History

Mansa Musa was the king of the Mali empire. In his reign, Mali became an African powerhouse and included the countries of Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, and the Ivory Coast. Africa's legendary, fabled gold city under Mansa was his capital Timbuktu.

One of the world's best known ancient monuments was once owned by a British lawyer.

Castles were bastions of military might during the Middle Ages, and their conquering was pivotal to medieval military campaigns. Here's how it was done.

This article examines and ranks the 10 worst wildfires in American history. It provides a brief overview of each event, followed by a discussion of each fire's coverage area, destruction, and fatalities.

Scientific discoveries and technological advances have radically transformed the world we live in. Compared to the long period of human history, most great inventions were made relatively recently. This is a list of ten inventions that have profoundly transformed society and our lives.

The pursuit of beauty is an age-old preoccupation with humans. The Elizabethans used ingredients in cosmetics that they didn't realise harmed and killed them. Poisons included white lead, mercury and belladonna, staples in their makeup kit.

In the second millennium BC, ancient civilisation was at its apex, but then a series of invasions, earthquakes and epidemics brought it all crashing down. Here are five factors that contributed to the Bronze Age collapse.

Imagine being forced to burn your own hand, then being declared guilty because the burn didn't heal quickly enough. Here are some medieval methods of determining guilt or innocence that were so cruel, the accused would admit guilt simply to avoid the ordeal.

The hero myth is ancient and pervasive. It features in mythical traditions throughout the world, and wherever it appears, it seems to follow the same basic formula. Here is an overview of what Joseph Campbell called "The Hero's Journey."

"Vlad the Impaler" was born in Transylvania. As Vlad III Dracula he ruled the Principality of Wallachia and waged war against the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and rivals to his rule. He was a barbaric medieval warrior who inspired Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.

On May 8, 1927, two French aviators took off from Paris and disappeared creating one of the great mysteries of flying.

This article examines and ranks the 10 worst battles of the Second World War. It provides a brief overview of each event, followed by an analysis of their total casualties.

Learn all about the Battle of Bicocca, an important historical battle that brought an end to a period of Swiss military dominance.

In US History, no figures are studied more than presidents. Each has at least one unusual story. Let's examine some and question their truth.

Lambert Simnel was crowned King Edward VI in Dublin in May 1487 after claiming to be the English Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick. Lambert had been training to pretend that he was one of the lost Princes in the Tower. Who was he and what did King Henry VII do with this challenger to his throne?

The capital of France has been replicated twice.

Woodstock Manor, later Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England was a royal hunting lodge, a hideaway for a mistress, the birthplace of princes and a jail for Elizabeth Tudor before she became Queen Elizabeth I. Today Blenheim Palace's grounds cover its location.

The Confederate states' commitment to state sovereignty would soon have torn them apart.

A passenger liner became the first British ship sunk when World War II was only hours old in what was deemed a war crime.

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's childhood was marked by the unnecessary loss of his mother in 1824 when he was just 5 years old. In a spectacular display of double standards by his father Ernst, mama was banished for having an affair and banned from having a relationship with her children.

In 18th century Britain, there was a thriving cottage industry in making fake coins and David Hartley was one of the best in the trade.

The Lady Flora Hastings scandal exposed Queen Victoria's personal prejudices and her poor judgement. Flora was a lady-in-waiting to Victoria's mother the Duchess of Kent. When Flora's abdomen swelled accusations flew around court about her being pregnant. Victoria soon regretted vilifying Flora.

A cautionary story about how even renowned experts can be fooled.

Learn about the Second Silesian War, a momentous event that furthered the rise of Prussia as a European power.

Learn the story of the French campaign in the Middle East.

This article discusses the First Silesian War. Learn about the rise of Prussia as a major continental European power.

Learn all about the ancient practice of construction sacrifice and why people around the globe went to this extreme.

Learn about the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains and how modern historians interpret this vital historical event.

Learn about the Battle of Philippi and its role in the fall of the Roman Republic.

Long before we could email, text or tweet our news to family and friends there was post, snail mail. During the British reforms of the 1830s, the postal system was revolutionised. The first prepaid adhesive stamp in the world was invented: The Penny Black. Did you know that it was quickly abandoned?

In Wales, there is a huge earthwork memorial that honours the lives of horses and ponies that worked in underground coal mines.

The Roman Catholic Church has had 266 popes and a few of them have been rotten to the core.

Learn how emperor Aurelian restored the Mediterranean world by reuniting the Roman Empire.

Matthew's interests include writing, gaming, movies, and pretending to be Irish despite only having one Irish Great Grandparent.

A review of Early Roman Warfare, by Jeremy Armstrong, a book detailing a revised model of development for the early Roman armies.

In the 1960s, the CIA thought it could train cats to spy on its enemies. Project Acoustic Kitty was born.

The town of Winchester, Illinois, was once home to Stephen A. Douglas and the site of an important speech by Abraham Lincoln. A number of buildings of historic and architectural significance remain there as well.

Read on to learn how Napoleon defeated the Fifth Coalition, and the importance of the Battle of Wagram.

From the 15th through the 18th centuries, scientific thought underwent a revolution. The Aristotelian view of nature that had dominated science for almost 2,000 years was cast out. The Scientific Revolution brought forth a more rigorous method of scientific exploration.

Marlborough stops Louis XIV at the Battle of Blenheim, a decisive battle in European history.

Fine dining in the feudal era was reserved for the rich, while the poor made do with bread and stew. Here is an overview of what people from various classes of medieval society depended on for their daily sustenance.

This article discusses the battle of Poltava, which was decisive in that it brought about the fall of the Swedish Empire.

Negligence, combined with a culture of corporate greed, took the lives of 193 people.

Lady Jane Grey became known in history as the tragic "nine days' queen" but why did she think of herself as the rightful queen of England when Henry VIII's daughter Mary was waiting in the wings?

Behind every mighty empire of history was an elite warrior order that dominated the battlefield. Learn about the 7 most adept of these here.

By mistreating prisoners under his supervision he signed his own death warrant.

Learn about the battle of Pharsalus, a decisive military engagement that ensured the fall of the Roman Republic

Is war inevitable? It's difficult to know. Learn about the 4 deadliest wars of the past 25 years in this informative article.

This article covers the war that decided the fate of the Western Mediterranean.

This article discusses the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.