How we verify

Two sources, minimum. No entry is published unless at least two independent, reliable sources support it. Museums, agencies, universities and reference works come first.

Honest labels. Confirmed: sources agree. Estimated: a range or hard-to-measure figure. Disputed: credible sources disagree, and we say so.

Original wording. Entries are written fresh from the sources, never copied.

Records change. Every entry shows when it was last verified, and we re-check entries when a record may have been broken. To report an error, contact us.