A malfunctioning prop caused Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to burn down during a performance of 'Henry VIII.'

Why the Gunpowder Plot failed, and other questions answered by historians

The 1605 Gunpowder Plot aimed to blow up the English Parliament and King James VI and I. Guy Fawkes, often associated with the plot, was not the mastermind; Robert Catesby and Thomas Wintour led it. They selected Parliament as their target due to...

Shakespeare’s plays were first published together in 1623 after his death

Most of his plays were written for the stage, so it took his admirers to compile the play texts posthumously in 1623. This became the famous “First Folio,” the basis of Shakespeare’s literary posterity.

The failed attempt to assassinate an English king and blow up Parliament

This article and gallery detail the Gunpower Plot, a religiously motivated assassination attempt to blow up English King James I, his heir, and other nobles. Late on Nov. 4, 1605, as the clock chimed toward Nov. 5, guards patrolling the Palace of...

Shakespeare wrote 38 plays between 1580 and 1614

Between 1600 and 1610, he produced some of his best-known works, including “Hamlet,“ “Othello,“ “King Lear,“ and “Macbeth.“

Shakespeare was criticized in his own time

Robert Greene was a respected writer during Shakespeare’s time as an actor-playwright who famously dismissed the young upstart, accusing him of plagiarism and criticizing his ability to write blank verse.

Well before the publication of 'Walden,' Henry David Thoreau nearly burned down his hometown with an unruly campfire.

'Beowulf' was almost lost in a fire

In 1731, the poem's lone manuscript was stored in Ashburnham House, in Westminster, England. The building caught fire, and the document was damaged, but not entirely destroyed. It then had to be repaired and reordered, with help from Icelandic scholar Grímur Jónsson Thorkelín.

English playwright Christopher Marlowe's violent and mysterious death

According to an official coroner’s report, in 1593 a heated argument over payment for supper escalated into a physical struggle, during which Marlowe wounded a man named Ingram Frizer, who then fatally stabbed Marlowe above the right eye. Though we still don't have a definitive explanation for why Marlowe was killed, the true motive continues to be debated, with suspicions surrounding the official account. Read more here.

What was the Great Fire of Rome?

In the hours between July 18 and 19 in 64 CE, the glittering capital of ancient Rome became engulfed in flames. This 46-minute podcast details the Great Fire of Rome that destroyed much of the city, according to historical literary sources. The fire burned for nine days after starting at market stalls near the Palatine Hill and the Circus Maximus, one of the city's largest chariot racing stadiums. The fire's cause remains unknown.

Playwright George Bernard Shaw believed Shakespeare was overrated

Shaw was one of the titans of 20th-century British drama—responsible for "Pygmalion," "Arms and the Man," and more—and a persistent critic of the Bard, whom he believed had been unnecessarily praised to the point of "Bardolatry." Over time, his opinion softened; at one point, Shaw even reworked Shakespeare's "Cymbeline."

Bear-baiting was another form of entertainment during Shakespeare’s time

We tend to think of Shakespeare’s audiences as prim and proper, but the Bard’s shows were just another form of amusement, viewed by commoners as entertainment not unlike the animal blood sports that were similarly popular during the time period.

10 Shakespeare authorship theories

Although William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the authentic author of the plays attributed to him, there are still dozens of theories suggesting that others are responsible for the classic works. Was it actually his contemporary, Christopher Marlowe? Or maybe his wife, Anne Hathaway? This list explains the 10 most popular theories that have been proposed, much to more than a few Shakespeare scholars' chagrin.

Shakespeare's American productions have often reflected the state of the country

Shakespeare's works have been used to interpret moments in US history, from the Astor Place Riot in 1849 and Lincoln's frequent quotations of "Macbeth," to the use of Shakespeare in nationwide classrooms today.

A fire in NYC that burned a fifth of the city in 1776 may have been started under orders from George Washington.

Superstitious actors believe ‘Macbeth’ is cursed

Actors playing in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”—a story filled with ghosts, witches, and magic—call it the “Scottish play” out of superstition, a tradition since the play’s first production.

Some doubt Shakespeare is who scholars say he is

Major contemporaries of Shakespeare have been proposed as the real writer of his plays and poems, including Anne Hathaway, Ben Jonson, and Sir Walter Raleigh.

