Fog, darkness and smoke. The choking, throat-aching air. Difficulty every time you try to draw air into your lungs. Dirty and irritated eyes. The all-consuming stench of heavy metals. It has been known for a long time that smog kills. In London in December 1952 he took a particularly tragic toll ...
Newborns and infants were starving in the streets. And yet new ones were born ... What was the driving force behind the parents who, confined to the ghetto, constantly on the verge of death, still decided to have a child? Why in humans this strong desire to have children in hell? Giza thought th
Remains of a Roman temple were found during the reconstruction of St. Peters Square. It turned out that it belonged to the Phrygian goddess Magna Mater, which the Romans decided to win over to their side during one of the most important battles in history. Along with the goddess, her blood priests w
The best president in the history of Warsaw was ... a Russian - general Sokrates Starynkiewicz. He ruled in the years 1875–1892. He was said to have brought the capital from the 18th century to the 20th century. Varsovians still use the sewage system built during his tenure. The general - then r
He liked women rather round, but not too plump. Bulky, obese ladies were completely unappealing to him. As a consummate seducer, he preferred experienced married women who could offer much more in bed than innocent ladies. Alexander Fredro knew how to have fun. Eventually, however, he was also hit b
In 1861 in Germany, John Ross Browne, an American traveler and writer, witnessed an unusual event. In the city of Hanau, he watched the execution of a local murderer, sentenced to beheaded for manslaughter. It would be no different from other similar shows if it were not for a few people waiting for
It is known that she was exceptionally tall, she could also be mentally ill. Even so, she was probably not excluded from the community in which she lived. However, her grave was different from other burials. Who was the medieval giant from Ostrów Lednicki? And what did you manage to read from the tr
Prostitutes - despite their dubious reputation and disgraceful occupation - managed to fall even lower. Besides selling their charms, they were thieves, blackmailers and even murderers. Get to know the stories of women of easy morals in interwar Poland. In the interwar period, prostitutes were r
We all know how unpleasant odors from sewers can be, especially on a hot summer day. The real problem begins when the main sewage in a city of almost 3 million people breaks down, bringing in a stench so strong that it causes uncontrolled vomiting. From the very beginning of Londons existence, t
He went down in history as one of the greatest traitors in the history of Poland - he was a co-creator of the famous Targowica and was instrumental in the partitions. But he also experienced betrayal himself. And many times. It was said that none of the dozen official children of Szczęsny Potocki wa
The medieval knight was fond of the warrior. Counting on loot to win, he went into battle as if he were fighting in a tournament. He had no mercy for his enemies and was ready for anything for money. On the other hand, his great deeds were sung in songs, and legends spoke of courage and loyalty. It
We strongly ban these vanity fairs - tournaments in which knights meet and thoughtlessly engage in showing off their agility and strength, which often results in death (...). There is a threat to the soul. If anyone is killed in their time, ... he cannot be buried by a priest in a consecrated ground
When St. Francis of Assisi was urged to consult the Popes medics in his illness, to say:The Lord made medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not despise them. According to this idea, Mikołaj from Poland treated his patients, looking for remedies not in the sky or in the patients moods, but
Nordic sagas, legends and chronicles shape the image of women in the far North, completely different from what we know from sources relating to antiquity or the Middle Ages. Valkyries, giantesses, shield seals, fortune tellers - the fair sex played an extremely important role in Viking beliefs. Unti
The modern image of a dragon known from books or movies suggests that these animals - if they ever existed - would be extraordinary and powerful. Although popular in medieval bestiaries and symbolism, they did not enjoy a good reputation in the Christian world. They were believed to exist, but assoc
For Hungarian Jews, the last year of World War II was the most difficult. Tivadar Soros, father of the famous businessman and social activist George Soros, tells the story of his family at that time. A cheerful disposition, World War I military experience and natural cunning made Tivadar and his ent
They were practically peers. They both experienced the same ordeal:the struggle to survive, hiding in dramatic conditions from the Nazis, denunciation and imprisonment in Auschwitz. One thing was different. Unlike Anne Frank, her half-sister Eva lived to tell her story personally. And add its contin
Destroyed roads, no cars - this was the shortest assessment of the post-war situation. And how to live without car transport, especially when the railway network is only painstakingly rebuilding? Its not possible! Fortunately for Poles, a relief has come in the form of ... used cars from the West (a
Coffee has millions of followers today. Many people cannot imagine a day without a cup of this aromatic drink. It can be drunk in various ways:with milk, alcohol, whipped cream, hot and cold. The list is as long and intricate as ... the history of coffee itself. Over the centuries, the approach
The Middle Ages are commonly associated with a stench. Faeces poured out on the streets, a mass reluctance to bath and a life at odds with hygiene certainly did not favor the noses of the people of that time. However, the situation was not as dramatic as we imagine it to be. After all, human enduran
It was not a job for every Polish woman. It required self-denial, intelligence, and money. But like no other it allowed me to be on a par with men. I wrote about womens work before the war - and the persistent, widespread discrimination - in another article. However, it lacked a whole category
In the program of the Nazi party was the reconstruction and remodeling of the cities of the new Nazi empire. Not many examples of this urban reconversion are visible today. Despite this, in the center of Berlin there is a small example of these Nazi plans to change the physiognomy of dozens of Europ
The short life of Saga Krestos was one great adventure and a hoax. This black young man turned out to be an amazingly good actor who, thanks to his cleverness and erudition, made an astonishing journey from Cairo to Paris. Along the way, he became involved in the struggle for zones of religious infl
Recently, the voices of animal defenders are resounding again, and the Internet is full of indignation at the mistreatment of pets. I wonder what the Gypsy bear cubs would say ... In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, people liked to see the wonders of nature. Magnates brought negroes to their