World History
6 Strange Things Rich People Did for Status
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Article
Wealthy people have always found unusual ways to signal their power, taste, and control — often by acquiring items that are rare, impractical, or arduous to obtain. Long before designer handbags and luxury sports cars became status symbols, social elites flaunted their fortunes in ways that may seem very bizarre today but that reflected the values of their time. Here are six of the strangest examples. Credit: © DEA / BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA— De Agostini/Getty Images They Put Pineapples on Display Pineapple is a relatively inexpensive grocery store staple today, but between the 16th and 18th ...Read More
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World HistoryArticle4810 Rare Coins That Are Worth a Fortune
Most of us, at some point, have probably seen a scattering of strange coins — perhaps at a yard sale or tucked away in a dusty drawer — and asked…
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World HistoryFact36Seashells used to be used as currency.
Long before the gold standard came and went, seashells were a hot commodity — so much so that they were the preferred currency in various civilizations around the world. Cowrie shells,…
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World HistoryArticle107Who Built the Great Sphinx of Giza?
The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most iconic monuments of the ancient world. With the body of a lion and the head of a man, it has…
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World HistoryFact42One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World might not have existed.
According to the 2,000-year-old writings of Greek historians such as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus, the ancient city of Babylon (in modern-day Iraq) boasted tiered terraces of exotic plants of all…
