Gregory Wakeman

Route 66 attractions, like the Kan-O-Tex Service Station and the first McDonald’s site, preserve the famous highway’s past.

Ancient Romans blamed the deadly 'breath of Cerberus' for the mysterious deaths at Pluto’s Gate.

The Colosseum had a massive retractable awning that helped shield thousands of spectators from Rome’s scorching summer sun.

The legendary philosopher's stone was alchemy's ultimate prize—even Isaac Newton devoted years searching for it.

The jewelry gave wearers the opportunity to track their feelings.

The mysterious coalition of seafaring raiders terrorized the ancient Mediterranean—and may have helped accelerate the Bronze Age collapse.

The legendary Greek poet behind 'The Odyssey' and 'The Iliad' is often depicted as blind—was he even real?

Homer’s epic popularized a number of terms and phrases.

The law, prominently featured in Homer's epic, 'The Odyssey,' spells out how to treat strangers and guests.

Here's how America became a drive-thru nation.

The DeLorean became a time machine with a 'flux capacitor.'

A chaotic 1966 World Cup match exposed the need for a universal system to discipline players.

The rise, fall and reinvention of Hollywood’s favorite gimmick.

Its French inventor originally called it 'The Magic Screen.'

The English names for Tuesday through Friday reflect the lasting influence of Norse and Germanic mythology.

Sybil Ludington's midnight ride was longer—and more dangerous.

Here’s what ancient Egyptians really believed—and how the myth of the mummy’s curse took hold.

Eerie rumors surround the murder of the 'mad monk.'

The role of women in the Bible has been debated for centuries.

His defiance later inspired leaders like Benjamin Franklin and Martin Luther King Jr.

Questions have long persisted: Just how ill was the King? And what role did prescription drugs play in his demise?

The ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia involved fertility rituals, but its influence on Valentine’s Day is no perfect match.

Rand’s novels helped transform objectivism into a movement.

How four squabbling heroes helped launch the Marvel universe and usher in a new era for comics.

When Julius Caesar crossed this small Italian river, he established history’s most famous point of no return.

One early sobriety test was called the Drunkometer.

A famous pratfall helped 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' stumble its way into television history.

Early reels showed America’s most famous national parks in 3D.

What started as a royal wedding became a global beerfest.

One of the country’s most famous figures introduced America to the gooey pasta dish.

We have an actor to thank for the stereotypical voice, matey!

The 1975 breakthrough album channeled their heartache and hope.

Orwell’s allegory didn’t make it to the screen exactly as he wrote it.

It's the core enigma of Orson Welles' movie masterpiece.

Not yet famous, he briefly popped up as a person of interest.

It's far less known—but equally as perilous—for ships and planes.

It was originally designed to lift employee morale after a rocky corporate merger.

Roman citizens could enter the arena for free to watch gladiator fights, mock naval battles, wild animal hunts—and plenty of death.

In Homer’s epic poem, the Greek warrior encounters cyclops, sorcerers and cannibals on his 10-year journey home from war.

The legendary singer-songwriter mixed folk and rock, and proved longer songs could become hits.

History is filled with tortured stories of people drinking gold, transfusing blood and taking potions to defy death.