1. Gear Suggestions A wide-angle lens will exaggerate the twists and turns of a spiral staircase while a telephoto lens is good for bringing staircases on the outside of buildings to you.

Q: I recently was vacationing in Santa Fe, N.M., and saw the Loretto Chapel staircase. It's a beautiful wooden circular staircase thought to have been built between 1877 and 1881.

This spiral staircase conceived by London designer Paul Cocksedge will feature balustrades overflowing with plants and circular spaces where employees can take time out from their work. Paul ...

Staircase construction and battle tactics are far from the only things that have changed since the Middle Ages. Back then, people even walked differently than we do—find out how (and why) here.