Europe

The roots of Halloween can be found in an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. According to legend, during the three days of Samhain (October 31 to November 2), the Celts would attend great feasts, sit around huge bonfires that lit up the night sky, and perform various rituals designed to salute or placate their gods and the other moody and unpredictable beings that lived alongside them.

You may be familiar with gazpacho, but ajoblanco, also written as ajo blanco, is another, older, cold soup from Spain. It is quick and easy to prepare, has delicate, refreshing flavors, and is a wonderful appetizer or start to a tapas meal on a hot day.

These days, town halls tend to equate unsanctioned graffiti with vandalism, identifying it as a costly “problem” or eyesore. All too often local administrations prioritize the quick removal of graffiti, following the lead of the now defunct broken windows theory, proposed by James Q.

Forensic scientists can look at a single hair or a tiny drop of blood and tell you things about it that would have seemed like magic to people in the ancient world. It's like they have a time machine, allowing them to look back at events that happened days, years, or even centuries ago, and piece together the story.

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For many, the first time they learned about the so-called ‘Monuments Men,’ was when the group’s story was dramatized in the 2014 film directed by George Clooney by the same name. Established in 1943 by the Allied forces, under the name the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section Unit (MFAA), this was an almost 400-strong group tasked by the then President of the United States, Franklin D.

The rivalry between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, two of the most renowned artists of the Renaissance, is a fascinating story that illustrates the competitive spirit and the contrasting personalities and styles of these two titans of their time. Let’s explore why and how the famous Renaissance men did not get along.

Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Travel to any city in the world and you’re likely to find haunted landmarks and the ghost tours to go with them. Whether or not you’re a believer, the history behind the ghostly sightings at the following three castles may give you chills.

Outside of Romania, especially in the English-speaking world, Transylvania is a land associated with vampires, specifically Dracula. Inside Romania, where Vlad the Impaler is a national hero, his associations with the famed vampire are not as popular, though Transylvania is arguably still known for being home to one of the creepiest sites in the world.