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  Today in History—February 18: From Kansas to the Kuiper BeltThe butterfly effect, Midwest edition: A hailstorm in Kansas helped lead to the discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto. In 1928 a hailstorm hit the Tombaugh family farm in Burdett, Kansas, and wiped out the crops—and the money earmarked for Clyde Tombaugh, 22, eldest of six, to go to college. Clyde...
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  2026 Israeli ElectionsIsraelis go to the polls in 2026 for one of Israel’s most contentious elections in recent history. Set to be held in October, the elections for the Knesset (Israeli parliament) are the first to take place since the October 7 attack and the resulting Israel-Hamas War. The elections come at a pivotal...
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  otakuOtaku, people who pore over anime frames, memorize manga timelines, collect game art books, and sometimes build entire social lives around their favorite worlds. The Japanese word otaku was originally a polite form of address, but from the 1980s onward it was often used to mock obsessive fans; over...
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  How Do Fertility Drugs Work?Fertility drugs for those trying to become pregnant work mainly by stimulating or regulating the hormones involved in ovulation, helping the ovaries produce and release eggs more effectively. Certain other fertility drugs address factors that influence hormones involved in ovulation, such as...
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  fezolinetantFezolinetant, nonhormonal drug used to treat vasomotor symptoms—namely, hot flashes and night sweats—associated with menopause. The drug is known by the trade names Veozah in the United States and Veoza in Europe. Fezolinetant fills a critical gap for women seeking effective relief from menopause...
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  Gordie Howe International BridgeGordie Howe International Bridge, cable-stayed international bridge crossing the Detroit River between Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Detroit, Michigan, U.S. The bridge is under construction and is planned to be completed and open for use in early 2026. Upon completion, the bridge will be about 1.5...
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  2026 T20 World Cup HighlightsThe 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, cohosted by India and Sri Lanka, is in full swing and has already delivered the excitement and drama that makes Twenty20 (T20) cricket the most popular format of the game. From the nail-biting clash between South Africa and Afghanistan, which took two Super Overs...
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  What Is a Hamate Bone?A hamate is a triangular bone located along the ulnar (pinky) side of the wrist among the carpal bones. It is distinguished by a curved, hooklike projection that extends toward the palm. The hamate bone contributes to the structural boundaries of both the carpal tunnel and Guyon canal, the latter...
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  Today in History—February 16: A 12-Year-Old Girl Meets Her Very Famous Pen Pal“I have a little correspondent in this place, and if she is present will she please come forward?” And so it was, with that request on February 16, 1861, that Grace Bedell met her famous pen pal—President-elect Abraham Lincoln. Their correspondence began four months earlier, when Lincoln was merely...
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  2026 T20 World Cup: Players to WatchThe International Cricket Council (ICC) has granted more than 100 countries Twenty20 (T20) international playing status. The increase in teams in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from 12 in 2007 to 20 in 2024 and 2026 reflects the popularity of the shorter T20 format. In the 2026 edition each...
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  Today in History—February 17: Man Versus Machine—Who Would Win?On this day in 1996, world chess champion Garry Kasparov defeated IBM’s Deep Blue computer—but it wasn’t as easy as he had predicted. He had once stated that he would never lose to a machine, but perhaps he was too confident. The very first game of the six-round tournament saw Kasparov defeated in...
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  Today in History—February 15: The Headline That Led America to WarOn a pitch-black night in 1898, as the 324-foot American battleship USS Maine lay at anchor in Havana Harbor, Cuba, an explosion burst beneath the enlisted men’s quarters. Most sailors were in their bunks. Casualties were enormous. The blast shook buildings and knocked out power and telephone lines...
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  Today in History—February 14: The Day Chicago’s Bootlegging War Spiraled Out of ControlAt 10:30 am on this day in 1929, light snow was falling in Chicago. A black Cadillac—the kind favored by police—pulled up outside the North Side garage of mobster George “Bugs” Moran. Four men got out, two of them in police uniforms. The men entered the small, one-story garage that housed the cars...
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  Today in History—February 13: Farewell toPeanutsThe funny pages weren’t so funny on this day in 2000. That morning, readers around the world turned to the comic section to discover that Peanuts had ended. The final strip featured a quiet farewell from creator Charles M. Schulz. His health was failing, and he could no longer continue the cartoon....
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  Nordic combinedNordic combined, competitive winter sport that blends ski jumping and cross-country skiing. It was one of the six disciplines featured at the inaugural Chamonix 1924 Olympic Winter Games and has been a Winter Olympic event, for male athletes, ever since. Nordic combined is the only Olympic sport...
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  Jeffrey Epstein’s IslandsAt first glance, Little St. James Island could be mistaken for a roughly 70-acre (28-hectare) tropical paradise, complete with a swimming pool, ocean views, and palm trees. But Little St. James, owned for two decades by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, may more accurately be described as a...
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  Artemis IIArtemis II, U.S. space mission, scheduled for early 2026, that is to be the first flight of astronauts to the Moon since 1972. The first crewed mission of the Artemis program, it is to be followed by a crewed lunar landing mission, Artemis III, planned for 2027. Artemis II’s crew of four (commander...
