All Articles — Page 34
Every story we've published, newest first
Troy (2004) vs History: How Accurate Is Brad Pitt's Achilles?
Troy movie historical accuracy: Brad Pitt's 2004 epic is 5/10 - it gets the Bronze Age right but condenses a decade into two weeks and removes all the gods.
Time Traveler's Guide to Ancient Athens, 450 BC
Ancient Athens daily life in 450 BC: democracy invented by people who excluded women and slaves, Socrates annoying everyone in the agora, and plague always five years away.
The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Mystery: Three Keepers Who Vanished Into the Storm
The Flannan Isles Lighthouse mystery: three experienced keepers vanished in 1900, leaving an untouched meal and stopped clocks. Over a century later, no explanation has ever satisfied.
Kingdom of Heaven vs History: How Accurate Is Ridley Scott's Crusades Epic?
Kingdom of Heaven historical accuracy reviewed: Saladin and Hattin are solid, but Balian's entire backstory is invented and the religious attitudes are pure 21st century.
The Mary Celeste: History's Most Famous Ghost Ship
The Mary Celeste ghost ship mystery began in 1872 when a seaworthy vessel was found drifting in the Atlantic with all ten souls vanished and cargo untouched.
Time Traveler's Guide to Abbasid Baghdad, 800 AD
Survive Abbasid Baghdad in 800 AD - the Round City and greatest metropolis on Earth during the Islamic Golden Age under Caliph Harun al-Rashid.
Time Traveler's Guide to Viking Scandinavia (900 AD)
Viking Scandinavia in 900 AD: a survival guide to longships, mead halls, and a society where hospitality was sacred and honor was everything.
Apocalypto vs History: How Accurate is Mel Gibson's Maya Epic?
We examine Apocalypto's historical accuracy, fact-checking Mel Gibson's Maya epic against what archaeologists actually know about ancient Mesoamerica.
The Lead Masks of Vintem Hill: Brazil's Strangest Unsolved Mystery
In 1966, two Brazilian technicians were found dead on Vintem Hill wearing homemade lead masks, with no cause of death ever determined. What really happened remains a mystery.
Time Traveler's Guide to Renaissance Florence, 1490
Survive and thrive in Renaissance Florence, the city of Medici, da Vinci, and Botticelli. Your guide to not getting robbed, poisoned, or excommunicated in 1490.
The Somerton Man: Australia's Most Mysterious Cold Case
The Somerton Man Tamam Shud case: a man dead on an Adelaide beach in 1948 with a cryptic code in his pocket. Seventy-five years on, his identity is still disputed.
The Patriot vs. History: Revolutionary War Historical Accuracy
The Patriot historical accuracy: how much of Mel Gibson's Revolutionary War epic actually happened? We separate colonial fact from Hollywood fiction.
Time Traveler's Guide to Tang Dynasty Chang'an (750 AD)
Your survival guide to Tang Dynasty Chang'an in 750 AD - the world's largest city, where poetry recitals, silk merchants, and a strict night curfew define daily life.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident: Nine Deaths That Still Haunt Us
The Dyatlov Pass Incident: nine Soviet hikers died in the Ural Mountains in 1959 under circumstances that still have no definitive explanation.
The Last Samurai vs History: What Tom Cruise's Epic Got Right and Wrong
The Last Samurai historical accuracy: we fact-check Tom Cruise's 2003 blockbuster against the real Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 and the fall of Japan's samurai class.
Time Traveler's Guide to Aztec Tenochtitlan, 1500 CE
Your guide to Aztec Tenochtitlan in 1500 - the Venice of the Americas, a floating city of 200,000 souls where chocolate is currency and the gods demand blood.
300: What Zack Snyder Got Wrong About the Battle of Thermopylae
300 movie historical accuracy: Zack Snyder's Spartan epic is visually stunning but creatively historical. We separate Battle of Thermopylae fact from Hollywood fantasy.
Visiting Revolutionary Paris in 1793: A Time Traveler's Survival Guide
A traveler's guide to revolutionary Paris in 1793: navigate the Reign of Terror without losing your head. Essential tips for blending in during a deadly year.
The Bobby Dunbar Case: A 1912 Kidnapping Solved by DNA in 2004
A boy vanished in the Louisiana swamps in 1912. For 92 years his family raised a recovered child as Bobby Dunbar, until DNA testing proved he was someone else entirely.
Braveheart: What Hollywood Got Wrong About William Wallace
Braveheart won five Oscars but got almost everything wrong about William Wallace and medieval Scotland. Our full historical accuracy breakdown of the film.
Visiting Sengoku Japan in 1560: A Time Traveler's Survival Guide
Heading to Sengoku Japan in 1560, the Age of Warring States? Here's how to survive samurai, avoid ninjas, find a patron, and enjoy the chaos.
Gladiator: What Ridley Scott Got Wrong About Marcus Aurelius
Gladiator movie accuracy: Ridley Scott's epic invents its hero and rewrites Commodus's rise. Our fact-check of what the film got right and spectacularly wrong.
The Princes in the Tower: England's 500-Year-Old Murder Mystery
The Princes in the Tower vanished in 1483 and their fate remains unsolved. Explore Richard III, Henry VII, modern DNA evidence, and England's most enduring cold case.
Visiting Ancient Rome in 44 BC: A Survival Guide
Planning a trip to Ancient Rome? This guide covers where to stay, what to eat, and how to survive the Ides of March in 44 BC - the most dangerous month in Roman history.