19th century

The People Who Became Words: A Guide to Eponyms

From 'boycott' to 'sandwich', our language is full of words that were once people's names. This fascinating guide to eponyms…

1 week ago

The Kasiski Method: From Ciphers to Authorship

Discover how a 19th-century code-breaking technique, the Kasiski examination, found a new life in the digital age. This method, originally…

2 weeks ago

The Dorabella Cipher: Elgar’s Musical Mystery

Dive into the mystery of the Dorabella Cipher, an 87-character encrypted note from famed composer Edward Elgar that has baffled…

2 weeks ago

The Beale Ciphers: A Treasure Map in Code

Dive into the legendary tale of the Beale Ciphers, a set of three encrypted messages that promise a fortune in…

2 weeks ago

Equatoguinean Spanish: Africa’s Outlier

Did you know Spanish is an official language in Africa? Spoken in Equatorial Guinea, this unique dialect preserves sounds lost…

2 weeks ago

Why is Brazilian Portuguese So Different?

It's not just the musical accent. The divergence of Brazilian Portuguese from its European parent is a fascinating story of…

2 weeks ago

An Autopsy of a Lost Language

We dissect the fascinating failures of constructed languages, focusing on Volapük, a language that attracted a million followers before its…

2 weeks ago

The Most Beautiful French Love Quotes

Ever wondered why French is called the language of love? We delve into its romantic soul by exploring 10 of…

2 weeks ago

French Idioms That Make No Sense

Why would a French person say they 'have a cockroach' when they're feeling blue, or 'fall in the apples' when…

2 weeks ago

The Alphabet That Follows the Sun: The Cherokee Syllabary

The Cherokee syllabary, invented by the brilliant Sequoyah, is more than one of history's greatest intellectual achievements. Its lesser-known secret…

2 weeks ago

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