Cafe History

"She sells seashells by the seashore" isn't the whole story.

In Cretaceous times (around 100 million years ago), North Africa was home to a huge river system and a bizarre menagerie of giant prehistoric predators -- including the Spinosaurus, a dinosaur even more fearsome than the Tyrannosaurus rex. Nizar Ibrahim uses paleontological and geological data to reconstruct this "River of Giants" in surprising detail.

Today, Americans use an estimated 500 million drinking straws every day. But where did the idea for this beloved utensil come from? In the twelfth installment of our 'Moments of Vision' series, Jessica Oreck shares the origins of the bendy straw.

Why so many languages invented words for colors in the same order.

Tap dancing originated in America. It's a mix of several dance styles-Irish jigging, British clogging, and the percussive steps from African dance. Tap dancing can be traced back to Five Points, now known as Chinatown in New York city. Tap dance also has its roots in minstrel shows, where it was viewed as American comedy. In the 70s, tap dancing legends, Jane Goldberg and Brenda Bufalino took tap from the bright show tune lights of Broadway back to a place of self expression.

Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water -- and from sugary Turkish Rize tea to salty Tibetan butter tea, there are almost as many ways of preparing the beverage as there are cultures on the globe. Where did this beverage originate, and how did it become so popular? Shunan Teng details tea's long history. Lesson by Shunan Teng, animation by Steff Lee.

What do fans of atmospheric post-punk music have in common with ancient barbarians? Not much ... so why are both known as "goths"? Is it a weird coincidence - or is there a deeper connection stretching across the centuries? Dan Adams investigates. Lesson by Dan Adams, animation by Globizco.

When radium was first discovered, its luminous green color inspired people to add it into beauty products and jewelry. It wasn't until much later that we realized that radium's harmful effects outweighed its visual benefits. Unfortunately, radium isn't the only pigment that historically seemed harmless or useful but turned out to be deadly. J. V. Maranto details history's deadliest colors. Lesson by J. V. Maranto, animation by Juan M. Urbina.

Each year, approximately 2 billion popsicles are sold worldwide. But where did the idea for this tasty treat come from? In the eleventh installment of our 'Moments of Vision' series, Jessica Oreck shares the distracted origins of the popsicle.

Today, 96% of American consumers own at least one pair of jeans. But where did these durable duds come from? And how did they get so popular? Jessica Oreck shares the humble origins of blue jeans.

Take a (well-heeled) walk down memory lane and peep at the peep-toes, pumps, platforms, and other shoes that have kept us in step for the past century.

Karl Marx remains deeply important today not as the man who told us what to replace capitalism with, but as someone who brilliantly pointed out certain of its problems. The School of Life, a pro-Capitalist institution, takes a look.

Including toasters, radios, and microwave ovens, there have been a number of life-changing household breakthroughs through the years. Follow along to see the smartest appliances and laborsaving devices that have emerged in the last century.

Over a hundred years after his creator was laid to rest, Dracula lives on as the most famous vampire in history. But this Transylvanian noble - neither the first fictional vampire, nor the most popular of his time - may have remained buried in obscurity if not for a twist of fate. Stanley Stepanic explains how a critical copyright battle catapulted Bram Stoker's character into literary renown.

Of all the species that humans have domesticated, dogs are our oldest animal friends. But how did a group of wolves become the furry pup at the end of the bed? New research is finally unlocking the paw-in-hand evolution of dogs and humans. In this episode we're answering one big question: Did we domesticate dogs, or did dogs domesticate us?

Beyond what we can touch, taste, smell, and hear, we experience the universe through light. But how did we come to discover light, and how did we learn light's true nature, as the fastest thing in the universe, an electromagnetic spectrum, a wave and particle capable of the most amazing things? Here is the history of light, according to physics.

Time makes sense in small pieces. But when you look at huge stretches of time, it's almost impossible to wrap your head around things. So we teamed up with the awesome blog "Wait but Why" and made this video to help you putting things in perspective with some infographics!

How did everything get started? Has the universe a beginning or was it here since forever? Well, evidence suggests that there was indeed a starting point to this universe we are part of right now. But how can this be? How can something come from nothing? And what about time? We don't have all the answers yet so let's talk about what we know.

Our skulls are all unique, but they also share characteristics across groups of people. Scientists can use this information to learn a lot about the previous "owner" of the skull.

In Tucson, we learned it's important to keep the box...and your receipt! Peter Planes appraises a rare GMT Master Model Rolex from 1960, one of the highlights from Tucson Hr 2.

The meter is the world's ultimate measure, but how did it become "the" meter? What is this measurement based on? The story of this revolution in measurement traces its roots to the French Revolution. Scientists decided that an equal and united people should have equal and united measures. So they sent a pair of young astronomers out to measure the world, and invent the meter. Little did they know they'd find nothing but war, deception, and strife along the way. As a result of this ill-fated mission, the meter carries an error that still persists today. Still think the metric system is so perfect?