History & Archaeology Archives

What intriguing mysteries does humanity’s past hide? Puzzling archaeological discoveries and unanswered questions in world history to ponder about.

12 Interesting Word Origins You Had No Idea about

By Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)|2020-06-16T14:13:37+03:00June 16th, 2020|Categories: Food for thought, History & Archaeology|Tags: history, vocabulary, words|

Our use of language makes us human. Yet, we pay little attention to where words come from. Well, here are 12 interesting word origins you may have had no idea about. 12 Interesting Word Origins Vaccine (Latin) The word 'vaccine' has been in the news a lot recently. But where did the word originate from? [...]

Stockdale Paradox: How It Can Help You Survive the Worst

By Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)|2020-06-01T22:14:38+03:00April 16th, 2020|Categories: Food for thought, History & Archaeology|Tags: history, society|

Would you describe yourself as an optimist or a pessimist? Perhaps you’re more of an idealist? Maybe you think it’s important to see the reality of a situation? In any case, is it better to be one or the other? The Stockdale Paradox states that a mixture of realism and optimism is the best way [...]

The Unknown History of April Fools’ Day: Origins & Traditions

By Sherrie Hurd, A.A.|2020-06-01T22:45:09+03:00April 1st, 2020|Categories: History & Archaeology|Tags: culture, history, humor|

Tricking people has become a normal pastime on the first of April. However, the history of April Fools’ Day is more interesting than that. For as long as I can remember, my friends and family have been playing tricks and lying to me on the first of April. Some of these tricks have been pretty shocking [...]

Why Did Bubonic Plague Doctors Wear Creepy Beak-Nosed Masks?

By Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)|2020-06-01T22:46:39+03:00March 31st, 2020|Categories: History & Archaeology|Tags: history, humankind|

With the current pandemic firmly entrenched and the death toll rising, it’s not surprising that people are looking to history for answers. However, if the strange bird-like masks worn by bubonic plague doctors are anything to go on, we’re in trouble. The coronavirus pandemic is not the first time we humans have faced an outbreak [...]

6 Worst Pandemics in History and What We Can Learn

By Sherrie Hurd, A.A.|2020-06-01T22:51:38+03:00March 26th, 2020|Categories: History & Archaeology, Medicine & Genetics, Uncommon Science|Tags: coronavirus, global issues, history, humankind|

Some of the worst pandemics in history have taken millions of lives. What lessons have we learned from these horrible events? Understanding the history of the worst pandemics requires the ability to differentiate between the epidemic and pandemic in the definition. First of all, the epidemic is an outbreak of the disease on a large [...]

The Unknown Origin of Thanksgiving: a Dark Story You Didn’t Learn in School

By Jamie Logie, B.Sc.|2020-06-02T00:53:19+03:00November 26th, 2019|Categories: Food for thought, History & Archaeology|Tags: culture, history, humankind, seasonal, society|

The holiday of Thanksgiving may seem straightforward with turkey and stuffing but has an uglier side that many are unaware of... The origin of Thanksgiving is more complicated than just the story of the pilgrims and Native Americans celebrating at Plymouth rock. It gets a bit darker, and peace ultimately didn't win out. This will [...]

7 Famous Fairy Tales That Are Based on Gruesome True Life Stories

By Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)|2020-06-02T01:11:19+03:00November 10th, 2019|Categories: Food for thought, History & Archaeology, Literature|Tags: books, childhood, crime, culture, history, society|

What is it about fairy tales that captivate the imaginations of children? Could it be that underneath the thin veneer of fiction lies a much darker truth to the tales? Did you know that the most famous fairy tales are based on gruesome real-life stories? Here are just a few: Famous Fairy Tales and the [...]

Saudade: A Profound Emotional State You’ve Probably Experienced

By Becky Storey|2020-06-02T18:43:31+03:00November 1st, 2019|Categories: History & Archaeology, Psychology & Mental Health, Self-Improvement|Tags: emotions, sadness, words|

Saudade is a Portuguese word. Its meaning is so complex that cannot be translated into one single word. It has a notoriously complicated definition which can be difficult to explain. There is no English word that it translates to, instead, we use entire phrases, to sum up, its depth. Saudade is often thought to be [...]

12 3 Next