From 'boycott' to 'sandwich', our language is full of words that were once people's names. This fascinating guide to eponyms…
For over 250 years, the Copiale Cipher baffled historians with its mix of abstract symbols and Roman letters. When linguists…
Thomas Jefferson's wheel cipher was more than just a spy gadget; it was a physical algorithm, a "mechanical verb" that…
The Acadian Expulsion of 1755 was far more than a military maneuver; it was one of North America's first major…
How is a new language born? We trace the fascinating genesis of Haitian Creole, showing how elements of French vocabulary…
Ever wonder how 'you guys' became the go-to way to address a group, even a group of women? This phrase…
From the bellows-powered talking heads of the 18th century to the neural networks that voice our smart assistants, the quest…
What happens when a language’s last fluent speaker passes away? For the Myaamia people, this was not an ending but…
For over two centuries, Japan was sealed from the world. Yet, on the tiny island of Dejima, a single language—Dutch—became…
For 150 years, Russian fishermen and Norwegian merchants in the Arctic communicated in a unique pidgin language: Russenorsk. This fascinating…
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