The 16th century was an age of exploration in all senses ... and the future French king Henry II of France. Catherine was raised in Florence, the epicenter of the growing cult of refined eating ...

While inspecting a sumptuous villa in Rome, an electrician stumbled across long lost works by the Baroque painter Carlo ...

Theories link it to Roman spring festivals, medieval literature, and calendar changes in 16th-century France. Some of the most popular stories about its origin are themselves April Fools’ hoaxes.

The tlamatlquiticitl—midwife—offered those in her charge a remarkable 16th-century birthing plan, combining practical care, drugs for pain relief, and religious ceremonies. This story appears ...

It’s more likely to trace back to the change of the calendar year, back in 16th century France. Pope Gregory XIII introduced his own Gregorian calendar, celebrating New Year’s Day on January 1.