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  What Is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangerment Finding?In everyday usage endanger is a loaded word that evokes images of people being exposed to disease, workers at risk of on-the-job injury, children threatened with harm because of negligence or worse, and challenges to long-term plant and animal survival. With the existential threat posed by climate...
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  Today in History—February 12: The Surreal Theft ofThe ScreamSecurity footage shows two figures approaching the museum with a ladder. They position it near a second-story window. The grainy video cuts away; the rest of the actions are hard to decipher, but one figure seems to drop something from the top of the ladder before descending. This isn’t footage...
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  Howard LutnickHoward Lutnick avoided death on 9/11 because he decided to take his five-year-old son to his first day of kindergarten. His younger brother and best friend were among the 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, the Wall Street firm he ran, who died that day, trapped in their offices on the 101st to...
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  Trinamool CongressTrinamool Congress, political party in India formed by Mamata Banerjee in 1998 and active primarily in her home state of West Bengal, where it has held power since 2011. It also has a presence in northeastern states, such as Meghalaya and Tripura, and has fielded candidates in elections in Goa. The...
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  67: More Than Just SlangIf six seven lives rent free in your head thanks to the Internet, here is a plot twist: 67 was interesting long before it became a meme. Numbers do not need to be large, visually striking, or even frequently encountered to be mathematically significant. Some, such as 67, are interesting because...
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  Nervous ConditionsNervous Conditions, semi-autobiographical novel by Zimbabwean author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga that was published in English in the United Kingdom in 1988. It won the Africa section of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in 1989. The novel begins in the late 1960s in what was then Rhodesia (now...
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  Shubman GillShubman Gill is an Indian cricketer who bats right-handed and as of February 2026 is the fastest male batter to score 2,000 runs in the One Day International (ODI; 50 overs a side) format. Considered a prodigy, he was named the Player of the Series when India won the 2018 International Cricket...
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  How fintech shapes everyday banking, payments, and investingFinancial technology, or fintech, is a broad category of technology-driven financial services. Much of the modern financial system operates through apps, websites, and other digital tools. If you’ve used a bank account, made a digital payment, or managed money online, you’ve likely used...
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  Today in History—February 11: TheFrench Chef Premiere: When Julia Child Taught America to Cook (and Laugh)On this day in 1963, with the premiere of The French Chef, Julia Child changed cooking—and television—forever. And she did it in a donated kitchen with a wonky stove and a budget so low that the station had to sell the food after each episode to cover costs. Julia embraced mistakes during...
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  Deaths in 2026Below is a list of notable deaths in 2026, arranged in chronological order. (The age of the individual is in...
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  Athletes Speaking Out at the 2026 Winter OlympicsThe modern Olympic Games are intended to promote not only amazing human athletic achievements but also international cooperation, peace, and goodwill. In the words of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), these ideals, called “Olympism,” aim “to create a way of life based on the joy found in...
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  Black Tuesday and the Crash of 1929October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday, is widely regarded as the final day of the stock market crash of 1929, a sudden and staggeringly steep drop in U.S. stock prices that precipitated the Great Depression. The downturn had begun on October 24 and intensified over the following week. By 1930...
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  Why Is Shubman Gill Not Playing in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup?It is not unusual to see teams shake up their rosters ahead of a major cricket tournament. However, more than a few eyebrows were raised when India’s 15-member squad for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup did not include batter Shubman Gill, the Indian team’s captain for Tests and One-Day Internationals...
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  Verizon Communications, Inc.Verizon Communications Inc. is a U.S. telecommunications company based in New York City. Founded in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE Corporation, Verizon provides wireless service, broadband Internet, and related communications services to consumers, businesses, and institutional...
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  Transfer taxes: How gift, estate, and generation-skipping (GST) taxes fit togetherWhether we like it or not, the federal government can’t provide services without revenue—and that revenue comes from taxes. For more than a century, Americans have debated how heavily the wealthiest citizens should be taxed. Some believe higher taxes on large fortunes promote fairness, while others...
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  Vocabulary QuizTest or refresh your knowledge of key words, terms, and concepts used in discussions and debates about U.S. immigration, sanctuary cities, Cuba, embargoes, and U.S. foreign policy. Each answer links to the related ProCon debate featuring the word, term, or concept. Enjoy the challenge. Good...
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  T20 World CupThe ICC T20 World Cup is a biennial Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket competition organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body for the sport, in both men’s and women’s categories. The first men’s ICC World Twenty20 (now the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup) was held in 2007...
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  Social Security AdministrationThe Social Security Administration is the federal agency that administers Social Security programs in the United States. Although many Americans associate Social Security with retirement benefits, the agency’s role goes far beyond sending monthly payments to beneficiaries. The Social Security...
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  Robert HerjavecRobert Herjavec is an entrepreneur and investor who built a career in cybersecurity before becoming a longtime panelist on ABC’s reality television series Shark Tank. He is known for founding and leading technology companies and for investing in early-stage businesses on the show, where he has been...
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  Today in History—February 10: The Bride Wore White (for the First Time)On this day in 1840, Queen Victoria got married…to her cousin, Albert. He was the second son of a foreign duke—and the love of Victoria’s life. Their matchmaker was also in the family: The pair’s shared uncle, King Leopold I of Belgium, first floated the idea the year that his niece and nephew both...
