Method and sources

• Documented. The event is confirmed by documents of the time or by historians’ work.
• Legend. The story has been told for centuries, but there’s no proof. We retell it and explain what’s true in it.
• Debated. Historians disagree or the sources contradict each other. We say exactly what the dispute is about.

First of all from period documents, academic work, archives and the official websites of museums. Every story has at least one source, and major events have at least two. They are all listed at the bottom of the story, next to the date it was last checked.

When sources disagree, we give both versions or say “about”: “1778 or 1782”. Army sizes and death tolls are almost always estimates, so we give a range instead of one neat number.

Most stories are fine for any age and have no label. The 12+ label marks stories with battles or cruelty. Before stories about repression, persecution and death we give a warning and ask whether you want to continue. Those stories have no jokes and no elephant. The “Age” button in the header hides stories with battles and difficult topics: you choose the youngest reader’s age.

Every illustration is credited with its author and licence. If an image was made with AI, the caption says so, so that nobody mistakes it for a period document.

They happen. If you find one, tell us via Found a mistake?. We’ll fix the text and update the date it was checked. The story’s link doesn’t change, so you can keep sharing it.

Stories are written in Portuguese and translated into English and Russian. If a translation isn’t ready yet, we show the English or Portuguese text and say so.