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In today’s History newsletter, we find traces of Europe’s oldest battle, discover how a German princess became Russia’s greatest empress; learn how X-rays may defend Earth from asteroids ... and uncover the real reason why the U.S. isn’t going metric. Plus, what Ernest Hemingway and Toni Morrison had in common.

Catherine’s coronation portrait: Topped by a sparkling diamond crown, she displays the royal regalia and is draped with the blue sash of St. Andrew, the highest honor of the Russian Empire.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOSEE/LEEMAGE/GETTY

Once the upstart foreigner stole Russia’s throne, there was no stopping her enlightened reforms, her empire's expansion, and her pursuit of love and legacy.

In some ways, Vladimir Putin is competing against a ghost: The German-born Catherine the Great did so many things he has struggled with: increasing literacy and life expectancy—and actually conquering Ukraine. How did she do it?

MEET ‘THE GREAT’

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A park ranger takes a photo of a thermometer at California’s Death Valley National Park in 2021. Metric was officially declared America’s preferred system of measurement in 1975, but the U.S. public has been slow to embrace it.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROGER KISBY, REDUX

Here’s the real reason the U.S. doesn’t go metric

Why does an octopus punch fish? Science has a compelling history.

Rare discovery shows the ancient Maya didn't just use tobacco—they drank it

Could a nuclear bomb’s X-rays save Earth from a killer asteroid

These 3,000-year-old arrowheads tell the story of Europe’s oldest battle

Pregnancy transforms the brain—in some cases, forever

How Ouija went from quirky parlor game to the most feared spirit board in history

Mount St. Helens isn’t where it is supposed to be. Scientists now know why.

Meet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural icon

The best cameras for bird photography

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

A unique single-copy “unburnable” edition of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale at Sotheby's on June 3, 2022, in New York City. This fireproof edition of the often-banned book was created to raise awareness about the proliferation of censorship.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SLAVEN VLASIC, GETTY

Banned books: Sci-fi classic Fahrenheit 451 and real-life dictatorships evoke the destruction of knowledge throughout history, but book-burning and banning has swept America in waves, too. (Pictured above, a fireproof edition of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid's Tale.) To mark Banned Books Week, guess which of these books have been pulled from shelves in parts of the U.S.

A. Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
B. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
C. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
D. All of the above

Click for the answer

Today’s Soundtrack: Footprints, Squeeze

Missed yesterday’s Photo of the Week? You can sign up here for the next one. Today’s newsletter was edited and curated by David Beard. Let us know if you have any suggestions or a favorite obelisk.

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WILL THE U.S. EVER GO METRIC?

VIEW ONLINE

SHE DID WHAT PUTIN COULDN’T

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

WHERE IN THE WORLD?