New Articles

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  Sarah Mullally Sarah Mullally is the 106th archbishop-designate of Canterbury, the first woman to be appointed in the more than 1,400-year history of the office in the Church of England. When her election is confirmed in January 2026, she will be the senior bishop—first among equals—of the Anglican Communion, the...
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  Chappell Roan Chappell Roan is an American singer-songwriter known for song lyrics that embrace queer culture and for her bold makeup and costumes inspired by drag queens. Her music incorporates various styles, including synth-pop, rock, and disco, with influences from the popular music of the 1980s and 2010s....
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  ilish Ilish, (Tenualosa ilisha), species of saltwater herring of the Clupeidae family and a prized fish in South Asia. Native to the North Indian Ocean and most populous in the Bay of Bengal, ilish is the national fish of Bangladesh and the state fish of West Bengal, India. The distribution of ilish,...
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  Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip, storm that developed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in October 1979 and the largest tropical cyclone ever observed, with a diameter of roughly 1,380 miles (2,220 km). At its peak, winds reached a speed of 190 miles (306 km) per hour, and the storm had the lowest sea-level pressure...
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  Bavarian Illuminati Bavarian Illuminati, Enlightenment-era secret society founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt in the Electorate of Bavaria. One of several groups in the history of Europe to claim the name “illuminati” (Latin for “the enlightened ones”), they favored the overthrow of existing monarchical governments and...
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  the Tin Man The Tin Man, fictional character from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and related books by American author L. Frank Baum. The character is called the Tin Woodman in the books but is popularly known as the Tin Man. He is made entirely of metal and has no working internal organs, although he can...
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  Paris Saint-Germain FC Paris Saint-Germain FC, French professional football (soccer) club based in Paris and competing in Ligue 1, the topflight French men’s football league. In 2011 Qatar Sports Investments, a Qatari government-operated shareholding organization, bought a majority stake in Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and...
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  What Are the Rarest Types of Wolves? Wolves hold a unique place in nature and in the human psyche. The precursor to “man’s best friend” but also evil predators in fairy tales, wolves have an ability to fascinate and induce fear that is hard to dismiss. But there are also some that have faced extinction, including the red wolf, the...
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  boy band Boy band, in popular music, a vocal group made up of young male performers whose music is geared toward teenage and preteen music fans, especially girls. Vocal harmonies and choreography are important elements of their music and performances, although some boy bands have also played their own...
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  Toxic Substances Control Act Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a law passed by the Congress of the United States in 1976 that authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate or limit the production, importation, distribution, use, and disposal of chemical compounds found to be or suspected of being harmful...
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  Which U.S. Presidents Have Been Impeached? The short answer is: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice). But to truly understand what happened in each of those cases, it helps to understand the impeachment process overall. So, let’s start with just a bit of background. • The impeachment process, outlined in the U.S....
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  Vantablack Vantablack, the brand name for a class of super-black coatings that absorb nearly 100 percent of the light falling on them. Developed by the British company Surrey NanoSystems (SNS), Vantablack is one of the darkest synthetic materials in the world. When applied to surfaces, its extreme light...
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  Price gap analysis: What gapping stocks can tell traders If you’ve ever traveled by subway in London, Paris, or New York, you’ve seen the phrase “Mind the gap.” It’s a warning that something is missing. There’s a void ahead, and if you don’t pay attention, you could get hurt. A price gap on a stock chart is similar in that it indicates something is...
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  When memory care makes sense: What families should know about care and costs One of the most devastating parts of a dementia diagnosis is realizing someone with the disease will slowly, inexorably lose the qualities that once defined them. This inevitability adds complexity to caregiving choices for families who often understandably wish to keep a loved one at home or have...
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  2025 Liberal-Democratic Party (Japan) Presidential Election Japan’s ruling Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) will hold an election for the party presidency on October 4, 2025. The election was scheduled after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on September 7 his intention to resign from both the premiership and the LDP presidency. Ishiba made the decision...
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  10 Deadliest Cyclones in History Cyclones are among the most devastating natural phenomena, capable of destroying entire coastal communities and claiming several thousand lives in a single event. They can bring not only violent winds but also torrential rains and massive storm surges, which are created when a storm’s air-pressure...
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  governor Governor, the constitutional head of a state in India. Although a governor is appointed by the president of India, effectively on the advice of the central government, the governor’s office is an independent constitutional post. As the nominal head of a state executive, a governor is obliged to act...
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  What does “black pill” refer to? Black pill ideology is inspired by the 1999 film The Matrix, which created a futuristic world in which fighters against the status quo are presented with a choice between taking a blue pill or a red pill. Those who pick the blue pill remain blissfully ignorant about the true ways of the world....
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  SNL Cast Members Since its debut in 1975, the beloved sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) has managed to weather its many ups and downs by constantly evolving. One of the sources of this renewal is the steady churn of the show’s cast. After nearly every season, familiar faces are let go and new comedians...
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  Decoding Medical Jargon from Television Emergency Rooms Medical dramas are famous for their rapid-fire jargon—“Code blue,” “V-fib!,” “Stat!”—which creates tension and realism in emergency scenes. Although many of these terms are drawn from real clinical practice, their use on television often exaggerates, oversimplifies, or even misrepresents their...
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  Operation Mincemeat Operation Mincemeat, covert operation by British intelligence in 1943, designed to mislead Nazi Germany about the Allied powers’ plans to invade Sicily during World War II. The operation involved secret documents placed on a dead body; the fake documents successfully misled the Axis powers into...
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  A Brief History of American Political Humor “Many a true word is spoken in jest.” Attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer near the end of the 14th century, that pretty much sums up the nature of political comedy: speaking the truth in a way that gets people to laugh, even when it may make them a little uncomfortable. Political comedy didn’t start in...
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  The Four-Day Workweek For most of human history, work has been largely hunting and gathering, agrarian, and hand-based (cobblers, smiths, and the like), and work schedules have depended on demand, seasons, weather, and daylight hours. The Industrial Revolution (beginning in the 18th century) introduced social and...
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  masked hunter Masked hunter, (Reduvius personatus), species of nocturnal assassin bug widely known for its ability to camouflage itself as a ball of dust during its nymphal stage. The masked hunter lives chiefly outdoors, where it eats termites, earwigs, lacewings, pill bugs, and other arthropods. It sometimes...
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  seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca Seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca, capture of the Great Mosque of Mecca by hundreds of militants carrying out a rebellion against the Saudi royal family. The mosque was seized on November 20, 1979, and retaken by Saudi forces after a two-week siege. In the Islamic calendar it was Muḥarram, the...