Shakespeare included a reference to toasting in ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’

At one point in the 1602 play, the character Falstaff calls for a quart of wine, asking for toast to be placed in it, as was customary at the time.

The deadliest fireworks accident in history was Marie-Antoinette's wedding

In 1770, a fireworks display in Paris celebrating the marriage of Marie-Antoinette to the Dauphin, later known as Louis XVI, resulted in as many as 3,000 deaths. Most casualties were caused by trampling from a panicked crowd of thousands rushing away after some fireworks were blown into the spectators.

Documented proof of Shakespeare’s life

Birth in 1564 in the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon; marriage to Anne Hathaway in 1582; and the appearance of his first born (1583) and first printed play (1594): If you’ve ever doubted the Bard’s existence, here are his life’s milestones backed by historical documents.

An in-depth history of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

Guy Fawkes Day has been celebrated on November 5 in the United Kingdom for over four centuries, with bonfires, fireworks, and effigies. But who was Guy Fawkes, really? Learn about the Catholic radical who was a member of a group of 13 men eventually executed for their attempts to blow up Parliament and the king.

The best Shakespeare plays, ranked

The Guardian worked through the Bard's plays, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to "The Winter's Tale," evaluating what distinguishes the mediocre from the truly excellent.

Why one highly anticipated Broadway musical flopped

“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” had all the makings of a Broadway blockbuster, with acclaimed director Julie Taymour and music from U2’s Bono and the Edge, but technical mishaps and bad reviews plagued the musical, which closed with $60M in losses.

Faulty wiring and flammable materials caused a fire in the Apollo 1 command module

During a launch rehearsal test on Jan. 27, 1967, the fire took the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. The tragedy led to improvements to CM construction and the development of a single-piece hatch for escapes.

Broadway theaters reopened 48 hours after the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the request of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

What was the London Beer Flood of 1814?

On this day 209 years ago, a 15-foot-high wave of beer roared through the streets of an impoverished London neighborhood, killing eight people. Read this beer historian's account of the tragedy to learn more. The beer had burst from the nearby...

The list of historic volcanic eruptions includes the 1883 blast from Krakatau, which killed more than 36,000 and was the first such event to be documented in real time, thanks to the telegraph.

Critics often use the word ‘Shakespearean’ to describe a dramatic story

Calling something “Shakespearean” often denotes a high-quality work of art or a story that recalls one of the Bard’s plays.

A list of nine quirky literary adaptations of Shakespeare's life and works

Although surprisingly little is known about the actual man, William Shakespeare holds an unrivalled place in English letters. His characters, from Hamlet to Hermione, have inspired countless imitators, responses, and caricatures, and this list gathers a few of the best for the modern reader, including Richard Adams' adaptation of King Lear through a story about dogs.

No, Shakespeare didn't write the Bible

Some believe Shakespeare helped write the King James Bible—and left his name hidden in Psalm 46. The evidence seems uncanny… but the truth is much less dramatic.

Beyond burns, fireworks can harm respiratory, auditory, and visual health.

An imbalance in nuclear reactivity factors caused Chernobyl's reactor to explode

The initial explosion resulted from excessive steam pressure that had built up in a runaway manner due to design flaws and violations of safety protocols. Once exposed to atmospheric oxygen, the hot graphite in the control rods underwent a combustion reaction, resulting in a secondary explosion.

The Challenger disaster delayed the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope

The 1986 explosion of the space shuttle shortly after liftoff killed seven crew members and grounded NASA's space fleet. Scientists used the downtime to refine ground control software and upgrade telescope instrument sensitivity, but maintaining the telescope's clean room storage cost NASA approximately $6M per month.

Shakespeare's father was a professional ale taster

The Bard's dad was Stratford-upon-Avon's official "conner," the title reserved for those who tested the strength and quality of locally brewed ale. The job was not as easy as it might sound: He was expected to see if the ale had spoiled, meaning he sometimes had to drink bad beer.

