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Project Mercury was America’s entry into the Space Race and was intended to put a human into space before the Soviet Union did. The Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite in October 1957 caused a near-panic in the United States and led to desperate calls to “catch up”. President Eisenhower responded by establishing the National … Continue reading Project Mercury →
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 →

a month ago 18 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 15 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 28 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 →

2 months ago 26 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 →

2 months ago 26 votes

More in history

The Weighing of the Heart Ceremony & Its Role in the Egyptian Afterlife

One of the most famous scenes surviving from ancient Egyptian art is the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony, during which the heart of the deceased was weighed against the feather of Ma’at. If the heart was lighter than the feather, they passed into ancient Egypt’s paradisical afterlife. If it was heavier than the feather, […]

22 hours ago 2 votes
Ancient Statism

Classical Wisdom Litterae: Government

6 hours ago 1 votes
The Rise & Fall of the Minoan Civilization (Bronze Age Greece)

From about 3000 BCE until about the collapse of the Bronze Age in 1200 BCE, the Minoans were a premier Aegean culture. Located on the island of Crete, the Minoan people developed sophisticated trade and diplomatic ties with other cultures, such as the Egyptians. With the wealth they gained from those ties, the Minoans […]

20 hours ago 1 votes
The Death of the Great Barnato

The Death of the Great Barnato JamesHoare Wed, 07/02/2025 - 08:00

9 hours ago 1 votes
An Overview of the Song, Liao, Jurchen Jin, and Yuan Chinese Dynasties

The political fragmentation in China after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty was brought to an end by Zhao Kuangyin, a warlord who founded the Song Dynasty in 960. Northeastern China remained under the control of the Khitan Liao Dynasty, which was overthrown by the Jurchens early in the 12th century. The Jurchen Jin […]

yesterday 2 votes