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  10 Critically Endangered Animals of India India’s wildlife includes many vertebrate animals that are among the most threatened forms of life in the world. Some are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and face a high risk of extinction in the wild. Found in diverse ecosystems such...
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  Cal Raleigh Seattle Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh’s 2025 season is one for the history books. In order to understand what the stocky slugger has done, it helps to understand those whose history he has rewritten. That 2025 marked Raleigh’s fourth full season in the major leagues indicates the potential for...
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  Charlie Hunnam Charlie Hunnam is an English actor known for playing alpha male roles, notably Jackson (“Jax”) Teller, a leader of a violent motorcycle gang, in the popular FX crime drama Sons of Anarchy (2008–14). In 2025 Hunnam portrayed the infamous real-life serial killer Ed Gein in the third season of the...
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  ofrenda Ofrenda, decorated altar set up in homes for the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) holiday as celebrated in Mexico and neighboring parts of Latin America as well as across the United States. This distinctive offering table, constructed especially for the holiday, honors and welcomes the deceased...
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  Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was an American fashion publicist who was thrust into the national spotlight in the early 1990s when she began dating John F. Kennedy, Jr. Her future husband was the son of U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy (later Onassis). Their surprise wedding and closely...
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  Sushila Karki Sushila Karki is a Nepali lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the first female chief justice of Nepal (2016–17) and as the country’s interim prime minister (2025– ) following the 2025 Nepalese Generation Z Protests, becoming Nepal’s first woman head of government. She was an influential...
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  xAI XAI is a start-up company founded by tech entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk in March 2023 to counter what he called the political correctness in other generative artificial intelligence (AI) models. Launched in July 2023 as an alternative to such AI giants as OpenAI (which Musk cofounded),...
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  H-1B visa The H-1B visa is one of the most widely used work visa programs in the United States. It allows employers to hire foreign nationals—workers who are not U.S. citizens—for specialty occupations that typically require a bachelor’s degree or higher. Like all visas, it is part of the U.S. immigration...
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  Do All Donkeys Have a Cross on Their Back? Not all donkeys have a cross on their back, but most of them do. The distinctive cross pattern consists of a dark stripe along the donkey’s spine from the mane to the tail and a perpendicular stripe across its shoulders. Experts suggest that it arises from the species’ genetic makeup, but the...
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  Orangutan or Gorilla: Which Is Bigger? Although the orangutan holds the title of largest arboreal animal, the ground-dwelling gorilla, the largest ape overall, is quite a bit bigger when comparing adults of the same sex. Female gorillas, however, stand only slightly taller than male orangutans and are typically lighter. The average...
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  Types of Spiderwebs Web-weaving spiders are master architects of the natural world, instinctively creating intricate structures that serve as homes, traps, and nurseries. Although all spiders make silk, surprisingly only about half of the more than 51,500 species of spiders on Earth actually build webs. (Many spiders,...
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  Charles Sobhraj Charles Sobhraj is a French serial killer, smuggler, con artist, and thief whose career of disguises, passport theft, and murders along the Asian hippie trail (an overland route between Europe and Southeast Asia popular among Western backpackers) in the 1970s earned him the nickname “the Serpent.”...
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  Super Typhoon Ragasa Super Typhoon Ragasa, tropical cyclone that attained super typhoon status on September 21, 2025, according to reports from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country’s meteorological agency. Ragasa was the world’s strongest tropical...
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  Vijayadashami Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is...
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  What are neobanks? How they work and risks to know Neobanks are financial services companies that may offer you a better return on your savings than you get at a traditional bank. They often advertise high-yield accounts that pay attractive interest rates, but neobanks come with important limitations. Although some of their products resemble those...
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  Moorgate Tube crash Moorgate Tube crash, train crash on February 28, 1975, at Moorgate station in the London Underground system. It killed 43 people and injured many more, making it the system’s deadliest peacetime disaster. The Moorgate station, in central London, was the southern terminus of the Northern City Line,...
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  How Tall Was Goliath in the Bible? According to 1 Samuel 17 of the Hebrew Bible (which contains a large portion of the Christian Old Testament), Goliath was a heavily armed Philistine giant who challenged King Saul for 40 days to send out a man to fight him. No one would face this intimidating warrior until young David, a shepherd...
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  chief minister (India) Chief minister (India), in India, elected head of government of each of the 28 states and 3 of the 8 union territories (Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry). The chief minister’s position at the state level is similar to that of the prime minister at the national level. The chief minister...
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  Renting as a retirement strategy: Freedom from homeownership Retirement—or the idea of it—often comes with big lifestyle decisions. Housing is among the biggest and may involve considering whether to continue to own a home or switch to renting. Some seniors envision staying put and outsourcing some or all of the maintenance, while others picture selling,...
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  List of Number One NBA Draft Picks Every summer a new cohort of professional basketball players joins the ranks of the NBA through a draft. Prospects are judged on their performance in high school, college, or international leagues, and teams must decide which player is most likely to be a valuable contributor to their rosters....
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  Who Owns the Gulf of Mexico? The Gulf of Mexico covers an area of some 600,000 square miles (1,550,000 square km), and a little more than 2 percent of it is classified as international waters. The remainder is claimed by the three countries that border it: Cuba, Mexico, and the United States. However, it is important to...
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  The Wire The Wire, American crime drama television series, created by David Simon and considered by critics as one of the best shows ever made because of its unique portrayal of systemic dysfunction in American civic institutions. HBO aired 60 episodes over five seasons, the first on June 2, 2002, and the...
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  How Did Adolf Hitler Die? On April 30, 1945, with the war lost and Soviet troops advancing, Adolf Hitler fatally shot himself in his underground bunker in Berlin. Some sources claim that he also bit into a cyanide capsule as he pulled the trigger. Eva Braun, whom he had married the previous day, also took cyanide and died...
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  Assassination of Charlie Kirk Conservative activist and Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings in the United States on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, when a single shot fired from a distance of some 175 yards (160 meters) hit Kirk in the neck, killing...
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  Nicole Brown Simpson She was the glamorous ex-wife of a National Football League (NFL) legend. She was the victim of one of the most infamous crimes of the second half of the 20th century. She became a rallying cry for police to change the way they dealt with reports of domestic violence. But Nicole Brown Simpson was...
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  Rhodnius prolixus Rhodnius prolixus, parasitic species of South American assassin bug that is one of the primary vectors of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease in humans, dogs, and other mammals. The insect, like other members of the kissing bug subfamily Triatominae, feeds on...
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  Marshall Islands atomic bomb tests The Marshall Islands atomic bomb tests were carried out by the United States between July 1946 and August 1958 on Bikini and Enewetak atolls in the Marshall Islands. These tests of nuclear weapons were conducted from the air, from ships, and underwater. The United States plunged the world headlong...