Taliesin’s first fire also involved the tragic murder of seven people

In 1914, while Frank Lloyd Wright was out working in Chicago, one of his servants at Taliesin brutally murdered his mistress, Martha “Mamah” Borthwick Cheney, her two children, and three other people in the home. The massacre left a deep impression on Wright, who spent much of his career restoring the home.

The "green men" were among the first European pyrotechnicians

In the 1600s, men wore leaf-covered caps when handling fireworks to protect against sparks. Headgear was also worn by those helping to maintain order when leading medieval fireworks processions, often acting like jesters to entertain viewing audiences.

Shakespeare's storytelling uses intricate, intertwining narratives

According to one professor, readers return to Shakespeare's plays, not for his storylines, but to learn how things unfold. In the process, they often use his plays to understand why humans act the way they do.

Critic Harold Bloom believed Shakespeare invented the modern human

Yale critic Harold Bloom believed the Bard transformed the way humanity understood itself, a thesis laid out in his book "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human."

Linguists proved Shakespeare wrote his plays

In the 1800s, linguist Wincenty Lutoslawski invented a method of linguistics analysis called stylometry to help certify literary authorship. Stylometrists concluded that Shakespeare wrote his plays, and likely collaborated with Christopher Marlowe for some.

The White House was burned by British forces during the War of 1812

On August 24, 1814, British troops invaded Washington, DC, and set fire to the President's House, destroying its interior and roof. However, the exterior sandstone walls survived. After the war, reconstruction began under the original architect.

Broadway's 10 biggest flops

For every "Carousel" or "Cabaret," there's a "Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark"—a show that never found its footing, sometimes in a public and disastrous way. Here are 10 Broadway musicals the producers and stars would probably rather we forget. Some, like "The Rocky Horror Show" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's," were eventually revived and relatively well received. Others, like "Into the Light"—which involved mimes, metaphysics, and the legend of the Shroud of Turin—have rightfully stayed buried.

See a gallery of the otherworldly artwork created at Burning Man, which is intended to be transient.

A flood left 2023 Burning Man attendees stuck in the desert

During Burning Man 2023, unexpected heavy rainfall and road closures in the desert led to thousands of attendees becoming trapped in the mud with limited resources. The parties and rituals prevailed, but burners also suffered serious consequences with injuries, lost and damaged supplies, and one death.

The White House reconstruction after its burning took only three years

After the 1814 fire, its original architect, James Hoban, oversaw reconstruction. Hoban reused some original sandstone walls, and timber replaced brick in interior partitions—a time-saving shortcut that weakened the structure, ultimately requiring another near-complete rebuild in 1948.

Learn more about the history of fireworks, which date back to an accidental invention during an alchemist's quest for information about immortality.

Exploring the Hippodrome of Constantinople

The Hippodrome had room for about 80,000 spectators (more than the Colosseum, but less than Rome’s Circus Maximus). It was simultaneously Constantinople’s premier entertainment venue and its greatest political theater: the emperor routinely watched the games, and sometimes communicated with the crowd through a herald. The worst riot in Byzantine history, the Nika Revolt, began when the factions of the Hippodrome united in opposition to Justinian.

In addition to his plays, Shakespeare wrote nearly 200 poems

Beyond his famous plays, Shakespeare penned 154 sonnets, including the well-known romantic ode “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” He also wrote two long poems as well as several minor pieces.

‘Hamlet’ is a widely produced show, including a famous performance at one prison

Rehabilitation of convicted violent criminals in Missouri’s Eastern Correctional Center included performances of “Hamlet,” one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.

King Henry VIII's first divorce is likely the most famous divorce of all time

How often does a divorce change the course of a nation? When English King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in the 1500s, Catholicism was the national religion. Even though Catherine didn't produce a male heir, religious leaders refused to grant his wish. In response, King Henry turned his country upside down for the chance to marry the second of his six wives.

Shakespeare played a major role in the history of the sonnet

The Renaissance writer Petrarch first developed the 14-line poem with a two-part structure. Through English translations of his sonnets by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 1500s, the form took on new life, particularly through Shakespeare. Variations on the form have continued to evolve since.

Fun family fireworks turn ballistic

The American Pyrotechnics Association estimates that over 10,000 injuries result each year from fireworks, close to three-quarters of which occur around the Fourth of July. This video shows just one rather explosive miscue.