Catherine de' Medici and the Making of a Poisoner Legend
The queen mother of France wore black for thirty years and was blamed for poisonings and a massacre. What the record shows, what it does not, and where the legend began.
· 20 sources
A new, independent publication. Wonders & Marvels publishes original, sourced essays on the history of science, medicine, invention, archaeology and culture. This domain previously hosted a different history blog with its own editors and contributors. We are a separate operation: we do not republish that site's articles or images, and its former writers are not involved with us. More about us.
Ancient History & Archaeology
Blown Away? What the Evidence Says About the Mongol Invasions of Japan
Kublai Khan's fleets attacked Japan in 1274 and 1281. Scrolls, a stone wall, lake mud, and wrecks off Takashima show how much of the 'divine wind' story holds up.
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Did Ancient Greek Women Use Tampons? Testing the Hippocratic Tampon Claim
A popular story says Hippocrates described lint-wrapped wooden tampons. Classicist Helen King traced it to modern marketing and a misread Greek word. Here is what the evidence supports.
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Fialka: How the Soviet M-125 Cipher Machine Rebuilt the Rotor Idea
The Soviet M-125 Fialka used ten counter-rotating rotors, a punched key card, and a deliberate fix for Enigma's best-known flaw. What is documented about it, and what is still unknown.
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Ancient History & Archaeology
All in Ancient History & ArchaeologyBlown Away? What the Evidence Says About the Mongol Invasions of Japan
Kublai Khan's fleets attacked Japan in 1274 and 1281. Scrolls, a stone wall, lake mud, and wrecks off Takashima show how much of the 'divine wind' story holds up.
· 21 sources
Science & Inventions
All in Science & InventionsFialka: How the Soviet M-125 Cipher Machine Rebuilt the Rotor Idea
The Soviet M-125 Fialka used ten counter-rotating rotors, a punched key card, and a deliberate fix for Enigma's best-known flaw. What is documented about it, and what is still unknown.
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History of Medicine
All in History of MedicineDid Ancient Greek Women Use Tampons? Testing the Hippocratic Tampon Claim
A popular story says Hippocrates described lint-wrapped wooden tampons. Classicist Helen King traced it to modern marketing and a misread Greek word. Here is what the evidence supports.
· 15 sources
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From powdered Egyptian mummy to the skull tincture given to a dying Charles II, how European physicians made the human body into medicine, and why the practice faded.
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Walter Freeman and the "Lobotomobile": What the Record Shows
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Books & Culture
All in Books & CultureCatherine de' Medici and the Making of a Poisoner Legend
The queen mother of France wore black for thirty years and was blamed for poisonings and a massacre. What the record shows, what it does not, and where the legend began.
· 20 sources
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