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  Slash Slash is a British-American guitarist whose emotional playing, whether in melodic solos or bluesy yet heavy riffs, makes him one of the greatest rock guitarists. He has most famously played for the band Guns N’ Roses, and his signature look—a top hat and an amber Gibson Les Paul—has become...
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  Karva Chauth Karva Chauth, a festival traditionally observed in parts of northern India and Nepal primarily by married Hindu women. During this festival, women fast for a day from sunrise to moonrise and pray for their husbands’ longevity and prosperity. Some unmarried women also participate in the fast and...
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  State Animals of India Each of India’s 28 states and seven of its eight union territories (all except Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu) has an official animal, selected to represent its unique wildlife and cultural heritage. The practice of selecting a state animal began in the 1970s. The selected animals, some...
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  Sukhoi Su-57 Sukhoi Su-57, single-seat, twin-engine Russian heavyweight multirole combat aircraft that first flew in 2010. It was developed by the Sukhoi design bureau, creator of the Flanker series, a line of aircraft that serves as the backbone of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). The maximum takeoff weight...
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  panchayati raj Panchayati raj, a system of rural administration in India with a three-tier structure: gram panchayats for villages, panchayat samitis for administrative divisions called blocks, and zilla parishads for districts. The panchayati raj system consists of elected governing bodies, based on the Vedic...
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  What Dog Breed Is Closest to a Dingo? There are several dogs that are closely associated with dingoes, including the rare Carolina Dog and the wild New Guinea singing dog. But the Australian Cattle Dog is the dog breed that was developed in the 19th century by crossing a Blue Merle Collie with a dingo. Breeders sought to imbue the...
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  Why Do Yaks Have Long Hair on Their Bodies? Yaks have long hair because it is essential for survival: it provides superior insulation against the extreme cold of their native high-altitude environments, originally stretching from the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau in the south to Lake Baikal in the north. The dense, double-layered coat,...
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  Mammootty Mammootty is an Indian actor and producer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema. Celebrated for his versatility, Mammootty is especially noted for portraying complex and larger-than-life characters. In a career spanning more than five decades, he has appeared in about 400 films, including...
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  How Long Do Tortoises Live? Tortoises are renowned for their impressive life spans, as some species live for more than 60 years. This longevity is a result of adaptations such as a slow metabolism and protective shells, which help them avoid predators and conserve energy. Captivity can significantly extend a tortoise’s life...
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  power sharing Power sharing, distribution of political power among different organs and levels of government, as well as among social groups within a country. Power sharing can help prevent the concentration of power in any one social group or political party. It can also promote inclusive decision-making and...
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  Why Is Blue Cheese Safe to Eat? Stilton. Roquefort. Gorgonzola. These are just some of the varieties of blue cheese known for their sharp, piquant flavor—a flavor that is produced by mold that has grown in the cheese. But isn’t mold dangerous? If so, why is blue cheese safe to eat? Some molds are indeed toxic and dangerous to...
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  How Big Were Saber-Toothed Cats Compared to Tigers? Saber-toothed cats in the genus Smilodon were comparable in length and height to Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) but were generally more robust, stockier, and heavier. The species S. populator, however, was considerably larger and more robust than modern big cats, including lions and...
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  Why Did the Manson Family Murder Sharon Tate? On the night of August 8–9, 1969, followers of Charles Manson brutally murdered Sharon Tate and four others at her home in Los Angeles. He reportedly told his followers to kill everyone at 10050 Cielo Drive “as gruesome[ly] as you can.” (There is no indication that Manson knew who was living at the...
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  Why Is Chilean Sea Bass So Expensive? Chilean sea bass commands a high price because of a combination of factors: its scarcity, arising from its deep, remote Antarctic habitat, which complicates and inflates the cost of fishing operations, and a robust demand, particularly in fine-dining settings, fueled by its celebrated rich, buttery...
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  What Is the Most Venomous Jellyfish? The Australian box jellyfish, scientifically named Chironex fleckeri, is widely considered the world’s most venomous jellyfish. Its highly potent venom can induce intense pain, paralysis, cardiac arrest, and death within minutes of a sting. Immediate medical attention is often required to prevent...
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  What Is the Rarest Dog Breed? Determining the rarest dog breed in the world is a challenging task because of the difficulty of obtaining and analyzing reliable data. Different sources give differing information. According to the American Kennel Club, which tracks some 200 breeds, the rarest breed, ranking 197 out of 197 in...
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  Jan Matejko Jan Matejko was a Polish painter, one of the most renowned in Polish history, who is known for his monumental Romantic canvases. He was one of the foremost artists of the 19th century working in the popular history painting genre. His best-known works, such as Stańczyk and The Battle of Grunwald,...
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  How Many People Died When the Titanic Sank? On April 14–15, 1912, the Titanic sank. While the exact number of people killed is unknown, it is generally believed that of the ship’s approximately 2,200 passengers and crew members, some 1,500 perished. The lack of certainty over the death toll is due to several reasons. Original passenger and...
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  Why Are Bloodhounds Used as Police Dogs? Bloodhounds are often recruited for police work because of their exceptionally keen sense of smell. The dogs possess 230 million–300 million scent receptors, which is about 40 times that of humans and the highest number among dog breeds. This superior olfactory capacity enables the breed to...
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  How Did the Tradition of Wedding Rings Start? When Taylor Swift said yes to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in August 2025, it seemed as if all the megastar’s romantic anthems were coming true. And by proposing with what fans quickly identified as a dazzling Old Mine-cut diamond set on a gold mount, Kelce joined a long tradition of...
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  Why Do Oarfish Swim Vertically? Oarfish swim vertically to camouflage themselves in their deep-water habitat. This orientation hides their flattened bodies from predators above, and their reflective silver flesh blends into the color of the water around them in the low light of the depths. Swimming vertically also has other...
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  Are Donkeys Intelligent? Donkeys are intelligent animals, though they’re often thought to be slow and stubborn. Studies suggest that donkeys show signs of intelligence through cognitive traits such as memory, problem-solving, learning from their environment, and adapting to new challenges. The perceived stubbornness of...
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  What Is a Platypus’s Closest Living Relative? The closest living relatives of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are the echidnas (family Tachyglossidae), which comprise four species. Both the platypus and the echidnas (or spiny anteaters) are monotremes belonging to the order Monotremata, an ancient group of mammals that are oviparous...
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  Why Is Milk Pasteurized? Pasteurization is a heating process used to make foods and beverages, including milk, safe for consumption. First suggested for milk in 1886, it was widely adopted in the early 20th century to combat diseases once commonly carried in raw milk, such as tuberculosis, typhoid, and diphtheria. Today...
