One of the finest achievements of European furniture making, this cabinet is the most important product from Abraham (1711--1793) and David Roentgen's (1743--1807) workshop. A writing cabinet crowned with a chiming clock, it features finely designed marquetry panels and elaborate mechanisms that allow for doors and drawers to be opened automatically at the touch of a button. Owned by King Frederick William II, the Berlin cabinet is uniquely remarkable for its ornate decoratio

If you've worked in retail you'll know how boredom can often kick in. These industrious bookshop employees from The Librairie Mollat have found a novel way to combat this boredom, these are a sample from their Instagram feed.

Many composers like to handwrite their sheet music, but there have been so many machines invented to help print music. Perhaps one of the most interesting to look at is the Keaton Music Typewriter. First patented in 1936 , it definitely doesn’t look like an ordinary typewriter. Robert H. Keaton from San Francisco, California created the machine, which is now a rare collector’s item. The original patent was for a 14-key typewriter, which was then upgraded to 33 keys in an

Self Portrait, aged 17. Before becoming the renowned director behind masterpieces like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Shining," Stanley Kubrick was just a teenager in New York, eager to find work. Even at the age of 17, when he first laid hands on a camera, his innate talent shone through. Displayed here is a selection of his photographs capturing the essence of New York from 1945 to 1950, a period during which he worked for Look magazine. It was during this time that Stanl

I can't claim to know much about motorsport, but Ayrton Senna's life transcends just the sport. The death of Ayrton Senna on 1 May 1994 remains one of the most tragic moments in Formula 1 history. A three-time world champion, Senna was not only revered for his exceptional driving skills but also for his fierce competitive spirit and dedication to the sport. His passing during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Italy, marked the end of an era and raised serious concerns about

In 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for atomic espionage on testimony their own family later admitted was a lie. A Jell-O box, a prosecutor named Roy Cohn, and a recantation that came decades too late.

The Denmark Place arson attack stands as one of London’s most tragic and devastating incidents, occurring on the night of August 16, 1980. This horrifying event unfolded in two unlicensed bars situated on the top two floors of 18 Denmark Place: The Spanish Rooms and Rodo’s, also known as El Dandy. The Scene The Spanish Rooms was a late-night bar frequented by locals, including Irish and Jamaican immigrants. Rodo’s, a vibrant salsa club popular with South American immigrants,

In August 1959, a teenage George Harrison and Paul McCartney took an impromptu hitchhiking trip to Wales, captured by Paul’s own camera. This rare journey shows the friendship and wanderlust before Beatlemania.

Albert Kahn envisioned his Les Archives de la Planète (Archives of the Planet) as a comprehensive snapshot of the world, aiming to immortalise all aspects, practices, and methods of human activities destined for inevitable disappearance. Commencing in 1909 and concluding in 1937, the Frenchman deployed photographers worldwide, armed with the revolutionary Autochrome Lumiere – the inaugural true colour photographic process developed by the Lumière brothers in 1903. With over

On the evening of 28th February 1986, Sweden’s prime minister Olof Palme and his wife, Lisbet, were making their way home through central Stockholm. They had just been to the cinema, an impromptu outing, and, as they often did, they had decided against bringing bodyguards. Palme prided himself on living as close to an ordinary life as possible. He didn’t want his role as leader of the country to create a barrier between him and the people. “You saw him in the streets all the

The photographs shown here were taken during the Modoc War sit lightly on the page, but they carry the weight of a conflict that was brief, brutal, and deeply revealing of the United States’ approach to Native American resistance in the late nineteenth century. The images of captured Modoc warriors, made by Louis Herman Heller, are not scenes of combat or dramatic clashes. Instead, they show the aftermath. Faces turned towards the camera, bodies arranged by military authority

Gene Kelly, born Eugene Curran Kelly on August 23, 1912, was an American dancer, actor, singer, and director whose innovative and...

Verna Erikson is a name that may not resonate widely in contemporary discourse, yet her work and contributions as a social advocate, particularly in Finland, form an important part of the country’s social history. Known primarily for her activism and humanitarian work, Erikson played a pivotal role in advancing the welfare of the underprivileged in Finnish society during the early 20th century. Early Life and Education Verna Erikson was born in 1882 in Finland, a country whic

Born in 1896, Lavinia Schulz possessed an innate talent that defied convention. Alongside her husband, Walter Holdt, born in 1899, she embarked on a journey of artistic exploration that would challenge societal norms and redefine the boundaries of expressionism. Schulz and Holdt crafted these elaborate costumes specifically for their dance performances, operating under the moniker "Die Maskentänzer" (The Mask Dancers). These ensembles transcend mere clothing, resembling sculp

On January 31st, 1910, Cora Crippen disappeared from her London home, sparking one of the most puzzling and notorious murder cases in British legal history – and one that's outcome is questioned by some even today. Cora's husband, Hawley was born in Michigan and was a qualified homeopath practicing in New York City. When the pair got together in 1894, Corrine "Cora" Turner (born Kunigunde Mackamotski), was a music hall singer who performed under the stage name Belle Elmore

A detailed and accessible look at the 1969 disappearance of Adelaide born Muriel McKay, the police investigation, the Hosein brothers, the ransom plot gone wrong, and the ongoing search for answers more than fifty years later.

Nestled in the heart of Bucharest, a vast neoclassical palace stands as a testament to a bygone era. Despite its imposing facade, this architectural marvel did not grace the cityscape for centuries; rather, it was meticulously constructed in the 1980s under the iron-fisted directive of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the Romanian dictator. Today, this colossal structure serves as a poignant and highly visible reminder of one of Eastern Europe's most oppressive communist regimes. The Palac

Every once in a while this 2010 clip surfaces again online. What is seemingly a school play, thankfully isn't! The video was originally posted to YouTube under the title " Scarface School Play " in 2010, when it also went viral. But it was later revealed that the whole project was put together by music video director Marc Klasfeld. He did it with professional child actors in a theatre in Los Angeles' Koreatown. At the time, Klasfeld told the Los Angeles Times that it was "am

The state of poverty frequently compels people to engage in desperate actions as a means of acquiring essential items such as food, clothing, and sustenance. In their dire circumstances, individuals may resort to reckless behaviour. During the Edwardian era in North Shields, England, women were frequently apprehended for “Larceny.” This encompassed a wide array of offences under common law, defined as the “unlawful taking of personal property from an individual or business.”

Jerry Lee Lewis married seven times, including his 13-year-old cousin. Two of his wives died in suspicious circumstances. One drowned weeks before their divorce was finalised. Another was found covered in blood after 77 days of marriage.

In 1910, Dorothy Arnold vanished while shopping on Fifth Avenue. This detailed account explores her life, the investigation, and why her disappearance still defies explanation.

A detailed account of Sam Cooke’s final night on 10/12/1964, his encounter with Elisa Boyer, the fatal shooting by Bertha Franklin at the Hacienda Motel, and the long standing questions surrounding his death. Includes inconsistencies, theories, and context from the civil rights era.