Vintage Christmas Cards That Highlight Festive Activities Such As Kidnapping, Murder, And Terror.
Forget serene woodland scenes or snapshots of a family decorating a tree beside a roaring fire. Victorian Christmas cards were a...
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A CIA Rectal Toolkit Made For Cold War Spies.
Though global espionage remains a going concern in the 21st century, somehow the popular stories we tell about it return again and again...
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The Odd Tricycle That You'd Sit Inside And Operate With Your Hands That Was Patented In 1881
"The New Iron Horse" was patented by Charles W. Oldreive in 1881. It's a fascinating thing, but why would anyone want such a big wheel...
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Time To Be In Awe Of Japanese Matchbook Art From The 1920s
During the 1920s and 1930s, matchboxes in Japan served as compact canvases, showcasing enticing glimpses of a sophisticated, modern...
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Elegance and Utility: Vinaigre de Toilette Containers in the 1800s
The 1800s was a century marked by significant changes in fashion, personal hygiene, and the concept of beauty. During this era, an array...
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The Roads Of The Roman Empire
Omnes viae Romam ducunt” or “All roads lead to Rome”: this phrase summarises succinctly the importance of Roman roads. At the peak of its...
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The Lovely Tradition Between Steven Spielberg And George Lucas
It's well known that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are close friends, so when Lucas' "Star Wars" eclipsed Spielberg's "Jaws" as the...
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The Gorgeous Tibetan Book of Proportions
An eighteenth-century pattern book consisting of 36 ink drawings showing precise iconometric guidelines for depicting the Buddha and...
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The 'Good Old Days' When Pretty Much Anything Could Be Cured By Using Dr Young's Rectal Dilators
Dr. Young’s Dilators were a real medical device sold in the United States from the late 19th century until at least the 1940s. They were...
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A 1920 Proposal To Create A New Peaceful European Union With 24 Artificially Created States.
This is from a pamphlet entitled DAS NEUE EUROPE MIT DEM DAUERNDEN FRIEDEN. DIE UNIONISIERUNG MITTEL EUROPAS. [“The New Europe with...
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Whoever Came Up With The Idea To Use KFC Fried Chicken As Explosions Deserves A Promotion
KFC have been pretty successful in their advertising over the years. From the iconic ‘colonel,’ to wacky ideas like chicken-scented...
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Letterhead Designs Well-Known People Used Throughout History
We’ve all seen letterheads before—the text and design at the top of a letter—but we rarely stop to think about it. This roundup of famous...
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Medieval Paintings Of Animals By Artists That Had Never Seen The Animals They Were Painting
Back in the medieval times, people couldn’t just look up the information they wanted on the internet like we can now. Even access to...
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Bizarre Movie Posters From Africa That Are So Bad, They’re Good
During the '80s and '90s, African artists were tasked with making Hollywood movie posters seem as exciting as possible, regardless of...
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Why Stradivarius Violins Are Worth Millions
In 2011, a Stradivarius violin in pristine condition sold for $15.9 million. And then, in 2014, another Strad went up for auction with a...
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Let's Talk About How Badly The White House Was Constructed (And Burnt) Then Constructed Again
Construction started in 1792, taking 8 years. With John Adams moving in for a few months in 1800, Thomas Jefferson was the first...
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The Anti-Suffragette Posters That Show The ‘Dangers’ Of Women’s Rights
Throughout history, societies have experienced significant shifts in their perceptions of gender roles and women's rights. As progress...
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The College Kids From The 1920s That Had a Penchant For Fur
An odd footnote in American fashion exists in the form of American Ivy league-ers and young college undergrads who began sporting heavy,...
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Death Blowing Bubbles, Ancient Weapons And Other Fun Stuff.
Religious buildings are often crammed full of interesting pieces of art, one example of slightly more surreal artwork can be found if you...
607 views
The Language Of Flowers In 1857
The Victorian interest in botany went hand in hand with the Victorian interest in the “language of flowers”. At a time when many feelings...
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Erotic Cameos From After The Reign Of Tiberius, Published In The 1770s
In 1775, when the Marquis de Sade travelled to Italy at the age of thirty-five, he had yet to write his libertine Justine or the...
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Thomas Edison’s Creepy Talking Doll Sounds As Scary As It Looks
You already know Thomas Edison, the famed inventor that gave us important innovations such as the phonograph and the light bulb. In...
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The Beautiful And Gruesome Porcelain Dolls Created By Jessica Harrison
I'm a little late to the party but I'm a big fan of Jessica Harrison's take on the traditional porcelain doll. We've all seen them....
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Morocco’s Ancient Granaries: One Of The World's Oldest Banking Systems.
According to historians, the Igudar granaries in Morocco are the world’s oldest bank, going back as far as the 13th century. Some...
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