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Naples, Italy

Cavalli di Bronzo

These bronze horses on the gates of the Royal Palace of Naples were a gift from a Russian tsar.
In this 1873 watercolor, artist Frank Dicksee shows Viking raiders heading for land.
pirates

The Muddled Origins of the Word ‘Viking’

The now common term wasn't used to describe medieval Scandinavians until the 19th century.
Martyn Whittock November 16, 2023
This photo was taken around 1930 of the Tunguska marshes, the epicenter of the mysterious Tunguska Event.
meteorites

Podcast: The Tunguska Event

Earth's largest documented impact event happened in a remote corner of Siberia in 1908.
The Podcast Team October 10, 2023
literature

Podcast: Pushkin’s Duel

How a real-life confrontation seemed to mirror a literary masterpiece.
The Podcast Team February 15, 2023
The front facade of the palace.
Tallinn, Estonia

Kadriorg Palace

A spectacular Petrine Baroque summer palace commissioned for Catherine I by Peter the Great.
Russian Empress Elizabeth used cross-dressing to cement her power. She's shown here in a traditionally male guard uniform.
royalty

The Weekly Cross-Dressing Balls of 18th-Century Russian Royalty

How empresses used "metamorphosis" to show their male courtiers who’s the boss.
Sarah Durn October 4, 2021
Matryoshka Themed Hotel
Hulun Buir, China

Matryoshka Square (Russian Taowa Square)

Hundreds of large Russian nesting dolls decorate this square, and the largest is a functioning hotel.
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Literary Café

Once frequented by heavyweights of the Russian arts scene, this café is stuck in the 1800s.
New York, New York

Matryoshka at Wall Street Bath & Spa 88

This Russian bar-restaurant lies within a three-story underground bathhouse.
Gastro Obscura

Vologda Butter

This regional Russian delicacy once called itself Parisian.
Leo and Sophia, six weeks before his death in 1910.
literature

Tolstoy Ghosted His Wife Then Up and Died

But he did not get the quiet death he was seeking.
Noor Al-Samarrai February 15, 2019
A Russian beard tax token.
archaeology

Found: A Coin That Stopped the Tsar's Police From Shaving You

It's one of the oldest ever found.
Matthew Taub September 7, 2018
Gastro Obscura

Rabarbaro

Chinese rhubarb imparts an organic smoky aroma to this Italian amaro.
Left to right: Nikolai Fedorov in his study and his monument in Borovsk, Kaluga Oblast.
space exploration

The Russian Philosopher Who Sought Immortality in the Cosmos

To create the Kingdom of Heaven, simply reanimate the space-strewn molecules of your ancestors.
Addison Nugent May 29, 2018
Russian coins can be surprising versatile tools.
crime

Found: A Pickpocket's Coin, Used for Ill-Gotten Gains

In 18th-century Russia, a two-kopeck coin could be worth much more than face value.
Natasha Frost May 18, 2018
In museums such as these, people saw various religious icons, statues, and paintings, alongside images depicting scientists like Copernicus being persecuted by priests.
museums

How the USSR Turned Houses of Worship Into Museums of Atheism

In these Soviet churches, religion was banned.
Natasha Frost May 7, 2018
An unmilky <em>rana temporaria</em>.
science

Can Putting a Frog in Milk Keep It Fresh?

Modern science may have an answer to this Russian folk belief.
Anne Ewbank April 19, 2018
Kvass is made at home by fermenting black or rye bread in water with a mixture of sugar, yeast, and other household ingredients.
coca cola

Russia's Patriotic Alternative to Coca-Cola Is Made Out of Bread

For centuries, Russians have celebrated their Slavic roots with kvass.
Natasha Frost April 18, 2018