How did the Great Fire of Moscow start?
Was the city fired by the Russians themselves, or did the blaze begin accidentally?
Sean Munger
Behind the Scenes: Manson, a Geographic History.
My newest deep-dive video attempts to tell an old story from an environmental historian's angle.
Where September 11 sits in history.
It's appropriate to memorialize 9/11, but we should not let that process obscure our understanding of the true event.
The Mad Baron of Mongolia: The bizarre bloody story of Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.
Meet the insane fake Russian baron who thought he was Genghis Khan and tried to take over Mongolia.
Historic Painting: "Many Happy Returns" by William Powell Frith, 1856.
There's a lot going on in this Victorian-era painting of a young girl's birthday party.
Hippies in space: A "Star Trek" episode in 1960s historical context.
One of Star Trek's "worst" episodes provides a fascinating insight into America in 1969.
Historic Photo: Cliff House, San Francisco, 1901, a lost building with a fascinating story.
This is not a matte painting from a 1930s horror movie, but a real place with a checkered history spanning some 150 years.