Heather Whipps

He was both a brutal warrior and a symbol of African unity, inviting comparisons to the bloodthirsty but brilliant military leaders of ancient Sparta.

He was a latecomer to the Age of Exploration, but James Cook still managed to put his mark on world history.

Ancient hunters painted the sections of their cave dwellings where singing, humming and music sounded best, a new study suggests.

Fans of Celtic mythology will recognize Prince Nuada in Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

After 3,000 years decimating populations, a vaccine is discovered.

The steam engine drove the Industrial Revolution.

Follow Newton from his premature birth to his Principia.

Sugar: The sweet stuff once played a major role in one of the sourest eras in modern times.

Gutenberg didn't invent printing. He didn't even invent movable type.

Did you hear the one about the goat, the monk and the Indian pilgrim?

Pepper was once so valuable that it could be used to pay the rent.

Like a medieval ATM, one family bankrolled the cultural movement that dragged Europe out of the Dark Ages and into modernity.

Heather Whipps writes a weekly history column.

Scientists studied the effects of altitude to help Allied pilots survive.

Bubonic plague killed some 75 million people.

Europe's Dark Ages ended when Charlemagne came along.

The quest for immortality ironically led to gunpowder's invention.

Today's Christianity is a result of the Council of Nicea.

An epic showdown in 31 B.C. marked the end of the Roman Republic.

What went on at the agora went beyond the simple market transactions.

Qin Shi Huang unified China and built the Great Wall.