When horror is masked by the beauty of nature. — Picture the following scene: It is a hot July summer day. You are walking through an area outside of the city. The air is clean. Fresh. You are wrapped in nature’s scents and sounds. It is pure bliss. You keep on walking until you come across a vast meadow. You…

The colorful Egyptian culture. — The last Egyptian pyramid was built more than three millennia ago, but the splendor and rich culture of Ancient Egypt still attracts millions of tourists every year. Exquisite craftsmanship, unique traditions, and an elaborate belief system are just a few characteristics of the Ancient Egyptian culture. However, some of the…

How customs change with time. — The Victorian Era lasted for sixty-four years. During that period in history, women couldn't vote and own property, arsenic and radium were used as if they were perfectly harmless, baby bottles and bathrooms were killing people left and right, and many of the Victorian customs, even though not dangerous, were…

The “child killers” of the Victorian Era. — Today, England’s infant mortality rate is 3.422 deaths per 1000 live births, but less than two centuries ago, the statistics were much different. In 1850, in Victorian England, the infant mortality rate was around 150 deaths per 1000 live births. Such high numbers are attributed mainly to Victorian sanitary conditions…

Less than a century ago, people were exhibited in enclosures. — An 1835 poster read: “The Greatest Natural & National Curiosity in The World” This was not an advertisement for a rare animal species, nor for a new World Wonder, but for a woman. A black woman called Joice Heth. P.T. Barnum’s display of Joice Heth on August 11, 1835, in…

The hidden poisoners of the Victorian Era. — In 1850, during the Victorian Era, the average life expectancy for men was 40 years. For women, it was two years more. Since then, the average human life span has risen to around 72 years. That 30-year difference has been achieved mainly with better medical care. However, some other factors…

When animals were tried as humans. — If you go through literature about law practices from several centuries ago, you will come across a peculiar custom — animal trials. In the book “The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals” by Edmund P. Evans, the author writes how, less than half a millennium ago, animals were prosecuted…

None of them are practiced in modern-day Italy. — At the peak of its territorial height, the Roman Empire spread over an area of around 5 million km². For comparison, Australia occupies 7.688 million km². As the capital of one of the largest empires in history, Ancient Rome was a mixing pot of customs and traditions. And whereas some…

Half a millennium ago, Europeans did some strange things. — The Middle Ages are amongst the five main historical eras. Over a time span of one thousand years, the Middle Ages turned out many customs, underwent numerous changes, and left their mark in history books. However, as with every era from the past, some things that were done during the…