The biggest conspiracy theories in history
The ‘truth’ of 9/11. It was perhaps inevitable that an event as dramatic and devastating as the September 11 attacks would trigger an avalanche of conspiracy theories. Indeed, online commenters were suggesting it was an ‘inside job’ on the very day that terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Gorbachev's Reforms: 4 reasons the Soviet Union collapsed
Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union, died on 30th August 2022 at the age of 91, following a "long and serious illness".. For much of the 20th century, the Soviet Union was the largest country in the world: a vast and seemingly permanent superpower locked …
The ancient origins of New Years celebrations - Sky HISTORY
Wepet Renpet. Translated as 'the opening of the year', Wepet Renpet was the ancient Egyptian New Year celebration that honoured the death and rebirth of Osiris.Coinciding with the re-emergence of the Sirius star in the night sky and the flooding of the Nile (which typically arrived around mid-late June each year), Wepet Renpet heralded …
20 festive facts you didn't know about Christmas - Sky HISTORY
5. Christmas trees have pagan roots. During the time of the winter solstice, pagan homes would be decorated with evergreen branches in the hope of scaring away evil spirits and to remind the occupants that spring was just around the corner.
Why did Building 7 collapse?: 9/11 conspiracy theories debunked
According to a CBS News report published a few months after the attack: ‘A secret office operated by the CIA was destroyed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, seriously disrupting intelligence operations…The station was a base of operations to spy on and recruit foreign diplomats stationed at the United Nations, while debriefing selected American business executives and ...
Baba Vanga: Which of her predictions came true? - Sky HISTORY
Many of Baba Vanga’s predictions involved politics, and she reportedly prophesied that the 44th US president would be a Black man. Sure enough, Barack Obama would take over from George W. Bush as the 44th leader of the free world. What’s more, she appears to have foreseen the evolution of the so-called culture war, and the emergence of Donald Trump as Obama’s successor in a time of ...
8 brutal acts of Genghis Khan and his successors
2. The crime against the Oirat . Ögedei Khan, son of Genghis Khan, ruled as Khagan-Emperor of the Mongol Empire from 1229 to 1241. Like his father, Ögedei loved war, sending the vast Mongol hordes thousands of miles in nearly every direction to fight and expand the empire.
Mum, Mam, Mom: What do you call your mother? - Sky HISTORY
It’s Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday, on Sunday, 19th March 2023, and already we’re on shaky ground. Which is correct? In some ways, both are right as both Mother’s Day/Mothering Sunday are a sort-of composite, although they have separate origins.. What we do know is that ‘Mother’s Day’ became an official US holiday in 1914 following some intense lobbying from Anna Jarvis of ...
Nostradamus: Which of his predictions came true? - Sky HISTORY
Henry II of France was a personal acquaintance of Nostradamus, who once addressed him in a letter as 'The most invincible Henry King of France'. Unfortunately, Henry actually turned out to be very vincible indeed, and came to a horribly painful end aged just 40. A passionate sportsman fond of hunting and jousting, Henry’s active nature proved his undoing when, in the summer of 1559, he held ...
The history of Diwali: The five-day festival of light
The everchanging Festival of Light. Diwali is a five-day festival, and in 2024 it is celebrated between 30th October and 3rd November. Every year the dates of the festival change as the moon's position determines them.