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  Why Are Iguanas Falling from Trees in Florida?American songwriters Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke penned the standard “Pennies from Heaven” in 1936, and it was first performed by American singer and actor Bing Crosby in the film of the same name later that year. According to the song, “you’ll find your fortune fallin’ all over town,” so “be...
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  Why Do Humans Need Water?If you think about it, a large part of what makes us human is water doing its job quietly in the background. About 60 percent of your body is water. That means more than half of “you” is just…H2O. So when people say, “Drink more water,” they’re not simply being annoying; they’re also reminding you...
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  GulzarA poet, writer, lyricist, scriptwriter, film producer, and director, Gulzar has been one of the most influential contributors to Indian cinema since the 1960s. He is widely known for his blank-verse poetry, and his writing and translations are influenced by multiple Indian languages. His poems and...
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  Today in History—February 9: Magic Johnson’s All-Star Return Amid the AIDS CrisisToday in 1992 Magic Johnson was named MVP of his 12th NBA All-Star Game—the only game he played that entire season. His Western Conference team trounced the East, 153–113. The longtime Laker and three-time league MVP led the field in points (25) and assists (9) while completing the kind of...
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  severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndromeSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), rapidly progressing tick-borne viral disease characterized primarily by the sudden onset of high fever and a significantly reduced number of platelets in the blood, a condition known as thrombocytopenia. These features are accompanied by...
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  Italian Place Names in the United StatesAlthough Rome, Venice, and Florence are Italian cities, their names extend far beyond Italy. Towns named for these famous cities and many others can also be found in countries where emigration created an Italian diaspora. The United States is particularly rich in such names, although not all of...
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  Are Puerto Ricans U.S. Citizens?Yes, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens—and have been since 1917. Yet many people in the United States remain unaware of that fact. A 2016 public opinion poll by The Economist and YouGov found that less than half of U.S. respondents correctly identified Puerto Ricans as U.S. citizens. People born in...
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  Today in History—February 8: The Battle That Turned the Tide in the PacificOn this day in 1943, with World War II well underway, the Imperial Japanese Navy evacuated its 10,000 remaining troops from the island of Guadalcanal. Allied forces had finally secured control of the southern Solomon Islands, a strategic victory six brutal months in the making. This evacuation...
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  Which Winter Sport Is the Fastest?With competitors regularly reaching speeds over 120 miles (195 km) per hour, speed skiing is the fastest winter sport. However, you won’t see this sport in the Olympics outside of its appearance as a demonstration event at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, where one participant died...
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  Today in History—February 7: The Most Unlikely Leading ManOn this day in 1914 Charlie Chaplin debuted his “Tramp” character in Kid Auto Races at Venice. The Tramp would become one of the most recognizable figures in cinema, with his small derby hat, large shoes, and ill-fitted suit. Today was his test drive. The setting for the live, improvised film was...
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  Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays?A common Lenten tradition in many Roman Catholic communities is the Friday fish fry: deep-fried fish dinners usually served with chips (or “french fries,” if you must). Although the tradition has some basis in doctrine, technically the Roman Catholic Church does not require its followers to eat...
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  SinnersWritten and directed by Ryan Coogler, Sinners sculpts the early history of blues music in the Mississippi Delta—the music’s folklore, legacy, and the African American communities that birthed it—into a mythic horror film, both poignant and terrifying. It adapts the blood-and-fangs conventions of...
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  Languages of Northern ItalyItaly is a linguistically complicated country. At first glance this may seem surprising. Standard Italian is the country’s sole official language, and almost every citizen can speak it. However, look deeper and you will find a complex network of dialects, some of which are standardized as...
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  Today in History—February 6: Sovereignty: Signed, Sealed, and DisputedOn this day in 1840, New Zealand became British—on paper. By the 1830s, things on Aotearoa—the name the Māori people who had settled New Zealand centuries earlier gave their land—were out of control. Māori outnumbered British settlers 62 to 1, but newcomers—mostly whalers, merchants, and...
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  Gregory BovinoGregory Bovino is an American law enforcement official who spent most of his career working for the United States Border Patrol. During the second administration of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump, he became the face of the Border Patrol’s more militant and aggressive practices, overseeing immigration...
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  bombaBomba, emblematic traditional dance and music genre of Puerto Rico, one of the oldest forms within the island’s rich Afro–Puerto Rican musical tradition. Developed in the colonial era by enslaved Africans, bomba continues to flourish as a vehicle for Afro–Puerto Rican history, identity, and...
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  Do Olympic Athletes Get Paid?For athletes at the Olympic Games, medals can bring prestige—and sometimes a payday. While the International Olympic Committee does not pay athletes to compete in the Games, many can earn money in other ways. Numerous national Olympic committees and governments provide financial bonuses to those...
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  Today in History—February 5: The Life and Disappearance of George BassOn this day in 1803, 32-year-old English explorer George Bass set sail from Sydney aboard the Venus with a crew of 25, bound for Tahiti. No one knows if they made it. The ship and its men vanished without a trace. Bass was already something of a legend. Trained as a Royal Navy surgeon—and...
