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The Genius Who Gave Us the Toothpick

A brief history of America's favorite tiny stick

(Newser) - Americans might still be whittling their own toothpicks, if not for the marketing genius and borderline con-artistry of Charles Forster, writes Henry Petroski, author of a new book on toothpick history, in Slate. Forster swore to make a fortune mass-producing the pointy sticks, but had trouble finding buyers. So he...

Ancient Texts Fill Blanks in Climate History

Accounts by monks, soldiers, doctors help track global warming

(Newser) - Scientists are poring over the diaries of 17th century Swiss monks and Parisian physicians for data to help judge changes in Europe’s climate, the AP reports. Piecing together records from things as disparate as military campaigns and cherry blossom festivals dispels any doubt that the Earth is heating up,...

I Now Pronounce You Knight and Knight

15th-century Europe allowed civil unions

(Newser) - The 21st-century social and political trend of same-sex civil unions has roots that go back a bit beyond Stonewall—to the Middle Ages. A history professor who analyzed legal documents and gravesites says medieval law was flexible enough to allow for a variety of non-nuclear family structures, including gay unions,...

Fake Sub Sets Off Harbor Scare
Fake Sub Sets Off Harbor Scare
Aug 4, 2007 12:44 PM CDT

Fake Sub Sets Off Harbor Scare

Coast Guard ends 'marine mischief'

(Newser) - A New York performance artist and two pals were detained yesterday after they tried to navigate a replica of a Revolutionary War-era submarine near the Queen Mary II  in Brooklyn. Their maritime mischief  created a brief scare, and the Coast Guard was dispatched. Apparently, the three were trying to recreate...

Americas' First Gun Victim Found in Peru

Inca warrior shot in head by Conquistadors, archaeologists say

(Newser) - The first gunshot victim in the Americas—an 16th century Inca warrior blasted in the back of the head by Spanish Conquistadors—has been discovered by archaeologists poring over the bones of 72 Incans killed in a 1536 uprising in Peru. The remains of the warriors were uncovered in a...

Lebanon Under Seige
Lebanon Under Seige
Jun 19, 2007 9:22 PM CDT

Lebanon Under Seige

(Newser) - Economist Middle East correspondent Max Rodenbeck takes us on a painful amble through the history of modern Lebanon.   He sees Lebanon as a Manichean society where the wealthy live next to the poor, the religious coexist (sort of) with the secular, the pro-Syrian are at odds with the pro-Israeli.

Photos That Changed the World?
Photos That Changed the World?
Jun 19, 2007 8:31 PM CDT

Photos That Changed the World?

(Newser) - Slate and Magnum Photos team up to present 31 photos that over the past 70 years have "informed the world" and "capture(d) the political and cultural zeitgeist of our time."  The iconic photos in this slide show range from a soldier falling in the Spanish Civil...

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