Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Opium, a Love Affair

Erin B. | Friday, Oct 10, 2014

“My elixir,” she called it; a “nameless drug” that calmed her and eased her spirits. “It” wasn’t her poetry, or her famous romance with Robert Browning—morphine was Elizabeth Barrett Brow...

The Truth in the Tale About Fanta and Nazis

Emma B. | Wednesday, Oct 8, 2014

There’s nothing quite like the taste of Fanta to quench the thirst of evildoers during wartime. Some believe that may as well be the slogan for the tongue-staining orange drink: Fanta eme...

Meet the Chimp Artist Who Outsold Renoir and Warhol

Mark H. | Tuesday, Oct 7, 2014

Back in 2005, at an art auction at the upscale London clearinghouse Bonhams, a relatively unknown artist managed to outsell the works of masterful 18th century French impressionist Pierre...

Petty Theft Brought Coffee to America

Josh H. | Monday, Sep 29, 2014

America loves coffee. The dark, bitter beverage is consumed by over 100 million people a day, making it the second most popular drink in America next to water. The US imports roughly $4 b...

The Man Who Lit a Cigarette with a Nuclear Bomb

Josh H. | Friday, Sep 26, 2014

It’s 1952 and you’re stuck in the middle of the Nevada desert surrounded by nuclear physicists. It’s dry. It’s hot. Your team is there to test a new weapon of mass destruction for the mil...

Victorian Tattoos and the English Women Who Bore Them

Erin B. | Friday, Sep 26, 2014

Add this to the pile of evidence that perhaps the Victorians weren’t so buttoned up after all—an 1880s upper-crust passion for tattoos. By the 1880s, tattoos had long been associated with...

ISIS is Now Systematically Destroying Cultural Heritage Sites in Iraq

Josh H. | Monday, Sep 22, 2014

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) goal to create a homogeneous state of Sunni Muslims has led to horrific ethnic cleansing in one of the most culturally and historically rich p...

When Three Yemenis Sued NASA for Trespassing on Mars

Mark H. | Monday, Sep 15, 2014

Back in 1997, three men from Yemen, Adam Ismail, Mustafa Khalil, and Abdullah al-Umari, trekked down to the national prosecutor’s office in Sana’a and filed a lawsuit against the American...

The Drug that Inspired Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Erin B. | Wednesday, Sep 10, 2014

Benzoylmethylecgonine. Foo foo. Icing. Coke. Cocaine is known for its zippy, euphoric properties…but could it have inspired one of America’s greatest works of literature? That’s right: it...

The Long and Strange History of Buddhist Violence

Mark H. | Monday, Sep 8, 2014

When I say “Buddhist violence,” you say you “oxymoron.” Buddhism is a quintessentially peaceful and nonviolent faith. But for the past couple of years, reports of Buddhist violence aimed...

How 4,000 Bhutanese Refugees Came to Call Pittsburgh Home

Josh H. | Tuesday, Aug 26, 2014

Over 100,000 Lhotshampas, ethnic Nepalis from southern Bhutan, have been kicked out of their homeland since 1989. Most refugees fled, or were pushed out, to neighboring Nepal where they a...

Here's How Ice Cream Was Made in the 1800s

Amy K. | Thursday, Jul 10, 2014

Americans have been enjoying ice cream for hundreds of years. Other parts of the world have been enjoying this summertime treat for even longer. Ice cream has a flavorful history that str...