#17th century

Author: Maria Popova / Source: Brain Pickings Born in Germany in an era when no woman could obtain a formal education in science anywhere in the world, Maria Clara Eimmart (May 27, 1676–October 29, 1707) predated Caroline Herschel — the world’s first professional woman astronomer — by a century.

Author: Eric Grundhauser / Source: Atlas Obscura To a modern ear, cockle bread sounds… kind of funny. But as it turns out, the lore surrounding this bawdy baked good, which later morphed into a children’s nursery rhyme, was just as naughty in its day as it sounds today, just not for the reasons

Author: Samantha Snively / Source: Atlas Obscura “Observe when you walk abroad…and then your work will show the more naturally.” Recipe books don’t typically start this way. But for Hannah Woolley, cooking and science weren’t all that different. When Woolley published The Ladies Directory:

Author: Paula Mejia / Source: Atlas Obscura Sailors in the 17th century had it rough. For months, they were away at sea, sustaining themselves on an unsteady diet that included brined beef, dirty water, and tough crackers known as ship biscuit. In the days before pasteurization, seasickness

Author: Vittoria Traverso / Source: Atlas Obscura Art history has its share of mysteries. Is a long-lost Da Vinci fresco hidden behind another mural? Did Michelangelo plant secret messages about brains in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? How did Dan Brown sell so many books? Recently, an