History

July 1, 2022

WWII Brides Wore Wedding Dresses Made From Their Fiancé’s Parachutes

Wedding dresses are themselves meaningful, but there are some gowns that are imbued with multiple forms of symbolism. For Ruth Hensinger, her wedding dress not only represented her marital union with her soulmate, but it was also a reminder of her husband escaping the clutches of death and allowing them to be together. How? Well, the dress is actually made from the parachute that saved her husband’s life during World War II.

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May 25, 2022

The Fascinating Story of Yaupon America’s Lost Native Tea Tradition

In 2020, the United States imported $473 million worth of tea, mostly from Asia. But did you know, that America has its own indigenous tea? If you didn’t, you are not alone. In fact, many people in the southeast United States grow this plant in their backyard without ever knowing that they are, in fact, growing tea. Yaupon tea is an herbal tea made from the leaves of the Yaupon holly.

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May 3, 2022

Restored Footage Gives a Taste of San Francisco Before the 1906 Earthquake

At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, just as San Francisco, California, was beginning to wake, an earthquake lasting less than a minute shook the city to its core. The tremors ignited fire after fire around the city, which burned for three days. The disaster killed an estimated 3,000 people and left half of the city’s 400,000 residents homeless as buildings toppled and burned.

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April 19, 2022

Medieval Human-Shaped Lead Sarcophagus and More Found Under Notre-Dame Cathedral

Three years ago, the world was shocked when Paris' iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral went up in flames. As the church's vaults crashed to the ground, they opened up a hole in the 19th-century floor. Shortly after, the French National Archeological Institute (INRAP) was called in to excavate part of the floor in order to prepare for the scaffolding that would be needed to restore Notre-Dame to its former glory.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.