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  Savannah GuthrieSavannah Guthrie is one of a long line of Today show hosts who has—as the program demands—mixed journalistic rigor with downright silliness. Consider that in her role with NBC she has: In early 2026 Guthrie faced a personal crisis when her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reportedly abducted...
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  samphireSamphire, a number of unrelated succulent, salt-tolerant (halophytic), shrublike plants that grow in coastal marshes and on mangroves, mudflats, rocky cliffs, and beaches in both tropical and temperate regions. The name samphire comes from the French name for these plants, herbe de Saint Pierre,...
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  Vocabulary QuizTest or refresh your knowledge of key words, terms, and concepts used in discussions and debates about law and order in the United States. Each answer links to the related ProCon debate featuring the word, term, or concept. Enjoy the challenge. Good...
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  Today in History—February 4: Walt Disney’s “Folly” That Earned $180 MillionOn this day in 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hit theaters nationwide, forever changing animation—and saving Walt Disney from bankruptcy. The first full-length animated feature film, it took three years and $1.5 million ($36 million today)—six times its original budget—to make, and it...
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  Kristi YamaguchiKristi Yamaguchi, who would become known to America and the world for her ethereal grace and superior athleticism in figure skates, spent the first year of her life in casts and special shoes to correct her bilateral clubfoot. But by the time she was five, she had become mesmerized watching Dorothy...
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  Vocabulary QuizTest or refresh your knowledge of key words, terms, and concepts used in discussions and debates about U.S. voting, elections, presidents, and impeachments. Each answer links to the related ProCon debate featuring the word, term, or concept. Enjoy the challenge. Good...
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  Kristen WiigKristen Wiig is an American actor and comedian who was a popular cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL) before branching out to movies, including Bridesmaids (2011), Ghostbusters (2016), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). She is known for playing silly and neurotic characters. Wiig’s father, Jon Wiig,...
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  Which Country Has Won the Most Olympic Medals?As the world descends on Milan for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, and with an eye toward the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028, it is natural to wonder which country leads in the all-time medal count. For athletes, winning an Olympic medal of any kind represents a reward for years...
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  How Do People Qualify for the Olympics?Competing in the Olympic Games is the dream of elite athletes around the world. But how exactly do they earn one of the highly coveted spots on the roster? Those looking to participate in the Olympic Games must satisfy both eligibility and qualification requirements. The International Olympic...
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  Today in History—February 3: When Rebellion Was the Mother of InventionOn this day in 1690 (or possibly 1691, depending on which historical records you trust), the Massachusetts Bay Colony printed £40,000 in paper money—something no government in the Western world had ever done. This wasn’t the colony’s first flirtation with fiat: In December (of 1689 or 1690)...
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  Olivia DeanOlivia Dean is an English singer whose soulful balladry whisks together elements of pop, jazz, and R&B to create catchy anthems of heartbreak and love. Her foot-tapping second studio album, The Art of Loving (2025), catapulted her to global success. Among her most popular songs are “Man I Need” and...
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  Jovenel MoïseJovenel Moïse was a Haitian businessman and politician who served as president from 2017 until his assassination in office in 2021. A political outsider, he was a controversial figure in Haitian public life. He won the presidency following a disputed electoral process, and his term was...
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  galangalGalangal, reddish brown rhizome of several plants in the Alpinia genus, as well as the spice derived from them. It is similar to ginger and belongs to the same plant family, Zingiberaceae, but differs in that it has notes of citrus, pepper, and pine. Galangal is widely used in cooking in the Indian...
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  History of the Winter Olympic Games in Pictures“You had to see it to believe it!” That refrain has echoed through descriptions of Olympic competition for more than a century. From the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924 to the present, athletes have tested the limits of balance, speed, and endurance on snow and ice, captivating audiences that...
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  VenkateswaraVenkateswara, Hindu deity recognized as an avatar of the god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the paramount deity for followers of the Srivaishnava sect (a form of Vaishnavism in southern India), and devotees seek the god for his ability to grant boons and burn away sins. His most important temple is the...
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  Did Mary Shelley Really Have a Piece of Her Husband’s Heart?The myth: Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein (1818) and arguably the inventor of science fiction, kept the preserved heart of her late husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, in her writing desk for the rest of her life. It’s audacious. It’s wild. It’s romantic, in a Gothic kind of way. But...
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  History of U.S. Land AcquisitionsOver the course of a little more than a century, the United States transformed from a young republic along the Atlantic seaboard into a continental—and overseas—power through westward expansion and territorial additions. The map and table below reveal the monumental impact of seven major land...
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  Nipah virusNipah virus, bat-borne infectious agent that causes a febrile illness in humans. Known as Nipah virus disease, this condition can progress to severe respiratory distress and potentially fatal encephalitis (brain inflammation), with a fatality rate as high as 75 percent. Outbreaks of Nipah virus...
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  My Hero AcademiaMy Hero Academia, manga series by the mangaka (person who creates manga) Horikoshi Kōhei, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2014 to 2024. Set in a world where unique superpowers called quirks have become part of everyday life, the story follows Midoriya Izuku, a boy born without...
