1. Shoes Come Off at the Door One of the first things you’ll notice when you visit Japan is the ritual of removing your shoes before entering a home, and even some businesses. There’s usually a little step or platform […]

1. King Arthur We all love the stories of King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and leading the Knights of the Round Table, but historians are not so sure he ever existed. Some believe he may have been

1. Make Do and Mend During the Great Depression, if something ripped or tore, folks didn’t toss it out — they fixed it. Sewing kits were a household essential, and learning a few basic stitches meant clothes, linens, and even

1. Leech Collector Imagine wading into a swampy bog at the crack of dawn, lifting your skirt or pant legs, and waiting for bloodsucking leeches to latch onto your skin. That was the reality for leech collectors, who were often

1. The Civil War Was Only About Slavery It’s tempting to reduce the entire Civil War to just one issue, but the truth is more layered than that. Yes, slavery was absolutely central—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise—but it was

1. He Skipped Two Grades and Started College at 15 Martin Luther King Jr. wasn’t just wise beyond his years—he literally jumped ahead of them. He skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades and started attending Morehouse College at just

1. Baby Tossing in India In the Indian state of Karnataka, there’s a tradition that’ll make your heart race: tossing babies off a 30-foot temple! Don’t worry, though—they’re caught safely in a large cloth by people waiting below. This ceremony,