#TodayInHistory – November 5
November 5 – Some important events on this day. 1492 👉🏼 Christopher Columbus 1st learns about growing and harvesting maize (corn) from Cuba’s indigenous population 1500 👉🏼 Astronomer Copernicus observes […]
Adze: an insectoid source of misfortune in West Africa
As night settles in Africa, across Togo and Ghana, where the Ewe people lives, the Adze, it is said, slips through keyholes, under windows and around doors, flying to the […]
#TodayInHistory – November 4
November 4 – Some important events on this day. 1333 👉🏼 Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani. 1429 […]
Hook Lighthouse: one of the oldest operating lighthouse in the world
We are on Hook Head at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, in Ireland. Hook Lighthouse is an astonishing still-intact medieval lighthouse. Built 800 years ago, it […]
#TodayInHistory – November 3
November 3 – Some important events on this day. 644 👉🏼 Umar ibn al-Khattab, second Muslim caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina 1394 👉🏼 Jews are expelled […]
Some fascinating facts you probably don’t know about the Day of the Dead
First: did you know that the Day of the Dead has a history older than Christmas? Historically, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the year 1 A.D., despite some the […]
#TodayInHistory – November 2
November 2 – Some important events on this day. 1642 👉🏼 Second Battle of Breitenfeld, aka First Battle of Leipzig: victory for the Swedish army under Field Marshal Lennart Torstenson […]
Púca: Ireland’s shapeshifting trickster spirit of Celtic folklore
Try to imagine: you’re a normal worker, and you live in your pretty cottage just outside Dublin. It’s autumn and, despite the wind is brisk, the weather is pleasant and […]
#TodayInHistory – November 1
November 1 – Some important events on this day. 835 👉🏼 All Saints Day made compulsory by Pope Gregory IV throughout Frankish Kingdom 996 👉🏼 First recorded use of modern […]
Some creepy real events that actually happened on Halloween
For some of us, October 31st is the most fun day of the year. And, for others, it’s the spookiest. Bad things always happen on Halloween, in a variety of […]
#TodayInHistory – October 31
October 31 – Some important events on this day. 1517 👉🏼 Martin Luther sends his 95 Theses to Albrecht von Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Mainz, precipitating The Protestant Reformation 1541 […]
12 Ways Halloween is celebrated around the globe
In America, people associate Halloween with pumpkins, costumes, candy, and spooky stories or ghosts but, around the world, it could be a little different. The holiday might look slightly different […]
Nekobiyaka: the world’s only black cat cafe
The Japanese castle town of Himeji is home to the only known black cat café in the world, Nekobiyaka, where you can enjoy a refreshing drink in the company of […]
#TodayInHistory – October 30
October 30 – Some important events on this day. 1270 👉🏼 The Eighth Crusade and siege of Tunis ended by agreement between Charles I of Sicily (brother to King Louis […]
Why the Halloween colors are black and orange?
Probably, we tend to take holiday colors for granted, not giving them too much thought since they’re simply ingrained in our culture. And It’s usually pretty obvious what colors go […]
Grange Lido: Abandoned for over 20 years, this art deco seaside swimming pool is a magnificent waste.
We are in Grange-over-Sands, England. Built in 1932, this once-glorious seaside outdoor pool has been left to rot for over 25 years. The lido, an open-air public pool that was […]
#TodayInHistory – October 29
October 29 – Some important events on this day. 539 BC 👉🏼 King Cyrus “the Great” of Persia marches into Babylon, freeing Jewish captives and allowing them to return home […]
The curious history behind some popular Halloween traditions
Now a night of frolic especially for children in America but now also all over the world, this autumn holiday is actually a mix of old rituals remembering the dead […]
The haunted fields of Andersonville~
When it comes to haunted places in the Deep South of United States, two cities often come to mind: Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. If you’ve ever been to […]
#TodayInHistory – October 28
October 28 – Some important events on this day. 1492 👉🏼 Christopher Columbus sights Cuba and claims it for Spain under the name “Juana” 1538 👉🏼 The first university in […]
Vintage photographs from a 1930s Halloween
By now we know that Halloween is a festival with ancient origins that is celebrated on October 31st. Traditionally linked to the Anglo-Saxon world, westernization and globalization have now led […]
Ballycotton Lighthouse, one of only two black lighthouses in Ireland
Built in the late 1840s, Ballycotton Lighthouse sits atop the unspoilt eponymous Island, in Ireland. On January 16, 1847 the paddle steamship Sirius, the first vessel to cross the Atlantic […]
#TodayInHistory – October 27
October 27 – Some important events on this day. 312 👉🏼 Roman Emperor Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Constantine the Great’s […]
Some Halloween urban legends that refuse to die
We’ve all heard the scary stories. And Halloween would be nothing without the tricks and, above all, wouldn’t be fun without a scare or two. That’s the allure of the […]
John Wimble: a lifetime at sea…
At the age of 12 John boarded a ship for the first time. And that’s when the sea became his home. John Wimble was born in 1797 in Maidstone, Kent, […]
#TodayInHistory – October 26
October 26 – Some important events on this day. 740 👉🏼 An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing damage to city walls and buildings 1366 👉🏼 Comet 55P/1366 U1 (Tempel-Tuttle) approaches 0.0229 […]
Meikleour Beech Hedge: the Guinness Record holder for largest hedge in the world is a verdant Scottish bulwark.
The Meikleour Beech Hedge, located near the village of Meikleour, in Scotland, measures 30 meters (98 feet) in height, making it the tallest hedge in the world. Planted in 1745, […]
#TodayInHistory – October 25
October 25 – Some important events on this day. 1415 👉🏼 Battle of Agincourt: Henry V’s forces defeat larger French army and the longbow defeats the armoured knight 1616 👉🏼 […]
Obake Kaidan: a flight of this “ghost staircase” has 40 steps on the way up, but only 39 steps on the way down….
In the Nezu district of Tokyo there is a stone staircase know for a really strange feature. Known as Obake Kaidan, literally “Ghost Stairs”, it has 40 steps on your […]