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  Today in History—February 2: The Weather-Watching Whistle-pigOn this day in 1887, in a town in western Pennsylvania that barely qualified as a town, a group from the local Elks Lodge set out in the cold to find a rodent to predict the weather. The animal saw his shadow, which meant six more weeks of winter. This proved accurate—as long as you didn’t look...
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  Paying and filing taxesYou’ve heard all the jokes and tropes about taxes. They say nothing is certain in life except death and taxes; that people have giant boxes of receipts in their closets just waiting for the tax preparer; that there’s a mad scramble in April to get those returns filed. But understanding the ins and...
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  2026 T20 World CupThe 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is the 10th edition of a biennial men’s Twenty20 international cricket competition organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It is scheduled to be held from February 7 to March 8, 2026, with India and Sri Lanka as cohosts. India won the most recent...
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  Today in History—February 1: How a Hobby Revived an IndustryWith the stroke of a pen, U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter transformed America’s brewing industry. On October 14, 1978, Carter signed HR 1337, a relatively innocuous (read: boring, unless you care about excise taxes on buses) transportation bill with an interesting amendment, No. 5354, as a rider: the...
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  How Big Was the Asteroid That Contributed to Dinosaur Extinction?Many scientists believe an asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago may have significantly contributed to the K–T extinction event, which wiped out the dinosaurs. Though little is known about the asteroid itself, it is estimated to have been about 10 to 15 km (6 to 9 miles) in diameter. The...
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  Sarah KaneSarah Kane was an English playwright whose works are known for deliberately challenging audience sensibilities by confronting them with subjects that are commonly regarded as uncomfortable and even taboo. The raw presentation of violence, both sexual and otherwise, in her first play, Blasted...
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  Tom HomanTom Homan is a longtime law enforcement official who serves as Pres. Donald Trump’s border czar. In January 2026, after the deaths of two American citizens at the hands of federal officers, Trump dispatched Homan to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take over the federal government’s contentious crackdown...
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  Who Has Been Nominated for the Most Oscars but Never Won?When it comes to Academy Award nominations, some actors, directors, producers, and other film professionals have been honored several times over by their peers. But as the people listed in the table below have learned, multiple Oscar nods are no guarantee that a nominee will be taking home a golden...
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  What Movies Have Won the Most Oscars?A biblical epic, a doomed ocean liner, and an adaptation of a classic fantasy novel—what do these have in common? All three hold the record for most Academy Award wins. In 1960 Ben-Hur (1959) won a record-setting 11 Oscars. It was later joined by Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return...
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  Rashmika MandannaRashmika Mandanna is an Indian actress who is known for her girl-next-door image and charming screen presence. She is regarded as a pan-India film star because of her work in cinema across several languages—Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi. Her best-known films include Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and...
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  2025–26 Minnesota ICE DeploymentPres. Donald Trump surged back to the presidency in 2025 in part by pledging an unprecedented crackdown on unauthorized immigration. His administration moved quickly to fulfill this promise, empowering U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to...
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  Rachel BrosnahanRachel Brosnahan American actress who is best known for her roles as Lois Lane in James Gunn’s Superman (2025) and as the title character in the Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–23). Brosnahan won two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy Award for her performance as Miriam...
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  Today in History—January 31: How a Flop Started Daytime TelevisionOn this day in 1949, the first daytime TV soap opera premiered—and flopped. These Are My Children was broadcast live on NBC, marking the first time a continuing daytime serial drama was carried on a major network. The 15-minute daily program focused on Mrs. Henehan, an Irish widow running a...
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  Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs): Owning a piece of your employerAn employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a qualified retirement plan that’s primarily invested in employer stock. Rather than employees deferring part of their pay into a retirement account and receiving a company match, as with a 401(k), ESOPs are funded entirely by the employer, typically...
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  Billionaires giving it all away: How the Giving Pledge works (and doesn’t work)In the first 50 years of his life, Charles Feeney went from being the child of a nurse and an insurance underwriter who struggled to support three children to an entrepreneur worth an estimated $8 billion. Over the next four decades, Feeney gave away almost all of his money to charities, guided by...
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  Winter Olympic GamesOnce a quieter counterpart to the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympic Games have grown into a sporting powerhouse, uniting global audiences every four years. Statistics from the event’s first century reflect this rapid expansion: Athlete participation has increased more than tenfold—from more than...
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  Valentine’s DayValentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 each year with chocolates, flowers, and brightly colored cards featuring hearts, Cupids, and expressions of love. Although traditionally celebrated as a reflection of romantic love, the holiday has evolved into a more general celebration of friendship...
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  Today in History—January 30: The Impromptu Concert that Became the Beatles’ LastIn the early afternoon of January 30, 1969, passersby along London’s Savile Row heard history being made: On the rooftop of Apple Corps headquarters, the Beatles played what would turn out to be their final concert together. The 42-minute set—cut short by police intervention—featured performances...
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  Why Are Clouds White?Clouds are made of tiny droplets of water or small ice crystals suspended in air. Both air and pure water are almost transparent, so it is natural to wonder why clouds stand out in the sky as white shapes instead of being see-through. The answer lies in how sunlight interacts with those droplets....