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  Jewish Holidays The many holidays of the Jewish religious year offer a wide variety of festivities, feelings, histories, and sacred meanings. Some holidays in Judaism are solemn and require fasting, whereas some feature festivity and feasting. Most, but not all, Jewish holidays are stipulated in the Torah (the...
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  Owen Wilson Owen Wilson’s path to Hollywood comedy stardom began with what he once described as a “little idea” that he cooked up in his early 20s with Wes Anderson, his college friend and lifelong collaborator. That little idea grew into a small-budget independent movie called Bottle Rocket (1996), which...
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  What Happened to Emmett Till’s Killers? On August 28, 1955, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, both of whom were white, kidnapped and killed Emmett Till, an African American teenager. Earlier that day Till had reportedly whistled at, touched, or flirted with Bryant’s wife, Carolyn Bryant, a cashier at the local grocery store. The two men were...
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  Lamine Yamal Lamine Yamal is a Spanish football (soccer) player who typically operates on the right flank as an “inverted” left‑footed winger for FC Barcelona. Known for his close control, trickery with the ball, and passing range and creativity, Yamal is considered one of the sport’s most talented young stars....
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  Do Emperor Penguins Mate for Life? Emperor penguins do not mate for life. However, a male and a female often pair up for one breeding season. Emperor penguins are considered serially monogamous, meaning that while individual males and females usually form an exclusive pair bond for a breeding season, the partnership rarely continues...
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  Are Llamas Ruminants? Like ruminants, a llama chews its cud, which consists of plants it has eaten and then regurgitates and rechews to break down the cellulose in it. But unlike the so-called true ruminants—a type of mammal that includes cattle, sheep, and goats, among others—llamas have a three-chambered stomach. True...
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  Ousmane Dembélé Ousmane Dembélé is a French football (soccer) player with the Ligue 1 (French topflight football league) club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and operates as an attacking winger and forward. Experts consider him one of the best active players in the world because of his two-footed dribbling technique,...
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  John F. Kennedy, Jr., plane crash On the night of July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, while en route to a family wedding. The plane was piloted by Kennedy, a magazine publisher and the...
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  How Big Are Anglerfish Compared to Humans? Most anglerfish are considerably smaller than humans. The European monkfish (Lophius piscatorius), a species of anglerfish, can grow up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length, longer than the average human, who typically stands about 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) tall. However, most anglerfish are about 30...
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  Arthur Sze Arthur Sze is an American poet who was appointed U.S. poet laureate in 2025, making him the 25th person to hold that post since its creation in 1985 and the first Asian American to hold the post. The winner of a 2019 National Book Award and a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Sze...
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  How Old Is the Oldest Living Greenland Shark? Scientific data suggest that Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) may live for more than 500 years and that the oldest known living Greenland shark is about 400 years old. This remarkable longevity—which earns this fish the title of “world’s longest-lived vertebrate”—is likely a result of...
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  Why Are Scallops So Expensive? Scallops owe their high market price to a combination of biological traits and economic factors. They are commercially important bivalve mollusks, but they are not as abundant as mussels or oysters. The scallop is prized for its large adductor muscle—the tender, mild portion that is typically the...
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  Benny Blanco American record producer and songwriter Benny Blanco has collaborated on a slew of hits with many pop artists, including Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, and Maroon 5. An Interscope Records executive has called him “one of the most sought after hit makers in contemporary music.” He has...
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  Who Planned the September 11 Attacks? Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is considered the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, though Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the operational planner. Mohammed came up with the tactical innovation of using hijacked planes to attack the United States, and al-Qaeda provided the personnel, money, and...
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  Where Is the Wreck of the Titanic? The wreck of the Titanic—which was discovered on September 1, 1985—is located at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, some 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater. It is approximately 400 nautical miles (740 km) from Newfoundland, Canada. The ship is in two main pieces, the bow and the stern. The exact...
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  What Were the September 11 Attacks? The September 11 attacks were a series of airplane hijackings and suicide attacks committed in 2001 by 19 terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil; nearly 3,000 people were killed. The attacks involved the hijacking of four...
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  What Are Baby Koalas Called? Baby koalas are called joeys. The term joey is widely used for the young of all marsupials such as kangaroos, opossums, and wallabies. Koala mothers only give birth to one baby at a time. A joey is born in a highly undeveloped state after a short gestation period of about 34 to 36 days. This tiny,...
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  K.B. Hedgewar K.B. Hedgewar was an Indian physician, nationalist, and social organizer who founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS; Hindi: “National Volunteer Organization”) in 1925 in Nagpur, Central Provinces and Berar (Nagpur is now in Maharashtra, India). At a time when India was under British colonial...
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  tikkun olam Tikkun olam, concept in Judaism that has been reinterpreted with multiple shades of meaning over the past 2,000 years. It is often translated as “healing the world,” however, the implications for what is healed and what is envisioned as the world have varied. Although absent from the Hebrew Bible,...
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  homebrewing Homebrewing, the process of brewing beer, and sometimes other alcoholic beverages, in one’s home for personal use and consumption and occasionally for sale. Typically regarded as a hobby, homebrewing is often contrasted with commercial brewing, which is the production and sale of beer by an...
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  How Many People Were Killed in the September 11 Attacks? The exact number of victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, is not definitively known due to uncertainty around the number of those killed at the World Trade Center. However, the official death toll, after numerous revisions and not including the 19 terrorists, is 2,977 people. At...
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  Saccharomyces cerevisiae Saccharomyces cerevisiae, species of single-celled fungus in the family Saccharomycetaceae that is widely used in food production, biotechnology, and scientific research. As one of the earliest domesticated microorganisms, Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been employed for thousands of years in baking,...
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  WeWork At its height in 2019, coworking company WeWork managed more leased office space than any other company in New York City and London. It was valued at $47 billion and bankrolled primarily by SoftBank, a Japanese technology-focused investment giant. Less than a year later, WeWork’s valuation...
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  How Long Do Tigers Live? Tigers typically live for 10–15 years in the wild but longer in captivity, sometimes reaching 20 years or more. The life expectancy of wild tigers is primarily determined by the availability of prey, the quality of their habitat, and threats such as poaching and human encroachment. Factors such as...
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  Who Is Banksy? Banksy is a graffiti artist who came to notice in Britain during the 1990s. He is especially known for his acerbic and antiauthoritarian art, often created with stencils in public places. For decades the artist’s identity has been well guarded, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating. Here...
