All Articles — Page 7
Every story we've published, newest first
Thirteen Lives vs. History: How Accurate Is Ron Howard's Cave Rescue Film?
Thirteen Lives accuracy checked against the real 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, including criticism that British divers overshadowed the wider Thai-led effort.
A Time Traveler's Guide to the Zulu Kingdom, 1820
Zulu Kingdom 1820 survival guide: what to wear, eat, and understand about Shaka's amabutho regiments, the iklwa, and the mfecane upheaval.
The Zweihander: History of the Giant Two-Handed Sword
Zweihander sword history in brief: the Landsknecht's answer to the pike wall, a blade nearly as tall as its wielder, wielded by double-pay mercenaries.
Blonde vs. History: How Accurate Is the Marilyn Monroe Drama?
Blonde 2022 accuracy, checked: Andrew Dominik's Ana de Armas biopic captures Monroe's childhood trauma but invents most of the Kennedy material from a novel, not fact.
The Bob Crane Murder: Hogan's Hero, Scottsdale, 1978
The Bob Crane murder shocked Hollywood: the Hogan's Heroes star was bludgeoned to death in his Scottsdale apartment in 1978, and the case remains unsolved.
If Pompey the Great Lived Today: The General Who Ran the World Until He Ran Into Caesar
If Pompey the Great lived today, he would be a decorated general with a flawless military record and a political career that collapses just as fast as it once did.
Origins: When Hotels Were Invented
Who invented the hotel? Not the Romans. The private room with a lock is a 19th-century idea - the first true hotel opened in Boston in 1829.
A Time Traveler's Guide to the Kingdom of Dahomey, 1780
Kingdom of Dahomey history, on the ground: before The Woman King turned the Agojie into cinema, they were the real military force of a real 1780 kingdom.
Arsenal: The M1 Carbine - America's Lightweight and Its Lasting Controversy
M1 Carbine history in brief: America's most-produced WWII firearm, carried by paratroopers and officers, and decades of debate over whether it actually worked.
Golda vs. History: How Accurate Is the Yom Kippur War Drama?
Golda 2023 accuracy, checked: the Yom Kippur War drama gets the intelligence failure and Meir's hidden cancer right, but softens her wartime culpability.
If Mehmed II Lived Today: The Conqueror Who'd Run Everything at Once
If Mehmed II lived today, he would run everything at once: markets, diplomacy, and infrastructure, the way he once conquered and then rebuilt Constantinople at 21.
Origins: When Flags Were Actually Invented
When were flags invented? Not in antiquity - the national flag as a symbol of sovereignty is a European invention that barely predates the 1700s.
The Stacy Peterson Disappearance: Illinois's Most Watched Cold Case
The Stacy Peterson disappearance began October 28, 2007, when the 23-year-old vanished from Bolingbrook, Illinois. Her husband was later convicted of another murder.
A Time Traveler's Guide to Venice at Its Peak, 1500
Venice 1500 history, on the ground: the richest city in the Western world, a maritime republic with no king and more gold than most kingdoms.
Arsenal: The FP-45 Liberator Pistol
The FP-45 Liberator pistol was a single-shot .45 built by General Motors in 1942 to airdrop to resistance fighters. It cost two dollars and was designed to fire once.
Crystal Rogers and the Bardstown Disappearances
Crystal Rogers disappeared from Bardstown, Kentucky in July 2015. Her car was abandoned, her body never found, and her father's murder a year later brought no conviction.
If Toussaint Louverture Lived Today: The Liberator Who Would Navigate Every Great Power
If Toussaint Louverture lived today, he would be the Global South's most formidable statesman: brilliant, self-taught, ruthless, and ultimately betrayed by trust.
Judas and the Black Messiah vs. History: How Accurate Is the Fred Hampton Film?
Judas and the Black Messiah accuracy, checked: Shaka King's film covers FBI informant William O'Neal and Fred Hampton's 1969 killing. Here is what it got right.
Origins: How the Prison Was Invented
The origins of prison as a punishment are recent, less than 250 years old. Before 1790, confinement was a waiting room for execution, flogging, or debt, not a sentence.
Time Traveler's Guide to Revolutionary Boston, 1773
Colonial Boston in 1773 is a city on the edge of explosion. Here is how to dress, navigate, eat, and survive a visit to the year the Tea Party changed everything.
Arsenal: The Roman Onager
The Roman onager was a single-arm torsion catapult that flung stones and fire at city walls - the wild donkey of Roman siege warfare, and what it could actually do.
Being the Ricardos vs. History: How Accurate Is the Lucille Ball Drama?
Being the Ricardos accuracy, checked: Aaron Sorkin's film compresses years of crisis into one week. Some of it is real, some is Sorkin - here is what it gets right.
The Murder of Chandra Levy: Washington's Coldest Case
Chandra Levy vanished from Washington DC in 2001. A man was convicted, then freed when the key witness recanted. The case is officially unsolved.
If Voltaire Lived Today: The Satirist Who'd Own Every Platform and Be Banned From Most
If Voltaire lived today, he'd have ten million subscribers, a legal fund, and a neutral country to write from - the Enlightenment's sharpest pen in the algorithm's age.