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  Ice Hockey at the Winter Olympics: A TimelineThe inclusion of ice hockey in the modern Olympics preceded the creation of the Winter Games. The first Olympic men’s ice hockey event was at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was later included in the list of sports for the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and has been played in every...
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  Today in History—January 29: “Once upon a midnight dreary…”On this day in 1845, “The Raven” appeared in print for the first time—though who published what first gets a bit tangled. In the New York Evening Mirror of January 29, advance sheets from the American Review brought readers Edgar Allan Poe’s ballad of lost love. The American Review publication...
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  Credit mix explained: How different types of accounts affect your credit scorePaying bills late—or not paying them in full—is the fastest way to damage your credit score. That’s well understood. But your payment history isn’t the only thing credit scoring models look at. They also evaluate how you use credit, including the types of accounts on your credit report. This...
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  Daymond JohnDaymond John is an American entrepreneur and investor. As the cofounder and chief executive officer of the apparel company FUBU, he helped bring styles associated with hip-hop into the mainstream fashion industry. Since 2009, he has been a longtime panelist on ABC’s Shark Tank, where he evaluates...
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  How to dispute and fix credit errors: A step-by-step guideYou’ve heard that a good credit score helps you avoid higher borrowing costs, denied applications, or financial plans going off track. But what if the problem with your score isn’t something you did? What if there’s an error on your credit report—an account you don’t recognize, a late payment you...
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  Today in History—January 28: A Dark Day in Space ExplorationThe night before the Challenger space shuttle was slated to take off on its 10th mission, a cold wave swept through Florida. By morning the launch pad was covered in a layer of ice. Barely over a minute after the shuttle had blasted off at 11:38 am, television audiences across the United States...
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  Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter GamesMilano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, international sports competition for athletes with disabilities that will be held in northern Italy from March 6 to 15, 2026. The event will mark the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Winter Games, which were first held in 1976 in Sweden. It will also...
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  Bob MackieBob Mackie is an American costume designer noted for his extravagant and inventive style, characterized by meticulously hand-beaded garments and abundant applications of feathers and rhinestones. His costuming received wide notice through 1960s and ’70s television variety series, including The...
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  Gambino crime familyGambino crime family, New York City-based organized crime syndicate with roots dating back to late 19th-century Sicily. It is one of the American Mafia’s Five Families—the Gambino, Bonanno, Lucchese, Genovese, and Colombo organizations—which have historically dominated organized crime in New York...
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  How Is Artificial Snow Made?When not enough snow falls at winter sports resorts, artificial snow is used to supplement nature’s deficit. Despite its name artificial snow is not made of different materials from real snow. Natural hexagonal snowflakes are made when ice crystals form around minute particles of dust or chemical...
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  List of Byronic HeroesA moody and brooding outcast. A haunted heartthrob. A rebel with or without a cause. A man hell-bent on destruction, even his own. The Byronic hero is one of the most fascinating male figures in pop culture. The literary archetype was invented by the English Romantic poet Lord Byron (whose...
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  Are Native Americans U.S. Citizens?All Native Americans—as well as Alaska Natives, who often do not identify with the term Native American—“born within the territorial limits of the United States” are U.S. citizens. This has been the case since 1924, when Pres. Calvin Coolidge signed the Snyder Act, also called the Indian...
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  Matthew StaffordMatthew Stafford is a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, who led the team to victory in Super Bowl LVI in 2022. Stafford was born in Tampa, Florida, to John and Margaret Stafford, who both worked in sales. He grew up in Highland Park, an affluent suburb of Dallas,...
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  What Happened to Air France Flight 447?About 1:35 am on June 1, 2009, the pilots of Air France flight 447 contacted Brazilian air traffic control to routinely report their location over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. They were never heard from again. There was no Mayday call; there were no witnesses. One of the airplane industry’s...
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  Sunny DeolSunny Deol is an Indian actor and politician known for his action hero roles in Bollywood films. Deol’s career peaked in the 1980s and ’90s and remained stable through the release of the blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001; “Rebellion: A Love Story”). His career then experienced a relative...
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  Is Russia Participating in the Olympics?Given their continued involvement as aggressors in the Russia-Ukraine War, neither Russia nor Belarus will be represented as a nation at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. However, approved athletes from those countries will be permitted to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes...
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  Peaky BlindersPeaky Blinders, British crime drama that portrays the rise of the titular gang in Birmingham, England, in the period between the First and Second World Wars. It ran for six seasons with a total of 36 episodes; seasons one through four (2013–17) were broadcast on the British Broadcasting Corporation...
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  Can the Cold Really Cause Trees to Explode?Several forces can cause a plant (or a structure within a plant) to burst. Some of these “explosions” are by design: A number of plants (including milkweed, touch-me-nots, squirting cucumbers, and blue violets) use the pressure built up in their tissues over a period of growth to launch their seeds...
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  Today in History—January 27: Dante’s Divine JusticeOn this day in 1302, Italian poet Dante Alighieri was exiled from Florence. Sentenced by a court of his political enemies—and threatened with death if he returned—he spent the rest of his life wandering Italy. But Dante wasn’t one to let his enemies have the last word. During his exile, he composed...