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  Saara Kuugongelwa Saara Kuugongelwa is a Namibian economist and politician who has been serving as the speaker of the National Assembly since March 2025. Prior to that she was the first woman to serve as prime minister of Namibia, a position she held from 2015 to 2025. She also played a key role in shaping Namibia’s...
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  René Girard René Girard was a literary critic, scholar, and philosopher whose contributions—numerous and sometimes controversial—spanned the fields of literary theory, philosophy, religious studies, psychology, history, and anthropology. His theory of mimetic desire, which seeks to understand human desire and...
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  What Dog Is Closest in DNA to a Wolf? All dogs are close relatives of wolves—after all, domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) descend from gray wolves (C. lupus). Yet, several breeds, including the Shiba Inu, Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky, and Chow Chow, remain genetically closer to wolves than others. Because of this, they...
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  Major Supreme Court Cases from the 2025–26 Term The Supreme Court of the United States will hear a number of significant cases in its 2025–26 term, which is scheduled to begin on October 6, 2025 and will end in late June or early July 2026. By mid September of 2025 the Court had agreed to hear 32 cases (only 19 of which were then scheduled for...
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  Pizzagate For the first 10 years it was in business, Comet Ping Pong was just a popular family-friendly pizza joint occupying a small storefront in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood. Since 2016 it has been at the center of the debunked conspiracy theory known as Pizzagate, which posited that the restaurant...
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  What Is the Shortest Book of the Bible? The Second Letter of John in the New Testament is arguably the shortest book in the Christian Bible, with just 13 verses in a single chapter. However, the Third Letter of John, with 15 verses, sometimes has fewer words, depending on the source and translation. Both are shorter than the shortest...
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  Are Black Caimans Larger Than Alligators? Black caimans (Melanosuchus niger) are the largest members of Alligatoridae, a family of reptiles made up of eight living species. Even though American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) have a reputation for being large and menacing, black caimans—the dominant predators of the Amazon River...
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  Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse, collapse of an interstate highway bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., on August 1, 2007. The disaster killed 13 people and injured 145. The bridge, part of the Interstate Highway System, was an eight-lane steel truss arch bridge...
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  What is the Tallest Dog Breed? Who’s a tall boy? The Irish Wolfhound is generally recognized as the tallest dog breed. While the tallest individual dog on record was a Great Dane named Zeus, who stood 44 inches (112 cm) tall, the Wolfhound as a breed tops all others. Generally male Wolfhounds stand a minimum of 32 inches (81 cm)...
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  early modern witch trials Early modern witch trials, a series of persecutions for alleged witchcraft conducted in Europe and the Americas from the 15th to the 18th century. This period covers the end of the late Middle Ages and the subsequent early modern period. During the era of the trials, witchcraft was increasingly...
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  How Do Smelling Salts Work? Smelling salts work by releasing ammonia, which has a pungent and acrid odor that irritates the lining of the nose and lungs. This irritation causes a reflex that speeds up breathing and increases oxygen in the blood, which can quickly restore alertness. Early smelling salts were made from ammonium...
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  What Is the Super Bowl Era in the NFL? The Super Bowl era in the National Football League (NFL) refers to the period that started in 1967 and continues to the present day. Before 1967 the sport of American football was divided between two professional leagues, the NFL and the American Football League (AFL). In 1966 the NFL and the AFL...
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  Charlie Kirk Charlie Kirk was a political prodigy who never held elective office. • He was 18 when he founded Turning Point USA, a conservative counterpoint to liberal advocacy groups such as MoveOn.org. Turning Point became a juggernaut for mobilizing young conservatives across the United States. • He was 22...
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  Why Is a Deviled Egg Called a Deviled Egg? The deviled egg gets its name from the culinary use of the term deviled in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe dishes that were heavily seasoned with hot spices and condiments, perhaps as an allusion to the Devil and the blistering heat of hell. The preparation of deviled eggs, which generally...
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  Monty Hall problem Imagine you are a contestant on a game show. You are presented with three closed doors. Behind one is a car—the prize you want. Behind the other two are goats. You choose one door, but it remains closed. Now the host—who knows what is behind each door—opens one of the other two doors, revealing a...
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  GRU GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. The GRU traces its roots to an organization that was set up after the 1917 Russian Revolution and evolved during World War II into the GRU. The GRU outlasted the Soviet Union and has played a key role in multiple Russian operations on foreign soil in the...
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  James Anderson James Anderson is a former English cricketer who represented his country in international Test matches between 2003 and 2024, One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 2002 and 2015, and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) between 2007 and 2009. He is a right-arm fast bowler and left-handed batter who has...
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  nautical mile Nautical mile, unit of distance used for air and sea navigation. The nautical mile is defined as the length on the Earth’s surface of one minute ( 1 60 of a degree) of arc along a longitude. The distance covered between two latitudinal lines is 60 nautical miles. One nautical mile is equivalent to...
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  Why Is Flour Bleached? Flour is bleached to speed up the aging process, which improves its baking qualities. Unbleached flour also is aged to enhance its baking performance, but it is aged naturally after milling instead of through bleaching. Because different forms of bleach are used to whiten or lighten fabrics, hair,...
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  Are Song Lyrics Poetry? In 2016 a shock went through the global literary community when folk music icon Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Citing him “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” the Nobel committee essentially seemed to be calling the...
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  Is an Alligator a Reptile? Yes, an alligator is a reptile. This classification is because of its key reptilian traits, such as being cold-blooded, possessing scaly skin, and reproducing by laying eggs. One of the main features that classify alligators as reptiles is their skin, which is covered in tough scales. These scales...
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  What Dogs Make an American Bully? An American Bully is a type of dog created to incorporate the physical traits of the American Pit Bull Terrier with the temperament of the more gentle-natured Bulldog breeds. To achieve this, breeders often mate pit bulls with English, American, or Old English Bulldogs. American Bullies were first...
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  Five Eyes Five Eyes, intelligence-sharing alliance among five Anglophone countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The alliance began during World War II between the United States and the United Kingdom and expanded to the other three countries during the early...
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  Remembering the September 11 Attacks Through Photographs The attacks of September 11, 2001, were the deadliest terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, killing nearly 3,000. People across the United States and around the world watched in horror as images of the destruction and death in New York City, at the Pentagon in Virginia, and near Shanksville,...
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  Vaccine Mandates: A Timeline Vaccine mandates have been part of public health for more than two centuries, beginning with efforts to control smallpox and later expanding to protect children through school-entry requirements. Over time, they have reflected both advances in medical science and shifting public attitudes toward...
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  List of Countries, Dependencies, and Territories by Population Density This list provides the population densities for all the countries of the world and for all but the smallest political dependencies and territories. The places are ranked from most to least crowded. The most densely populated territory in the world is Macau, a special administrative region in China....
