Imagine if, at the end of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the beast never transforms from a ferocious, hairy monster into a dashing prince. And imagine that Belle isn’t a brave, beautiful girl with a loving, maternal instinct but an ordinary woman forced into marrying a freakishly hairy man she’s never met. If you add those elements […]
What was the real inspiration for Beauty and the Beast? Read More »
The history of warfare is littered with great kings and armies of men of all ages and origins. Yet, regarding women, history leaves us with few examples. The most famous – Joan of Arc, mythical Amazon warriors, or the Scythian female fighters – are far from being alone. The pages of history, if read carefully,
Onna-Bugeisha: A History of Japan’s Female Samurai Warriors Read More »
The encomienda system was a Spanish feudal system prevalent in the 16th century in the Americas. Although it was purported to benefit the Indigenous communities over which it ruled, it was, in essence, very thinly veiled slavery. It led to the Spanish conquistadors amassing land in the colonies and taking advantage of the labor of
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Few Native American tribes have been as instrumental to the history of the United States as the Oneida Tribe. The Oneida Tribe made its mark very early in US history, thanks to its peaceful approach to American settlers and its desire to assimilate into colonial culture. While the Oneida tribe currently has a reservation in
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A tsunami is one of the greatest and most potent natural disasters known to man. While several things can cause a tsunami, the result is always, quite literally, a tidal wave of disaster. Tsunamis have been around since the beginning of time, but the first recorded occurrence was in 2000 BC off the coast of
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Most people only know the basics of car safety—wear your seat belt, never drink and drive, etc. But few are aware of the people whose inventions make them safer, like Nils Bohlin. The Swedish engineer is credited with inventing the modern three-point seat belt in 1959, a device that has saved millions of lives since
Nils Bohlin, the Volvo engineer who saved thousands of lives Read More »
Shrek is one of the most iconic animated characters of the last century. For years many have believed that a real-life man, Maurice Tillet, inspired the green ogre. Dreamworks has neither confirmed nor denied this, but the similarities are uncanny. The Early Life of Maurice Tillet Maurice Tillet, most commonly known by his professional wrestling
The Life of Maurice Tillet, The Man Who May Have Inspired Shrek Read More »
Before World War One, Germany was a prosperous nation. In the decades since its unification, it had become an industrial powerhouse leading Europe in fields like chemicals, machinery, and optics. Its gold-backed currency traded at comparable rates to the British shilling, Italian lira, and French Franc (about 4-5:1 against the U.S. Dollar). Nine years later, hyperinflation hit its
German Hyperinflation Made A Loaf of Bread Cost 200 Billion Marks in 1923 Read More »
Cold War tensions between the USSR and the United States hit an all-time high during the 1960s. Events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the building of the Berlin Wall were just a few examples of how extreme things were. In Asia, North, and South Korea were only a decade past the terrible Korean War
Charles Robert Jenkins, A US Defector To North Korea Read More »
The city of Baia was a center of hedonism for the Roman elite. Much like Las Vegas, Baia catered to the desires of the rich and powerful. The debauchery didn’t last as the Saracens sacked the century in the 8th century. By 1500, the last remaining residents left. Today, you can find a large part
Exploring The Sunken Roman City of Baia in Italy Read More »
