This feature first appeared in January 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here. London lurks ...

Chances are, most of us have at least once in our childhood sung the classic nursery rhyme "It's Raining, It's Pouring." But what many people don't know is that it has really dark and grim undertones.

Nursery rhymes are short, fun, and easy-to-remember songs or poems created for young children. They use simple words, catchy rhythms, and often include hand movements or clapping games that help kids ...

The nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence tells a playful story about royalty, surprise, and curiosity. The rhyme tells us a story about a funny little word with a king, queen, and some birds hiding ...

Leopard seals may be one of Antarctica’s most fearsome predators, but these vocalizers sing with the structured charm of a child’s nursery rhyme. In a surprising new study, researchers found that the ...

The Longaberger Picnic Basket building, a seven-story structure shaped like a picnic basket, was once the headquarters of the Longaberger basket company. After the company vacated the building, it was ...

A familiar nursery rhyme has had an update, putting the focus on the difficulties the farming community currently faces. Titled “E-I-E-I-Woe”, the song is a “protest” version of “Old Macdonald”, ...

Apparently, this baker made a killing — and now, it’s killing sweet childhood memories. Sinister rumors about the beloved cheery nursery rhyme “The Muffin Man” are being whisked around on social media ...

The popular nursery rhyme may have emerged in the 14th century—and it didn’t have anything to do with bathing. That said, the lyrics of “Rub-a-Dub-Dub” refer to a decidedly adult situation. Oral ...

“A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket. I wrote a letter to my love and on the way, I lost it.” We seem on the verge of losing many things. Writing letters to one another, if not yet a lost ...