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The monument near the grave of Dr Horace Wells.
Hartford, Connecticut

Horace Wells Memorial

The tragic tale of the dentist who pioneered the use of anesthesia.
A steam omnibus, from the 1903 book <em>The Story of Rapid Transit</em>.
victorian

The 19th-Century Freakout Over Steam-Powered Buses

A new vehicle on the streets of London caused quite the commotion—and some light sabotage.
Natalie Zarrelli August 30, 2017
The footbridge to the island.
Washington, D.C.

Theodore Roosevelt Island

The national park was once a plantation estate.
An image from the game <em>Persona 2</em>, preserved by the Video Game History Foundation.
video games

The Holy Grail of Video Game History Is Probably an Office Memo

The Video Game History Foundation is trying to preserve the stories behind the fun.
Eric Grundhauser August 30, 2017
The <em>Dreadnought</em> hoaxers in their Abyssinian regalia, with Virginia Woolf on the far left.
literature

When Virginia Woolf Dressed Up as an 'African' Prince to Fool the Royal Navy

The irony of a racist prank that sought to show up the British Empire.
Natasha Frost August 29, 2017
A German U-boat in 1918.
boats

Did German U-Boats Smuggle Alcohol Into the U.S. During Prohibition?

One photo suggests that rampant rumors of submarine smuggling were true.
Sarah Laskow August 29, 2017
An archway like no other.
East Molesey, England

Anne Boleyn's Gateway

Carved initials which are nearly 500 years old preserve the deposed Queen's presence at Hampton Court Palace.
The embassy.
Washington, D.C.

The Cuban Embassy's Hemingway Bar

When it opened during the final years of the embargo, all the drinks and cigars were free.
The kiln.
London, England

'Potteries and Piggeries' Bottle Kiln

A relic from one of London's worst 19th-century slums.
Carthage, Missouri

Boots Court Motel

This historic motel standing at the "crossroads of America" offers a radio in every room and was saved by local protesters.
The Corpus Christi seawall, just after completion in 1940.
disasters

How a Devastating 1919 Hurricane Inspired Corpus Christi to Build a Seawall

One early design, by the man who built Mount Rushmore, included a giant statue of Christ.
Sarah Laskow August 25, 2017
Birgu, Malta

Prison in Fort Saint Angelo

This almost-forgotten underground dungeon housed several convicts over the years, including Caravaggio.
Alice Hawkins was a suffragette from Leicester who will be commemorated in a new square.
statues

A New Statue Remembers A Forgotten, Working Class Suffragette

The controversial art of choosing who we do, or do not, commemorate.
Natasha Frost August 25, 2017
Cromwell's Corners was once called Murdering Lane.
Dublin, Ireland

Murdering Lane and Cutthroat Lane

Though they've since been renamed, these two streets hint at Dublin's darker days.
The Little Insurrectionist.
Warsaw, Poland

Mały Powstaniec (The Little Insurrectionist)

A statue honors the children who fought Nazis in Poland.
The Toppenish Murals.
Toppenish, Washington

Toppenish Murals

Over 75 historically themed murals grace the walls of a small Washington city.
Lee B. Lok (center) at his store, Quong Yuen Shing & Co, on Mott Street, New York, c. 1917.
history

How a Chinatown-by-the-Sea Popped Up on the Jersey Shore

A tuberculosis epidemic, a church, and one lucky break sent Chinese Manhattanites to Bradley Beach.
Eveline Chao August 24, 2017
Bradgate House.
Newtown Linford, England

Bradgate House

The alleged birthplace of Lady Jane Grey, who was executed at age 16 for claiming the throne of England.