On This Day: “The Great Train Robbery” Is Carried Out by 15 Thieves

On June 28, 1919, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, officially ending its involvement in World War I. The treaty subjected Germany to a number of harsh penalties and restrictions that many historians believe contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler.

On May 14, 1948, the Jewish People’s Council met at the Tel Aviv Museum and announced the creation of the state of Israel.

Modern Iran has been shaped by a series of revolutions and government upheavals during the 20th century.

A Portuguese consul to Bordeaux, Sousa Mendes defied the orders of Portugal’s prime minister and issued visas to 30,000 Jews during WWII, allowing them to escape Nazi-occupied France.

The level of radioactive carbon in wines made after 1950 is higher due to nuclear bomb testing, making it easy to identify new wine posing as century-old vintage.

Whether passengers on a sinking ship decide to let women and children escape first depends on the speed at which the ship is sinking, a recent study suggests.

North and South Korea traded artillery attacks Tuesday in one of the most significant clashes between the neighbors since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

Last year a remote Chinese village had an outbreak of the pneumonic plague. The plague has been responsible for three recorded pandemics over the last 1,500 years and affects 1,000 to 2,000 people annually.

A comparison of Shakespeare’s English to a modern student’s text message conversation shows few resemblances, but this isn’t the first time English has undergone radical evolution.

The dozens of injuries at the annual running of the bulls at the San Fermin Festival stress the dangers of a tradition kept alive in the Spanish region of Pamplona since the 14th century.

As the Hubble Space Telescope enters its twilight years, preparations begin for the 2014 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope—one attempt by the United States to stay in the space race.

The 2010 U.K. elections are receiving a lot of attention after an unexpectedly strong showing in the polls by perennial third party the Liberal Democrats.

Work is ongoing to restore and maintain Timbuktu’s ancient texts, calling attention to past scholarship in sub-Saharan Africa, and to book restoration efforts around the world.

The death of Poland’s President in a plane crash in Russia comes as relations between the two countries had been improving, and as ceremonies commemorating the Katyn massacre take place.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made an unprecedented step toward reconciliation with Poland by inviting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to the Russian town of Katyn to commemorate the infamous Katyn massacre.

As Christians prepare to celebrate one of the religion’s most important holidays, debate persists over evidence of Jesus Christ's resurrection.

French architect Jean Nouvel’s National Museum of Qatar is meant to bridge East and West, and promote fading Bedouin culture, demonstrating the power of design.

The Internet has made it easier than ever to buy exotic animals and animal products, creating yet another threat to rare and endangered species.