History Archives - Page 4 of 7

How Shakespeare and Chaucer Helped Create Valentine's Day

February 8th, 2022

How did Valentine's Day go from a violent pagan fertility festival involving whips and sacrifices to the lovey-dovey holiday we know today? We can thank William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer for that.

Pagan & Wiccan 52 Comments

What Did Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Actually Look Like?

December 14th, 2021

What did Jesus Christ look like? That depends on who you ask. While Western depictions of Christ have often shown him as fair haired and white skinned, historians and theologians say he likely looked very different.

Science & Technology 232 Comments

Pick Your Favorite Monster: The History of Halloween Creatures Explained

October 29th, 2021

With Halloween right around the corner, we decided to dive into the spirit of the spooky season by breaking down the origin stories of some of the most popular creatures that might be haunting your doorstep this year.

Life and Death 24 Comments

Long Before Witches in Salem, Europe Had 'Werewolf Trials'

October 25th, 2021

Did you know that long before we were persecuting witches in America, we were persecuting werewolves in Europe? From beheadings to burnings, those accused of 'werewolfery' often met a rather unpleasant fate.

Pagan & Wiccan 33 Comments

What Happened to the City of Sodom? Scientists May Have Finally Solved the Mystery

September 27th, 2021

Scientists believe they've discovered the origins of the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, arguing that it likely originated from a real life event - the destruction of a Middle Eastern city some 3,600 years ago.

Science & Technology 105 Comments

Wrongly Convicted Salem 'Witch' Could Finally Be Exonerated

August 26th, 2021

Over 300 years ago, Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was accused of being a witch, but never officially exonerated. Now an eighth-grade civics class hopes to formally exonerate the last accused 'witch' of the Salem Witch Trials.

Pagan & Wiccan 84 Comments

A Nonbinary Viking? New Discovery Challenges Medieval Gender Roles

August 13th, 2021

Were Vikings more progressive on gender than we are today? That's what many archaeologists are asking following the discovery that an important Viking tomb contains a nonbinary, gender nonconforming individual within.

LGBTQ & Human Rights 69 Comments

The New Jonah? Man Swallowed by Whale Lives to Tell the Tale

June 16th, 2021

A New England man's lucky to be alive after being swallowed by a whale. Many Christians were quick to point out the parallels to the story of Jonah, whom scripture says spent three days in the belly of a whale as well.

Christian 91 Comments

Holy Smokes: Archaeologists Find Cannabis at Ancient Religious Site

April 12th, 2021

Archaeologists recently discovered that an ancient religious site in Israel has evidence of burnt cannabis, used ritualistically. The findings shocked historians, as some of their ancient theories went up in smoke.

Science & Technology 44 Comments

Top 10 Things Jesus Left Behind

April 9th, 2021

It's been over 2,000 years since his death, so it would be only natural to assume that all traces of Jesus have long since vanished from the Earth. But is that really true? Experts say no – and they've got proof.

Christian 57 Comments

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