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Why Russia Sold Alaska To The United States
In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million. A mere 50 years later, the Americans had earned that amount back 100 times over. How could the imperial officials have given...
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13 Everyday Phrases That Actually Came From Shakespeare
On Wednesday, April 23, renowned poet, playwright and snappy dresser, William Shakespeare, will turn 450 years old. Whether a fan or not, you probably use many of his phrases on a regular basis — maybe...
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15 Gorgeous Retro-Future Photos From The 1964 World's Fair
Fifty years ago yesterday, the World’s Fair opened in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, N.Y. The event was a watershed moment for 1960s America, which was still putting the assassination of President...
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Google Street View's New Time Travel Option Is Pretty Incredible
Google introduced today a feature that lets you step back in time to earlier versions of its collected Street View data. You can now visit places in Street View as early as 2006, comparing them to what...
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Here's What Really Happened In The Armenian Genocide That Obama Refuses To...
For the sixth year in a row, President Obama has failed to acknowledge the Armenian genocide — something he promised to do as both a senator and presidential candidate. While his statement Thursday...
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An Incredibly Ambitious Time Capsule Was Sealed 75 Years Ago Today — Here’s...
Seventy-five years ago today, the World's Fair came to New York, and with it came one of the world's first official time capsules. Called "Dawn of a New Day," the 1939 Fair adopted a future-focused...
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Humans Grew More Than 4 Inches In The Last 100 Years
It is a commonplace for children to be taller than their parents, but four generations ago this wasn’t the case. A recent study of soldiers around the age of 20 who enlisted in the army during World...
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An Incredibly Ambitious Time Capsule Was Sealed 75 Years Ago — Here’s What’s...
Seventy-five years ago today, the World's Fair came to New York, and with it came one of the world's first official time capsules. Called "Dawn of a New Day," the 1939 Fair adopted a future-focused...
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Remember When Computers Wore Dresses?
More than a century before "Her," computers with human voices wore dresses and had relationships with men.Yes, computers used to be people who computed or calculated complex mathematical processes. Men...
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Nelson Mandela Never Said One Of His Most Famous 'Quotes'
In 1993, Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize for their tireless work ending apartheid in South Africa. Mandela had recently spent 27 years behind bars for his...
View ArticleWe Uncovered The Mystery Behind The Pyramid That's On The Back Of Every...
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How Bad Medical Advice Helped Make Beards Trendy
Beards are back in style— but this isn't the first time they've made a comeback.In the 18th century, "men were almost entirely clean-shaven,"writes Alun Withey, a medical historian at the University of...
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110 Years Ago, The First US Olympics Were A Disaster [PHOTOS]
In 1904, 110 years ago Thursday, the Olympics came to the U.S. The games, only in their third session, were basically a disaster.St. Louis, the city hosting the event, failed to draw much...
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10 Historical Figures You Probably Don't Know Enough About
The memory is from 14 years ago, but it stings like it was yesterday.“I think he’s a famous old actor,” I said, during a game I play with friends where you have to get your team to say a name you’re...
View ArticleThe Unsolved Mystery Of The Deadliest Terror Attack On Wall Street
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Mysterious 'Day Of Darkness' Plunged New England Into Night At Noon On This...
By noon on May 19, 1780, a mysterious darkness had fallen over New England, so thick that animals behaved like it was nighttime and bewildered residents had to light candles to see.The strange...
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The Mysterious Origins Of The Swastika
I found this 1917 advertisement for swastika jewelry while browsing through the NY Public Library Digital Gallery. The text reads in part:To the wearer of swastika will come from the four winds of...
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7 Basic 'Facts' That Have Changed Since The Millennium
Reddit user JalapenoJaques graduated high school in 2001. So he started a thread wondering how education has changed in the last 13 years.The seven facts below present relatively new additions to...
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Here's Where Each State's Immigrant Populations Come From
Immigrants have always come to America, and the source of those immigrants has changed over time.Via Vox, the Pew Research Center tabulated Census records going back to 1850 to see which countries sent...
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The Story Of 21 Confederate Soldiers Who Terrorized A Small Vermont Town 150...
In 1864, a small band of Confederate soldiers launched a surprise attack on St. Albans, Vermont, robbing and burning the small town in an attempt to strike terror into defenseless civilians throughout...
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