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  diffusion model Diffusion model, computational method used to generate high-quality images by reversing the process of adding noise to data. Diffusion models in artificial intelligence (AI) are inspired by the physical process of diffusion, in which molecules move from areas of high concentration to areas of low...
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  Killing of Osama bin Laden Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was killed by members of the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team 6 on May 2, 2011, in Pakistan. At the time, bin Laden had been hiding for six years in a walled compound in Abbottabad, a city of some 230,000 people, roughly 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Islamabad. The SEALs...
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  price-to-cash-flow (P/CF) ratio The price-to-cash-flow ratio (P/CF) compares a company’s stock price with the cash it generates from operations, known as operating cash flow. This figure comes from the company’s statement of cash flows. P/CF = price per share ÷ operating cash flow per share For example, if a company reports $10...
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  Which Is Bigger: Sperm Whale or Colossal Squid? The sperm whale, which preys on the colossal squid, is generally bigger than the colossal squid. A male sperm whale can grow to about 24 meters (79 feet) long and weigh up to 50 metric tons (50,000 kg or 110,000 pounds). The colossal squid, by comparison, can reach lengths of up to 14 meters (46...
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  price-to-sales (P/S) ratio The price-to-sales ratio (P/S) compares a company’s stock price with its sales—called revenue on the company income statement and in analyst reports. P/S = price per share ÷ revenue per share For example, if a company generates $10 billion in annual revenue and has 1 billion shares outstanding, its...
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  price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio The price/earnings-to-growth ratio (PEG) refines the price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) by adjusting for expected earnings growth (expressed as a whole number, e.g., 10 for 10%). PEG = P/E ratio ÷ earnings growth rate For example, a company trading at 20 times earnings with an expected annual growth...
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  price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio The price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) is a valuation measure that compares a company’s share price with its earnings per share (EPS). It is one of the most widely used ways to judge whether a stock looks expensive or cheap relative to its profits. P/E = price per share ÷ earnings per share Suppose a...
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  price-to-book (P/B) ratio The price-to-book ratio (P/B) compares a company’s market value with its book value per share, drawn from the balance sheet. It shows whether the market is valuing a company above, below, or in line with the worth of its reported assets. P/B = price per share ÷ book value per share Book value...
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  Can You Opt Out of School Vaccines? In the United States all 50 states require certain vaccinations for public and private school entry, but exemptions are allowed for medical reasons in every state and for religious or personal beliefs in many states, though the rules vary. California, Connecticut, Maine, New York, and West...
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  What Is a Group of Cows Called? A group of cows is called a herd. This is the standard term used universally in both common speech and scientific contexts to describe a collection of cattle, including cows, bulls, and calves. So in most cases the word cow is used for both female individuals and all domestic bovines. The use of...
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  2025 Nepalese Gen Z Protests In September 2025 Nepal descended into political crisis after the government imposed a sweeping social media ban in an apparent attempt to silence dissent. The move, against a backdrop of economic dysfunction and widespread youth disillusionment, ignited mass protests across Kathmandu and other...
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  Do Whales Have Teeth? Yes, whales can have teeth. Specifically, toothed whales, called odontocetes, are a diverse group of cetaceans such as dolphins, porpoises, and sperm whales. Their simple conical teeth are used for grasping prey, not for chewing. Toothed whales swallow creatures such as squid or fish whole. The...
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  Free Speech Movement Free Speech Movement, series of peaceful protests by students and several faculty members at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), in late 1964, organized to force the university’s administration to rescind a policy that prohibited political and social activism as well as...
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  Which Parrots Are Most Likely to Talk? Among the 333 species of parrots (family Psittacidae), the African gray parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is the most likely to talk. Its remarkable accuracy in replicating human speech sets it apart as a species renowned for its speaking skills. Parrots, including the African gray, are highly social...
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  Animal Group Names: From a Congregation of Alligators to a Dazzle of Zebras Most people know that a group of dogs is called a pack. But did you know that a gathering of flamingos is a flamboyance or that a group of owls is a parliament? Collective nouns for animals can be quirky, and we picked a few of our...
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  Has a Complete Spinosaurus Skeleton Been Discovered? A complete skeleton of the Spinosaurus has not yet been discovered. What we know about this giant theropod dinosaur comes from partial fossils unearthed in North Africa, including the Kem Kem beds, a fossil-rich region that stretches across parts of Morocco and Algeria. The Spinosaurus was first...
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  Why Are Kangaroos Only Found in Australia? Kangaroos are found only in Australia because their marsupial ancestors migrated to the continent before it became geographically isolated. Land bridges connected South America to Australia via Antarctica during the Cretaceous Period (145 to 66 million years ago). These allowed early marsupials to...
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  Winners and Losers: A History of the Lottery Two winning tickets were drawn over the weekend for the $1.8 billion Powerball, the second biggest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. The winning tickets were sold in Texas and Missouri, and each winner stands to collect either a lump sum of more than $400 million or annual payments that would total...
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  Why Do You Salt Pasta Water? Salt is added to pasta water primarily to season the pasta directly as it cooks. Aside from flavor considerations, though, adding salt to pasta water also slightly raises its boiling point in a process known as boiling point elevation. Although this change is minimal, it can help pasta cook more...
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  Interstellar “Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.” Those words, spoken by the protagonist of the American science-fiction drama Interstellar (2014), effectively serve as the film’s mission statement. Directed by Christopher Nolan, Interstellar follows the heroic attempt by a group of...
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  The Spiritual Exercises The Spiritual Exercises, a structured yet flexible program of Christian spirituality that was developed in the 16th century by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), a Roman Catholic religious order. Comprising meditations, contemplative practices, and prayers, the...
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  Taylor Jenkins Reid Taylor Jenkins Reid is a best-selling American author whose novels often feature protagonists who have achieved fame in such fields as film, music, and sports. She is known for her historical fiction, with settings in the 1950s through the 1990s. Reid has received multiple awards, and her books...
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  Why Is the U.S. Drinking Age 21? The drinking age is 21 in the United States because of federal legislation enacted in 1984, known as the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. This act pressured states into raising their minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) to 21 by dictating that a portion of their federal transportation funding would...
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  Why Is Making Moonshine Illegal? Making moonshine—a term that can refer to any illicitly distilled liquor—is illegal primarily because of the significant health hazards homemade alcohol poses. Unregulated production environments can introduce dangerous contaminants and faulty distillation techniques may leave methanol, a poisonous...
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  What Is the Open Era in Tennis? In the sport of tennis the term open era refers to the period—beginning in 1968 and continuing to the present day—in which both amateurs and professionals are allowed to compete in all tournaments. Before the open era the sport was divided between amateurs, who played in the prestigious Grand Slams...
