Would you clean a king’s bum for an estate? — You’ve had at least one job where you thought, “Man, I can’t wait to get out of here.” We’ve all heard horror stories about toxic workplaces. …

How did the German city of Königsberg become Kaliningrad? — As we get close to four months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the theater of war could move to the Baltic region. The Russian city of Kaliningrad is the latest flashpoint in Russia-Lithuania relations. Kaliningrad is located between Poland and Lithuania and is an exclave of Russia. …

The tragic tale of Fritz Haber — During peace time a scientist belongs to the World, but during war time he belongs to his country- Fritz Haber, Nobel laureate. Few awards are as controversial as the 1918 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The recipient’s discovery of producing ammonia from the air saved humans from extinction. But the man…

#1. There were fewer bank robberies in the Wild West than in present-day America — Few eras in history have inspired more movies, literature, fashion, television shows, toys, video games, and art across the world than the Wild West. Rugged cowboys, hostile Native Americans, fast gunslingers, bounty hunters, outlaws, and law-abiding sheriffs; America’s Western frontier provided the perfect script for the creative mind.

The festival shifted to September on popular demand — After a two-year hiatus, Oktoberfest is back in Munich! Almost three weeks of fun, food, entertainment, and, of course, beer. Lots and lots of beer! Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival, and the beverage is a major attraction for visitors. Every year, 6 million people attend Oktoberfest in Munich…

The island of Grenada decided to keep Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state after a communist takeover — Communist dictatorships and monarchies are like oil and water. Kings and queens have a poor track record of retaining their crown after a Marxist regime grabs power. In the best-case scenario, the rulers would be put in jail and “re-educated,” like the last emperor of China, Puyi, or they would…

Long before Marco Polo, a diplomat figured out how China’s silk reached Rome — In 138 BC, the emperor of China, Han Wudi, summoned one of his military officers. He presented the commander with a staff bearing the imperial Han emblem and briefed him about a mission. The man’s task was to locate a missing tribe and seal an alliance with them. …

The remarkable rescue of over 350,000 priceless manuscripts in Timbuktu — In June 2012, Al-Qaeda took over Timbuktu, a city on the edge of the Sahara desert. The goal of the terrorists was to wipe off the city’s history. They launched a vicious assault on Timbuktu’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. One guy saw the Islamists coming for the thing every oppressor…

A fantasy prologue based in ancient Egypt — There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, Tekem’s eyes lit up. His grandfather was about to tell him the story of the serpent dragons, which was his favorite. There was a time when the Pharaohs were weak. The Hyksos had enslaved the…