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Medieval clergy played ball in labyrinths, such as the one at Chartres Cathedral.
medieval

The Lost Tradition of Playing Ball in Church to Celebrate Easter

Priests danced around a labyrinth and played a symbolic, ritual game of catch.
Sarah Laskow March 29, 2018
A car crash, 1920.
cars

It's Soul-Crushing, But Don't Take the DMV for Granted

When rich, reckless drivers started tearing up streets, authorities needed a way to keep people safe.
Sarah Laskow March 27, 2018
An artist's conception of planets found by Kepler.
science

How to Create an Interstellar Network of Planets

Could a megastructure help us start a conversation with an alien civilization?
Sarah Laskow March 26, 2018
So many species, each with a name.
science

The Beautiful Complexity of Naming Every Living Thing

After two centuries of binomial nomenclature, scientists are nowhere close to running out of things to document.
Jessica Leigh Hester March 22, 2018
A mysterious bookplate.
libraries

Bookplates Hold the Secrets to Books’ Past Lives

The mysterious marks owners leave in their books tell stories of their own.
Sarah Laskow March 22, 2018
Mirabilia Brittonum, or the Wonders of Britain, a guide to the history hidden in the British landscape.
nature

On the Hunt for the Lost Wonders of Medieval Britain

Does a millennium-old manuscript hold the key to hidden, awe-inspiring places?
Sarah Laskow March 21, 2018
Gianni Zonin, Count Cicogna, and Gabriele Rausse in 1978 making plans for Barboursville’s Vineyard.
food

How Two Italians Achieved a 200-Year-Old Dream of Virginian Wine

Since Thomas Jefferson first tried, growing European vines had always failed.
Eric J. Wallace March 19, 2018
The V-2 rocket (left) in the atrium of the Imperial War Museum in London.
poison

The Most Dangerous Things You Can See in Museums

From a V-2 rocket to arsenic wallpaper.
Jessica Leigh Hester March 15, 2018
The mural leading into a Sister Serpents show.
art

The Forgotten History of the Controversial Sister Serpents

A feminist art collective stirred up trouble in the 1990s before fading from view.
Sarah Laskow March 14, 2018
The book town of Fjærland, Norway.
bookstores

Book Towns Are Made for Book Lovers

Around the world, tiny towns have made bookstores their speciality.
Sarah Laskow March 12, 2018
Obsolescence looms over the digital age.
computers

The Quest for a Universal Translator for Old, Obsolete Computer Files

To preserve bygone software, files, and more, researchers are working to emulate decades-old technology in the cloud.
Jessica Leigh Hester March 8, 2018
This image, of the 7th century saints Sergius and Bacchus, was considered by the historian John Boswell to be a depiction of an example of an early Christian same-sex union.
universities

A Modern Controversy Over Ancient Homosexuality

In 1980, a gay historian’s book about Catholic Church-approved homosexuality enraged both gays and Catholics.
Natasha Frost March 2, 2018
Moving the Yugos would be a challenge.
roadside attractions

The Struggle of Keeping a Roadside Attraction Alive

After the death of its founder, the future of Wild Bill's Nostalgia is cloudy.
Sarah Laskow March 1, 2018
A selection of Gros Michel bananas, grown in Florida.
food

A Quest for the Gros Michel, the Great Banana of Yesteryear

The forgotten, flavorsome Big Mike is elusive, but not impossible to find.
Natasha Frost February 28, 2018
Ulrich Pinder's 1506 urine chart.
manuscripts

What a Chart of Urine Tells Us About the History of Color Printing

A 1506 medical text included a diagnostic guide, but it was best used with caution.
Sarah Laskow February 27, 2018
Almost every tiny component of a camera will have its own ISO standard.
engineering

Finding the Unexpected Wonder in More Than 22,000 International Standards

From brewing tea to making shipping containers.
Natasha Frost February 22, 2018
A sumo wrestler dishes up <em>chanko-nabe</em> during a "Sumo Diet Campaign" event in Osaka, Japan.
food

The Special Stew at the Heart of Sumo Wrestling

Why one dish defines an entire sport.
Natasha Frost February 16, 2018
Unusual menus can take many forms.
libraries

The Most Unusual Menus From Libraries Around the World

Featuring fur, space flight, and Abraham Lincoln.
Anne Ewbank February 16, 2018