What really happened over the Podkamennaya Tunguska river on June 30, 1908? And why do people get so obsessed about it?

Never "one of the boys," Valentina Tereshkova became an icon, a symbol for Soviet space achievements. But she only ever went into space once.

It did not seem like such a big deal at the time, Russia declaring its sovereignty on June 12, 1992. Everyone was doing. Maybe that is why so few people can remember the holiday now...

In April 1783, Russia annexed the Crimea. We look back at the Khan who enabled enabled it, and his ignominious fate.

Where did this holiday come from? Why does Russia still celebrate it? How did it survive the Soviet collapse?

Tsar Alexander's speech to the Polish Sejm in 1818 set off a century of turmoil. Poland was given freedoms which Russia somehow was not deserving of. It helped spur the Decembrist revolt and all that followed.

Grigory Alexandrov, born 1903, was a pathbreaking filmmaker who enjoyed incredible success and fame for his first three films, but it was a fame he never recaptured.

Eighty years ago, Russia finally adopted the Gregorian calendar. Well, almost. The ROC never got on board and then there is history to deal with, and its difficult 12-day gap.

A look at the history and practice of St. Tatyana's Day, the day each year which students celebrate their studenthood.

The uprising in Tver in December 1327 was a final straw leading to the consolidation of power in Moscow.

A reflection on the life and influence of this Soviet-era poet, translator and writer.

A chronicle of the days surrounding the 1917 revolution, in the words and thoughts of those who lived through it.