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British sailors with a mascot from the surrendered German fleet, November 1918.
sailors

The Little-Known History of Seafaring Pets

From war to exploration to pleasure cruising, pets have often accompanied us on the oceans.
Vittoria Traverso January 17, 2018
People using donkeys to carry loads in Lamu town.
Lamu, Kenya

Donkeys of Lamu Island

Kenya’s oldest town is more than 700 years old and home to 6,000 donkeys.
Aerial view of the SCBI
Front Royal, Virginia

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

This sprawling farm was once a Cold War-era hideaway for the nation's top diplomats.
An engraving of surgical instruments.
medicine

Orificial Surgery Was a Gruesome 19th-Century Sham Medicine

Phrenology (and surgery) below the belt.
Natasha Frost January 16, 2018
The small window looks more like a crack in the wall.
Hull, England

England's Smallest Window

What looks like missing grout is actually an old pub's peephole.
Maritime gallery.
Port Arthur, Texas

Museum of the Gulf Coast

Hidden within a Gulf Coast port city is a wonderfully eclectic museum whose beginnings were housed in a bank window.
Cyprus Railways Museum.
Cyprus

Cyprus Railways Museum

This museum in a shuttered train station remembers the island's forgotten rail system.
The Coronation Spoon is very old.
objects of intrigue

The Oldest Object in England's Crown Jewels Is a Spoon

Most of the coronation regalia were destroyed in the 17th century, but the anointing spoon survived.
Sarah Laskow January 15, 2018
The Mid-America Windmill Museum, in Kendallville, Indiana.
infrastructure

The Iconic Windmills That Made the American West

They may look quaint, but these "wind engines" were innovative and technically profound.
Ryan Schnurr January 15, 2018
Public Standards of Length at the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
London, England

Public Standards of Length

19th-century scientists would make the pilgrimage here to verify the precision of their measuring sticks.
Robert the Bruce (left) and William Wallace (right) stand guard at the gates.
Edinburgh, Scotland

William Wallace and Robert the Bruce Statues

Overlooked by many, the two famous Scottish warriors guard the main gate of Edinburgh Castle.
To push back against quack cures, public health officials urged listeners to consult accredited doctors.
radio

When Quackery on the Radio Was a Public Health Crisis

In the 1920s and 30s, regulators and experts grappled with how to stop the sale of dubious devices and miracle cures over the airwaves.
Jessica Leigh Hester January 12, 2018
Long live the queen.
restaurants

Medieval Times Is Now Ruled by a Queen

Usually medieval queens were regents, but this fictional character rules independently.
Sarah Laskow January 12, 2018
London, England

The Tower Ravens

Six ravens are kept captive (but well-fed) at the Tower of London to prevent the fall of the Crown.
Unsalted bread from Umbria.
food

The Mystery of Italy's Saltless Bread

Trade wars, papal rebellion, or salty hams. Why does central Italian bread have no salt?
Vittoria Traverso January 9, 2018
Museu da Tatuagem
São Paulo, Brazil

Museu da Tatuagem de São Paulo

Brazil's only museum dedicated to the art and evolution of tattoos.
Through the whole of its existence, the Great Hedge of India was beset by difficulties and never quite accomplished its purpose.
infrastructure

The British Once Built a 1,100-Mile Hedge Through the Middle of India

This quixotic colonial barrier was meant to enforce taxes.
Sarah Laskow January 9, 2018
Singapore in use, pulling a passenger train.
Rutland, England

The Singapore

A locomotive that was captured as a prisoner of war is now recognized as a WWII memorial.