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The first backpacker to thru-hike the entire 2100-mile Appalachian Trail in one trip was a troubled WW2 veteran who did it as a kind of therapy. For most of human history, people got around from one place to another by walking. Although Rome pioneered an extensive network of paved roads, and these were used through … Continue reading The First Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker →
4 months ago

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More from Hidden History

Florida’s Barker Gang Shootout

In January 1935, gangster “Ma” Barker and her son Fred were killed by the FBI in a multi-hour shootout in the little town of Ocklawaha FL. Arizona “Arrie” Clark was born in the rural town of Ash Grove MO in October 1873, where she played the fiddle and sang in the local church choir. In … Continue reading Florida’s Barker Gang Shootout →

2 months ago 25 votes
The Japanese Fugo Balloon Bomb

During the Second World War, the Japanese launched thousands of incendiary bombs against the United States that were carried by top secret balloons. In April 1942, the United States launched a daring raid on Japan using 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers under the command of Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle that had been specially-trained to take off from an aircraft … Continue reading The Japanese Fugo Balloon Bomb →

2 months ago 19 votes
A Closer Look at: Sahelanthropus

Sahelanthropus may be the earliest human ancestor that we know about, but it is mired in controversy. In the 1980s, French paleontologist Michel Brunet and his partner David Pilbeam were searching for hominin fossils in Cameroon, in deposits formed along an ancient shoreline when Lake Chad had been much larger than at present and was surrounded … Continue reading A Closer Look at: Sahelanthropus →

2 months ago 36 votes
Submarine USS Dolphin

The submarine USS Dolphin was specially built as a test-bed for deep-diving designs. At the outbreak of the Second World War, a typical submarine or u-boat was capable of diving to a maximum depth of round 250 feet. By the time the war ended, advanced models like the American Tench class could reach depths of 450 … Continue reading Submarine USS Dolphin →

3 months ago 32 votes
Hominins

The first diary in a series which looks at significant species in the evolution of humans. Humans evolved from apelike ancestors. This idea was first put forth in 1859, when Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species and spelled out his idea of evolution through natural selection. At that time, most people accepted the religious … Continue reading Hominins →

3 months ago 32 votes

More in history

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part II: Starting at the End

This is the second part of our series (I) discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor, subsistence, death – of pre-modern peasants and their families. As we’ve discussed, pre-modern peasant farmers make up the vast majority of human beings in in the past. Last week we started by looking at the basic … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part II: Starting at the End →

12 hours ago 3 votes
Photographing The Black Panthers: All Power To The People (1967 – 1973)

“I wanted to show the whole picture of the Black Panther Party. Most of the media focused on the rallies and looked for controversy. I wanted to show what it was like behind the scenes and portray a more complete, complicated portrait of the Panthers.” – Stephen Shames photographs The Black Panthers, 1967 – 1973 … Continue reading "Photographing The Black Panthers: All Power To The People (1967 – 1973)" The post Photographing The Black Panthers: All Power To The People (1967 – 1973) appeared first on Flashbak.

22 hours ago 2 votes
The World's First Female Serial Killer?

Ancient Roman True Crime

17 hours ago 2 votes
How Did the Aztec Empire Rise and Fall in Mesoamerica?

The Aztec Empire is among the most talked about Mesoamerican societies. The prominent empire spanned between 1325 and 1521 CE and covered a significant portion of the modern-day regions of central and southern Mexico. While historians refer to the inhabitants as the Aztecs, they did not use this term to refer to themselves. Instead, […]

20 hours ago 2 votes
The Mad Genius Who Gave Us the Elements

Empedocles: The Eccentric Philosopher

2 days ago 3 votes