“It was a situation which fostered inbreeding; in fact, the very foundation of the Tudor dynasty was a marriage between cousins two generations before Mary. After Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, it helped bring an end to the Wars… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Inbreeding significantly increased the risks of miscarriage and child mortality, and the lack of medical knowledge at the time added to the likelihood that children would die young. Nobody knew about germs and the importance of hygiene, so even while… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Iwo Jima is more officially known as “Sulfur Island,” and it lies in a chain of volcanic islands south of the Ogasawara Islands. In… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Rachel’s tomb is located a short distance north of Bethlehem, on the road between Jerusalem and Hebron. It consists of a small building with… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“By the following morning, September 15, Jackson had positioned nearly fifty guns on Maryland Heights and at the base of Loudoun Heights. Then he… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Washington is the only President to be elected unanimously – not once, but twice.” — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“As the story goes, the cardinals began to regret their decision the very night of Pope Urban VI's coronation. During the celebratory feast that… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“When Lee heard of Jackson’s injuries, he sent his religious leader Chaplain Lacy to Stonewall with the message, “Give him my affectionate regards, and… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“For the first time, the Ottoman Empire was forced to recognize the full independence of a nation, not because of a war with a… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Midway was merely a convenient target chosen by Yamamoto to draw the Americans out, and both sides’ objectives were attritional attempts to degrade their… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Paris had heard of Helen of Sparta’s beauty, and though she was married to the warlike Menelaus, he immediately consented to awarding Aphrodite the… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Although cargo shipments of precious metals as described here seem quite fanciful to modern ears, archaeologists recently excavated a shipwreck at Uluburun with a… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“The British government in 1807 had issued the “Orders in Council,” which enforced a naval blockade against France, and with a shortage of seamen… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
“Fearing for his life, Urban stayed put. He publicly blasted the French cardinals and attempted to revoke their titles, breaking records by appointing 26… — Charles River Editors Copy Share Image
