The QWERTY Keyboard Will Never Die. Where Did the 150-Year-Old Design Come From?
The invention’s true origin story has long been the subject of debate. Some argue it was created to prevent typewriter jams, while others insist it’s linked to the telegraph
The Enduring Mystery of the Somerton Man, One of Australia’s Most Puzzling Cold Cases
The discovery of a body on Somerton Beach in 1948 sparked theories that the dead man, now believed to be Carl Webb, was a Soviet spy, a ballet dancer or a jilted lover
Why Were These Women Buried With More Than 270,000 Beads?
At a 5,000-year-old tomb in Spain, researchers found what is likely the largest known collection of beads ever discovered at a burial site
How Britain’s Secret Decoy Ships Outfoxed German U-Boats During World War I
Divers recently discovered the wreck of a German submarine and the Royal Navy Q-ship that sank it in February 1917
Why an English King’s Traitorous Brother Was (Allegedly) Drowned in a Barrel of Wine
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, spent his life engaged in a power struggle that pitted cousins and siblings against each other. He was executed for treason on this day in 1478
When Al Capone’s Henchmen Marked Valentine’s Day With a Bloody Massacre
The infamous mob assassination, which took place on this day in 1929, resulted in the deaths of seven men linked to gangster George “Bugs” Moran
Why Were All of These Bodies Buried Sitting Upright and Facing West More Than 2,000 Years Ago?
Archaeologists are still unraveling the mysteries of an unusual burial site in Dijon, France, which dates to between 450 and 25 B.C.E.
See the Hidden Portrait of a Mysterious Woman Discovered Beneath a Picasso Painting
X-ray and infrared imaging has revealed a long-hidden painting beneath “Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto,” providing researchers with new insights into the artist’s blue period
Experts Say They’ve Found a Portrait of a Mysterious Businessman Hidden Beneath a Titian Masterpiece
When the Renaissance artist painted his famous “Ecce Homo” around 1570, he covered up a portrait of an “an unknown professional man” standing at a desk
The Mystery of the World’s Oldest Writing System Remained Unsolved Until Four Competitive Scholars Raced to Decipher It
In the 1850s, cuneiform was just a series of baffling scratches on clay, waiting to spill the secrets of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia
Using A.I., Researchers Peer Inside a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll Charred by Mount Vesuvius’ Eruption
For the past two years, citizen scientists and scholars have been working to reveal the previously hidden texts of the Herculaneum scrolls
Archaeologists Say They’ve Located Harold II’s Lost Manor House
A latrine found in Bosham, England, has helped identify the location of the king’s long-lost residence, offering new insights into medieval life before the Norman Conquest
The ‘Ghost’ Haunting This South Carolina Town Might Have an Earthly Explanation, Scientist Says
In a new research article, a seismologist argues that earthquakes are the reason for the mysterious lights associated with a local urban legend in Summerville
Untold Stories of American History
The Spy Who Exposed the Secrets of the Black Chamber, One of America’s First Code-Breaking Organizations
In 1931, Herbert O. Yardley published a tell-all book about his experiences leading a covert government agency called the Cipher Bureau
Mysterious ‘Chirping’ Waves Detected 100,000 Miles Above Earth Are Surprising Scientists
Chorus waves, quick bursts of energy known to occur relatively close to Earth and around other planets, were found in an unexpected part of the magnetosphere, according to a new study
Shark Pup Mysteriously Hatches in Aquarium Tank With Only Females. How Could This Birth Happen?
Experts say the case is either a rare form of asexual reproduction or an instance of (very) delayed fertilization
Ernest Shackleton’s Famous Job Ad, ‘Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey,’ Is Probably a Myth
Citizen historians have spent decades searching for the original text of Shackleton’s advertisement. Now, some say it might never have existed
Someone Bought This Painting at a Garage Sale for $50. Experts Say It’s a Lost van Gogh Worth $15 Million
The portrait of a fisherman was found in Minnesota by an anonymous collector. A new analysis has concluded that it could be the real deal
Officials Are Offering $1 Million to Anyone Who Can Decode This Ancient Script
The enigmatic Indus Valley civilization left behind a script that today’s historians haven’t yet deciphered. While amateur theories abound, scholars are increasingly relying on computer science to crack the code
See the Haunting Stone Face of a Ptolemaic Statue Unearthed Near the Ancient Egyptian City of Alexandria
The statue was found at Taposiris Magna, an archaeological site where some researchers suspect Cleopatra and Mark Antony are entombed
Page 3 of 16