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.
Behind the Scenes: The Persian Gulf War, Explained. My newest deep-dive video takes on the short war that lies at a critical juncture in modern world history.
23 minutes on Venus: the hellish voyage of Venera 7. Spending less than half an hour on the surface of Venus would give Dante Alighieri a run for his money.