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  Today in History—January 26: World’s Largest Diamond Found…and Thrown OutOn this day in 1905, the world’s largest diamond was unearthed at the Premier Mine in South Africa. Then it was promptly yeeted out a window. When the stone was brought to the mine’s office, the clerk on duty dismissed it as a worthless hunk of crystal. Diamonds simply weren’t that big. So he...
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  Today in History—January 25: Rule Number 1: Don’t Harm HumansOn this day in 1979, Robert Nicholas Williams died at work. Born in 1953, Williams lived in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He was survived by his wife and three children, his mother, and five sisters. The 25-year-old was a normal young man with a normal life—until the manner of his death made history....
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  Journey to the End of the NightJourney to the End of the Night, first novel, published in French in 1932, written by misanthropic French author Louis-Ferdinand Céline. The novel, though controversial, was widely admired and was first published in English in 1934. Often described by critics as a picaresque novel and also as...
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  Will Artemis II Land on the Moon?Will Artemis II Land on the Moon?, The Artemis II mission, which will launch in early 2026, will not land on the Moon. It will fly four astronauts around the Moon and return to Earth. The next mission in the Artemis program, Artemis III, is scheduled to land astronauts on the Moon near the south...
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  Mary PeltolaDemocrat Mary Peltola became the first Alaska Native elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Four years later she is trying to become the first Alaska Native to be elected to the U.S. Senate. She is also seeking to oust a Republican incumbent in a state that has sent only one Democrat...
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  Board of PeaceBoard of Peace, international body, chaired by U.S. Pres. Donald Trump, “that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” according to its charter. The body is set to supervise a transitional...
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  Jessie BuckleyJessie Buckley is an Irish actress and singer, best known for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in the 2025 film Hamnet, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a drama. Buckley began her career on the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything in 2008 and has since built a formidable...
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  One Battle After AnotherIn the early 2000s American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson began putting together ideas for an “action car-chase movie.” He had three sources of inspiration. First, he wanted to write a script for “a kind of action-adventure film in the desert with a car chase.” Second, he wanted to adapt Thomas...
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  Football WarThe Football War, also called the Soccer War or the 100-Hour War, was a short-lived but intense military conflict from July 14 to July 18, 1969, fought between the Central American countries of Honduras and El Salvador. Although the name suggests that the dispute emerged from sport, the conflict...
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  Who Pays for the Olympics?The Olympic Games are a costly celebration of sport paid for by both private and public resources. A portion of money—on the order of one or two billion dollars—comes from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is a nonprofit organization that itself is funded through private sector...
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  ski mountaineeringSki mountaineering, winter recreation and sport that involves ascending and descending mountain slopes using a combination of skiing and mountaineering techniques and equipment. On the ascent practitioners alternately use skis outfitted with high-friction coverings (called skins) and boots, as well...
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  Rose ByrneRose Byrne is an Australian actress whose performances have straddled weighty drama and side-splitting comedy with equal ease. After beginning her acting career as a teenager, she garnered recognition and acclaim for her roles in Hollywood films such as Troy (2004) and Bridesmaids (2011) and the TV...
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  Today in History—January 24: How a Sparkling Riverbed Reshaped the American WestThere’s gold in them thar…creeks. If you got there early. On this day in 1848, construction superintendent James Marshall spotted something sparkling in the riverbed while overseeing excavation for a sawmill for John Sutter in California. Marshall ran some then-common tests on the yellow...
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  Today in History—January 23: The Day the “Endless War” Didn’t EndOn this day in 1973, U.S. Pres. Richard Nixon addressed the nation to announce what could be called a historic breakthrough: “We today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia.” Except it wasn’t so. Nixon spoke with visible relief as he...
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  India-Russia RelationsIndia and Russia (formerly part of the Soviet Union) are close partners whose multidimensional partnership spans crucial areas such as diplomacy and defense, economic cooperation, energy, and trade. It is one of the longest-running bilateral relationships in the world, officially established...
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  Today in History—January 22: The Moment Advertising Became CinemaOn this day in 1984, a new kind of television commercial quietly made history. Apple Computer’s now-legendary “1984” ad became just as famous for what it didn’t say as for what it did say. But the commercial almost didn’t see the light of day. Airing during Super Bowl XVIII, the 60-second ad showed...
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  Today in History—January 21: When Supersonic Travel Took OffStop, hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going…up. That sound was a sonic boom from Concorde, the world’s first turbojet-powered supersonic passenger aircraft. Developed in the 1960s as a joint project between France and Great Britain, Concorde marked its debut with two simultaneous...
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  Ryan CooglerRyan Coogler is a Hollywood filmmaker who has forged a reputation for layering blockbuster genre films with social commentary rooted in Black identity, culture, and community. He made history in 2018 as the first African American to direct a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film when he made Black...
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  A History of U.S. Intervention in Latin America and the CaribbeanWhen the United States intervened militarily in Venezuela in January 2026 to remove Pres. Nicolás Maduro from power, it did not mark a break from past practice but instead was the latest expression of a long-standing pattern. For more than two centuries, the United States has repeatedly involved...
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  Mike VrabelMike Vrabel is an American football coach and former player who is especially known for his tenure with the New England Patriots. A linebacker who saw occasional duty as a tight end, he helped the team win three Super Bowls (2002, 2004, 2005). After retiring as a player in 2011, he embarked on a...