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  Demon Slayer Demon Slayer, manga series by an artist under the pen name Gotouge Koyoharu. Serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2016 to 2020, Demon Slayer (Japanese: Kimetsu no yaiba [“Blade of Demon Destruction”]) follows Kamado Tanjiro, a boy who joins a secret corps of warriors to...
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  St. Caesarius of Terracina St. Caesarius of Terracina ; feast day November 1) was a 1st-century Christian deacon and martyr who is celebrated as the patron saint of Roman emperors. Caesarius is often invoked for protection against drowning and floods, and because of the similarity to his name he is also sometimes considered...
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  How Do Gills Work? Gills help aquatic animals breathe by allowing gases to move between water and blood. Their feathery, branched structure is filled with superficial blood vessels, which gives them a large surface area for this exchange. This design brings the circulatory system very close to the water, making it...
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  What Is a Female Elephant Called? A mature female elephant is called a cow. Cows are fundamental to elephant herds. As seen in most mammals, the cows are responsible for nurturing the young and ensuring the continuity of the herd. In African savanna elephant herds, a family unit, which may comprise up to 70 elephants, is built...
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  When Did Vaccines Become Mandatory for Schools? The first vaccination requirement to attend school in the United States was introduced in the 1850s in Massachusetts, specifically for smallpox vaccine. During the late 19th century, as public health systems developed, similar laws were introduced in other states, largely in response to recurring...
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  How Many People Did John Wayne Gacy Kill? John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 boys and young men. In the late 1970s authorities discovered 29 bodies buried on his property outside Chicago, the majority of which were found in the crawl space of his home. Four other bodies were located along the nearby Des Plaines River. Gacy was convicted of...
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  Why Is Bread Bad for Ducks? Bread is bad for ducks because it offers little nutrition. Bread fills ducks up without supplying the nutrients—crucial proteins, vitamins, and minerals—that they’d get from their natural diet of aquatic plants, insects, and small fish. This can lead to malnutrition because after feeding on bread...
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  Do Blow Flies Spread Disease? Blow flies (family Calliphoridae) can spread disease, mainly through mechanical transmission rather than acting as true biological vectors. They often land on decaying matter, feces, and animal carcasses, causing them to pick up bacteria, viruses, and parasites on their bodies. When they then land...
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  Why doesn’t the U.S. have a Department of War anymore? U.S. Pres. Donald Trump has signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War. The president can’t unilaterally make this decision, but it wouldn’t be the first time that the country had a Department of War. On August 7, 1789, Pres. George Washington signed...
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  Dwayne McDuffie Dwayne McDuffie was an American comic book writer and animated-film producer who cofounded Milestone Media, an imprint of DC Comics promoting the work of minority creators. Throughout his career he worked to increase and improve representation of people from marginalized communities in comics, and...
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  Chinatown “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” The closing line in the 1974 detective saga is one of the most iconic in Hollywood history. With that final refrain, director Roman Polanski concluded a tale that resurrected the film noir style, epitomized the groundbreaking New Hollywood artistry of the 1970s,...
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  How Is Cheese Made? Cheese production involves curdling milk to form solid curds and liquid whey, after which the curds are processed, shaped, and matured into the final product. The process of making cheese usually begins with fresh cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk, which is pasteurized and then inoculated with starter...
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  How Did Buffalo Wings Get Their Name? Buffalo wings refer to a famous variety of chicken wings tossed in a spicy sauce named for the city of Buffalo, New York, where the dish is believed to have been invented. The traditional recipe for the dish involves deep-frying chicken wings and tossing them in butter and the special sauce. The...
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  What Is the Deadliest Wildfire in History? Wildfires erupt from a deadly confluence of extreme weather conditions and primed fuel sources. Drought, heat, and wind dry out timber and grasses, making them vulnerable to ignition. Once burning begins, those same environmental factors can increase a fire’s intensity and spread it over vast...
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  How Much Does a Falcon Eat Each Day? Although there are many variables that can affect a falcon’s diet, an adult falcon will generally eat 70–154 grams (2.5–5.4 ounces) daily. Think of it this way: 70 grams is roughly equivalent to the meat on two blackbirds. Or this way: Most falcons will consume about 10 percent of their body weight...
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  Why Do Kangaroos Hug? Kangaroos “hug” as a defensive tactic to stabilize themselves while fighting other kangaroos for dominance during mating season. When not scratching at their opponents’ eyes, kangaroos grip each other with their agile arms in what looks like a hug in order to balance themselves as they use their...
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  Jude Bellingham Jude Bellingham is a football (soccer) player who is a midfielder for the England national football team and for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid. He ranked third in the 2024 FIFA Ballon d’Or poll, marking him as one of the top players of the current generation. As of August 2025 he is also the...
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  Labor Day hurricane of 1935 Labor Day hurricane of 1935, one of the most powerful hurricanes to make landfall in the United States. It struck Florida and lasted for 10 days—from September 1 to September 10, 1935—with winds reaching 296 km (185 miles) per hour and a storm surge of about 6 m (20 feet). More than 400 people...
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  biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering, interdisciplinary field that brings together engineering, medicine, and biology to generate solutions that improve health and patient care. Biomedical engineers design and build tools such as artificial joints, heart monitors, imaging machines, and prosthetic limbs, which...
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  Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is a Ghanaian literary scholar and politician who has been serving as Ghana’s vice president since January 2025. She was elected in December 2024 as part of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket with presidential candidate John Mahama. She also served as minister...
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  Palestinian statehood Palestinian statehood refers to the claim of a sovereign nation-state for the Palestinian people and the effort toward its international recognition. More than 150 countries recognize Palestinian statehood under the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the Palestinian autonomous regions in the...
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  How Did James A. Garfield Die? The short answer is that Pres. James A. Garfield died as the result of an assassin’s bullet. However, the ultimate cause of his death was more complex than a gunshot wound. On July 2, 1881, Garfield was shot twice at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. His assailant was...
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  What Is the Smartest Dog Breed? The Border Collie is widely recognized as the smartest dog breed because of its uncanny ability to learn tasks quickly and perform them exceptionally well. This native intelligence, coupled with extreme agility and herding capabilities, makes the Border Collie singular in its skill set when...
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  Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria, immensely powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that ravaged the island country of Dominica and severely devastated the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico in late September 2017. Hurricane Maria’s accompanying wind gusts, excessive rainfall, storm surges, and waves also inflicted...
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  Indus script Indus script, system of symbols used in inscriptions of the Indus civilization. It is known from a few thousand inscriptions that vary from 1 to about 20 characters in length. About 400 unique signs have been identified. Despite decades of research, the script remains undeciphered. Early scholars...
