John R. Brinkley

This Doc Was Really Nuts

Nuts! is a new documentary about John R. Brinkley, whose claim to fame was transplanting goat testicles into men in the 1920s.
Image of ice in sparkling water

The Irish Were Way Ahead of the Soda Water Trend

Soda water is a popular beverage now, but it was once considered a cure, among other things.
Egg Cream

The Egg Cream Mob

What's in an egg cream? No eggs. No cream. And a dose of mafia history.
Marshall "Major" Taylor

The Moral Threat of Bicycles in the 1890s

The bicycle craze of the 19th century, in which both men and women participated, was seen as a moral affront by church leaders. 
Illustration of Chaucer

The Love Birds of Valentine’s Day

A little history behind the love birds that inspired Chaucer to invent Valentine's Day, the well-known celebration of love. 
Charles Hatfield, the rainmaker, checking some equipment. (Copyright Bettmann/Corbis / AP Images)

When San Diego Hired a Rainmaker a Century Ago, It Poured

After Charles Hatfield began his work to wring water from the skies, San Diego experienced its wettest period in recorded history.
A bowl of mashed sweet potatoes.

Considering the Sweet Potato

The sweet potato is a New World food that spread around the world, including across the Pacific before the Europeans got there.
Black and white photo of a Model-T

Electric Cars… of The 1890s

Electric cars were first introduced in the late 1890s, but they didn't catch on.
A letter puzzle

Tales from the History of Cryptography

The history of cryptography.
Fire

The Importance of Fire to Human Life

The cultural importance of fire.