ] | history
articles tagged: history
just how old is human civilization, exactly?
# science

just how old is human civilization, exactly?

Many of us are taught that civilization started around 5,000 years ago, even though we know it’s actually much older. But just how old is it really?

everything you never guessed you wanted to know about borders
# politics

everything you never guessed you wanted to know about borders

While today's nationalists try to elevate borders to almost sacred status, the truth of the matter is that borders change frequently, and our definition of nations is still very fresh.

in search of the frozen menace at the bottom of the world
# oddities

in search of the frozen menace at the bottom of the world

Conspiracy theories are still looking for frozen Nazis in a fabled underground base.

what plague doctors can teach us about doing science
# science

what plague doctors can teach us about doing science

Plague doctors have been wrongly put in the pantheon of quacks. In reality, they created the biohazard suit as we know it.

in defense of cultural appropriation
# politics

in defense of cultural appropriation

Without cultural appropriation, we wouldn't have any surviving cultures in the first place.

the angry conspiracy vote, a primer
# politics

the angry conspiracy vote, a primer

In American history, conspiracy theorists taking out their frustrations at the ballot box are far from an anomaly.

why evolution didn’t really need darwin
# evolution

why evolution didn’t really need darwin

If Darwin never published his treatise, we'd still have a theory of evolution almost identical to the one we have today thanks to his contemporaries.

why secret societies will be with us for a long time
# oddities

why secret societies will be with us for a long time

Secret and occult societies make easy targets for conspiracy theorists. But there's a good reason why so many seem to exist at any given point, and it has nothing to do with world conquest.

why a good story doesn’t make for good reasoning
# science

why a good story doesn’t make for good reasoning

It's not a revelation that people like creationist "just-so" stories. Pundits need to stop insisting that scientists make up some of their own.

why ’tis the season to just enjoy the holidays
# politics

why ’tis the season to just enjoy the holidays

Ignore the manufactured acrimony and bloviators preaching how to properly celebrate Christmas. Just enjoy the holiday.

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