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  Strategic and critical minerals: What they are and how to invest in them In July 2025, a U.S. mining company made headlines with two major investments that underscore the increasing importance of strategic and critical minerals and metals on the world stage. That month, MP Materials (MP) announced a multibillion-dollar deal making the U.S. Department of Defense its...
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  Momentum investing: Riding the wave of winning stocks At any given time in the stock market, there are outperformers, underperformers, and those that perform commensurately (hot, cold, and just right). Contrarian investors look for the cold ones—the laggards. Momentum investors chase the hot ones, with the expectation that today’s winners will keep on...
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  Kelly Reichardt The sound of water trickling in a Pacific Northwest rainforest. World news intruding on a person’s inner thoughts through a car radio. A dog amiably trotting next to a solitary person walking. Sustained moments of silence in a conversation between people attempting to make themselves understood. A...
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  How Did Giorgio Armani Change Fashion? Giorgio Armani himself defined the way he changed fashion when he described his approach to design, saying, “I was the first to soften the image of men, and harden the image of women. I dressed men in women’s fabrics, and stole from men what women wanted and needed—the power suit.” Indeed, the...
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  Global Sensations: The Top 10 Highest Grossing Actors On July 2, 2025, Jurassic World Rebirth was released. It generated more than $318 million in box office revenue over its first five days, which enabled Scarlett Johansson to become the highest-grossing actor, with $14.8 billion of gross box office income, a Hollywood record. In this quest for...
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  How Was Cotton Candy Invented? The sugary treat cotton candy was invented in Nashville in 1897 by a dentist (yes, a dentist) named William J. Morrison and a confectioner named John C. Wharton. Together, they developed a machine that spun heated sugar into fine threads, creating an airy, cottony confection that became a staple at...
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  B. Sudershan Reddy B. Sudershan Reddy is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India who was nominated as the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc’s candidate for vice president in 2025. He has also served as a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and as the chief justice of the Gauhati...
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  C.P. Radhakrishnan C.P. Radhakrishnan is an Indian politician who was elected vice president of the country in September 2025. He previously served as the governor of the states of Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Radhakrishnan, who belongs to the prominent Kongu Vellalar community of Tamil Nadu, was one of the most...
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  What Is a Female Yak Called? In English, a female yak is called a cow. This designation aligns with the common practice of using cow for mature females within the bovine subfamily of bovids, to which yaks belong. Likewise, adult male yaks are called bulls in English. Terminology for this animal is different in Tibetan, where...
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  Which Is Bigger: A Siberian Tiger or a Bengal Tiger? The Siberian tiger is bigger than the Bengal tiger. Siberian tigers can reach lengths of up to 3.7 meters (12.1 feet) and weigh as much as 423 kg (about 933 pounds), whereas Bengal tigers typically grow to about 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) in length and weigh approximately 295 kg (about 650 pounds). The...
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  Accenture Accenture PLC is a global professional services company providing consulting and information technology (IT) services. Headquartered in Dublin, the company is ranked among the Fortune Global 500. At the end of its 2024 fiscal year, it had about 774,000 employees worldwide and reported revenues of...
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  aloe vera Aloe vera, (Aloe vera), perennial succulent plant cultivated worldwide as an ornamental and for medicinal and cosmetic uses. The gelatinous interior of the leaves is commonly applied directly to the skin as a beauty treatment or to soothe sunburns, and it is sometimes ingested as a traditional...
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  Tu b’Av Tu b’Av, minor Jewish holiday popularly associated with love and marriage. It falls on the 15th day, a full moon day, of the month of Av on the Jewish calendar (July–August on the Gregorian calendar). First mentioned briefly in rabbinic Jewish texts from the first centuries ce, the holiday lapsed...
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  How Many Stomachs Does a Cow Have? Cows do not have four stomachs, as is sometimes thought. They have one stomach divided into four compartments—the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. This specialized structure is typical of ruminants, a group of mammals that includes cattle, sheep, and goats, and it allows them to digest...
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  Do Elephants Have Good Memory? Yes, elephants have good memory. For example, they are able to return to the locations of vital water and food sources during seasonal migrations. Their cognitive capabilities are also evident in their ability to retain specific details about their present or former surroundings, which directly...
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  What Is the Shortest Verse in the Bible? The shortest verse in the Christian Bible is from the Gospel According to John in the New Testament. In the New Revised Standard Version, John 11:35 reads simply, “Jesus began to weep.” Other versions are even shorter, with the King James Version and the New International Version stating, “Jesus...
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  Satish Dhawan Satish Dhawan was an Indian aerospace engineer and space scientist who is regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. He guided the development of India’s space program in its formative years, leading to such milestones as the launch of the first satellite built in...
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  10 Deadliest Typhoons in History Tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific region around the Philippines, Japan, and China with sustained wind speeds of at least 74 mph (119 km/hr) are called typhoons. When the same phenomenon occurs in the North Atlantic Ocean and the eastern North Pacific, the resulting storm is called a...
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  Celine Song Celine Song is a rising star, though her work is done behind the camera. The Canadian filmmaker has found immense success with her directorial debut, Past Lives (2023), which received two Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations, and her sophomore film, Materialists (2025). Both...
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  KPop Demon Hunters KPop Demon Hunters, animated musical fantasy film directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, and streaming globally on Netflix. Released in June 2025, the film quickly reached Netflix’s global top 10 in 93 countries and within two months became the...
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  15 Best-Selling Manga In the world of Japanese comics and graphic novels, manga is more than entertainment—it is central to Japan’s publishing industry and has a growing global readership. Manga are serialized in weekly magazines, collected in paperback volumes, and adapted across media platforms. Manga stories are...
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  auricle Auricle, in the human heart, one of two small ear-shaped muscular projections extending from the atria, one from the left atrium and one from the right. Their primary function is to act as reservoirs, expanding the capacity of the atria and helping regulate blood flow into the ventricles....
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  What Is the Either-Or Fallacy? The either-or fallacy, also called a false dilemma, is a logical error that happens when someone presents only two options or outcomes, ignoring other possibilities. This oversimplifies complex situations and can lead to flawed reasoning. An example would be claiming that you must support a...
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  White Nights White Nights, short story by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, first published in 1848. The story is set in St. Petersburg during the city’s famed White Nights season, a natural twilight phenomenon occurring from mid-June to early July, when the Sun barely dips below the horizon and the sky...
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  Highland Papua Highland Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when Papua was divided. The only landlocked province of Indonesia, Highland Papua encompasses much of the Jayawijaya Mountains, the eastern...