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  ArirangArirang, traditional Korean folk song closely associated with Korean cultural identity in both North and South Korea. In the modern era, particularly following the division of Korea in the mid-20th century, “Arirang” has come to be understood as a symbol of shared cultural identity on the Korean...
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  Is There an Age Limit for the Olympics?The Olympics have no official overarching age limit for competitors. However, the international sports federations that govern each sport often do set specific age minimums for competition. The age limits for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games can be found...
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  List of Federal Holidays in the United StatesThe U.S. Congress has established 12 permanent federal holidays, 11 of which are observed annually. The 12th—Inauguration Day—is celebrated every four years following a presidential election and applies only to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Federal holidays are legally mandated only for...
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  Today in History—January 20: The Young President Spoke, and the Nation ListenedOn a frigid January afternoon in 1961, U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy stood before a crowd of nearly 1 million to deliver his inaugural address. Eight inches of snow had fallen the night before, and the youngest person ever elected president, the war hero, spoke wearing no coat. His breath formed...
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  Today in History—January 19: Lucille Ball Welcomes a Baby—On-Screen and OffOn this day in 1953, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz welcomed a baby boy. Twice. In real life, actress Lucille Ball gave birth to her son Desi Arnaz, Jr., via a planned C-section. On I Love Lucy, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo welcomed “Little Ricky” in an episode widely credited as the first-ever to feature a...
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  Do Olympic Coaches Get Medals?No, coaches at the Olympic Games do not receive medals. Medals are awarded only to winning athletes. Coaches are given medals in many other sporting organizations, however, such as World Athletics, Champions League, and the National Football League, but not in the Olympics—at least not formally...
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  Credit card interchange fees: What they are and how they workEver since their debut in the mid-20th century, credit cards have helped speed up the checkout process. You tap, swipe, or click, and—unless your card is declined—the purchase is complete. Most people stop thinking about the transaction at that point. The card’s issuing bank pays the merchant, you...
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  When Has the Insurrection Act Been Invoked?Pres. Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act (1807) in response to huge protests against his efforts to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Insurrection Act is a federal law that authorizes U.S. presidents to deploy federal armed forces and...
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  Timeline of the Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire succeeded the Roman Republic and was distinguished from it by its form of government—power was held by an emperor instead of elected officials. The Roman Empire was established in the first century bce, and its western half fell in the 5th century ce. The eastern half continued...
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  The Home and the WorldThe Home and the World, novel, first written and published in Bengali in 1916, by Bengali poet and author Rabindranath Tagore. It was first published in English in 1919, and a new translation appeared in 2005. Played out against the backdrop of the Swadeshi Movement (part of India’s home-rule...
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  Barbara CorcoranBarbara Corcoran is an American business executive who parlayed an unconventional start in real estate into one of New York City’s best-known brokerage firms and a second career as a television investor. After selling the Corcoran Group for $66 million in 2001, she became an investor on ABC’s Shark...
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  2009 Iranian presidential election protestsThe 2009 Iranian presidential election protests marked a turning point in the history of Iran’s Islamic Republic. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979 the new government billed itself as democratic, but in the 1980s a conservative faction of Shiʿi Muslim clerics, led especially by the hawkish...
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  I Am MalalaI Am Malala, autobiographical narrative and the first book by Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, published in October 2013. The book, written in collaboration with journalist Christina Lamb, captures Yousafzai’s personal story with commentary on issues such as gender equality, education rights,...
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  Today in History—January 18: The Latest Sacrifice in the War Effort: Sliced BreadOn this day in 1943, with hundreds of thousands of troops overseas fighting Nazi Germany and the Axis powers, Americans were already deep in the daily restrictions of wartime life. Sugar and gasoline were in short supply. Tires and coffee were scarce. Ration books and their stamps were part of...
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  Did Europeans Really Think the World Would End in the Year 1000?The idea that early medieval Europeans were expecting the world to end when the year 1000 arrived has been contentious historically, and it is difficult to definitively determine its accuracy. Most modern historians consider this claim to be erroneous or exaggerated; some, however, believe that it...
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  Lori GreinerLori Greiner is an American entrepreneur and inventor who built a career developing consumer products and bringing them to mass retail through television shopping networks. After establishing herself as a longtime host on QVC, where she showcased products she designed or helped commercialize, she...
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  Where Did Jeffrey Epstein Get His Money?At the time of his death, financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was worth close to $600 million. He owned one of the biggest and most luxurious houses in New York City, two islands, a New Mexico ranch, and an apartment in Paris—not to mention the artwork, cars, private jet, and...
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  How Effective Are Flu Shots?The effectiveness of the flu vaccine changes from year to year but typically falls between 40 and 60 percent, meaning that in a vaccinated population 40 to 60 percent fewer people will become seriously ill from influenza infection. The most significant factor driving flu vaccine effectiveness is...
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  Why Do Clowns Have Red Noses?A clown’s red nose is often noticed before anything else. Far from being a simple decorative decision, it is a visual signal shaped by circus history and performance needs, telling the audience that comic disorder is about to begin. The red nose is closely associated with the auguste, a low-comedy...