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Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos New Articles Epstein Files Fallout: The Resignations, Firings, and Arrests The names that have been linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein read like a Who’s Who of late 20th-century and early 21st-century power brokers. The wealthy financier moved in elite circles and used his money and influence to court the rich and powerful, including heads of state (Bill... Can Limes Burn Your Skin? Not to make you scared of your favorite zesty citrus fruit, but yes, limes can burn you. Under the right conditions, contact with lime juice followed by exposure to sunlight can trigger a reaction called phytophotodermatitis—phyto meaning “plant,” photo meaning “light,” and dermatitis meaning “skin... What Is Astatine Used For? What Is Astatine Used For?, Astatine (At) has no established industrial, commercial, or household uses, because of its extreme scarcity and the short half-lives of its radioactive isotopes, which limit production, handling, and long-term use. However, it is being researched for potential... Artemis Accords Artemis Accords, set of principles and nonbinding agreements to guide international cooperation in space exploration. The Artemis Accords were first signed on October 13, 2020, and the initial signatories were the government-run space agencies of Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the... Today in History—March 3: John Dillinger Escapes Prison with a Wooden Gun At 9:30 am on this day in 1934, no one thought to check the gun pointed at them. It looked real enough. And the guards knew that the man holding it was capable of using it—he’d killed before. He’d escaped before, too. But this gun had been whittled from wood and colored with shoe polish. And with... Arthur Wergs Mitchell Arthur Wergs Mitchell was an American politician who served as a congressman from Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1935 to 1943. He was the first Democratic African American politician to be elected to Congress, and he represented a district encompassing the South Side of Chicago.... Major Shadow Docket Rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court During the Second Trump Administration (2025– ) From the first day of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump’s second term (January 20, 2025), the Supreme Court has issued a record number of substantive shadow docket rulings, many in response to emergency applications from the Trump administration concerning legal challenges to its controversial orders, acts,... Hampi Hampi, a 16-square-mile (40-square-km) site located in Vijayanagara district, Karnataka, India. It sits on the southern bank of the Tungabhadra river. The area comprises more than 1,600 surviving monuments from the former capital city, Vijayanagara (Sanskrit: “City of Victory”), of the Vijayanagara... Why Are 22 Chambers Locked in the Taj Mahal? The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum complex in Agra, Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It is considered one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture (a blend of Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles) and is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58)... velāyat-e faqīh Velāyat-e faqīh, concept in Twelver Shiʿi Islamic thought stating, in its most general form, that a Shiʿi faqīh (expert in Islamic jurisprudence) can administer the affairs of the Muslim community in the absence (ghaybah) of an imam, a spiritual leader whom the Twelver Shiʿah believe to be divinely... Walton Goggins Walton Goggins is an American actor known for his work in westerns and neo-westerns including television dramas Justified (2010–15) and Fallout (2024– ), as well as acclaimed films such as Django Unchained (2012). Goggins has acted in dozens of feature films since the start of his career in the... Today in History—March 2: Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point record game On this day in 1962 American basketball player Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single NBA game—an incredible record that has never been beaten. When he made his final basket with 46 seconds left to play, the ecstatic crowd stormed the floor. A radio announcer screamed, “He made it! He made... Amy Sherald Amy Sherald is an American artist who gained fame for her portrait of former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (2018), which was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. She has also received acclaim for redefining contemporary portraiture through her... A People’s History of the United States A People’s History of the United States, nonfiction work of history by American historian Howard Zinn that was originally published in 1980, with an updated edition that appeared in 2003. It offers a clear and acknowledged point of view and tells U.S. history with a focus on those who were acted... Emerald Tablet Emerald Tablet, short, cryptic text traditionally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. It became foundational within the alchemical and Hermetic traditions of the medieval Islamic world and later of medieval and Renaissance Europe. Prior to the Scientific Revolution, the text was understood among... Bystander Video: A History “Without that video, the incident would have really been passed up by the public. No one would have known about it, or challenged what police said.” —law professor David Harris on the 1991 beating of Rodney King “Thank God, thank God we have video.” —Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the 2026 shooting of... List of Survivor Winners On May 31, 2000, the first episode of Survivor aired, and the show forever changed American television. An immediate hit, the series is widely regarded as a turning point in reality television, particularly competitive formats, which soon became a leading TV genre. Survivor follows a group of... American Press Institute American Press Institute, an educational nonprofit institution established in 1946. Initially based at the Columbia University Journalism School in New York, the American Press Institute (API) is now located in Arlington, Virginia. The organization’s mission is to preserve a free press in the... MOOCs MOOCs, educational courses offered over the Internet designed to accommodate massive enrollments, often reaching tens of thousands of students. The term massive open online course, abbreviated as MOOC, conveys both the scale of participation and the technological infrastructure required for these... Today in History—March 1: The First National Park Is Founded On this day in 1872 the United States did something new: Pres. Ulysses S. Grant signed the act establishing Yellowstone National Park, widely considered the first national park in the world. The act protected a place that people hadn’t believed existed just decades earlier: Reports from early fur... Pinarayi Vijayan Pinarayi Vijayan is an Indian politician and a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M). He has served as the chief minister of Kerala for two successive terms (2016–21 and 2021– ), leading a government formed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), a coalition of primarily... broadsheet newspaper Broadsheet newspaper, a format of newspaper publication distinguished by its large page size. The large sheets of newsprint characteristic of the broadsheet format traditionally dominated the daily newspaper industry since the early development of the press. The term broadsheet also carries... Fred Trump Fred Trump was an enormously successful and wealthy real estate developer who played a pivotal role in shaping the 20th-century landscape of residential housing in New York City and its surrounding areas. His influence on the 21st century, however, may have been more profound, when the son he... German Revolution (1918–19) German Revolution (1918–19), uprising that was triggered by the military defeat of the German Empire during World War I. This mass movement succeeded in toppling imperial Germany’s semi-autocratic constitutional monarchy and setting up a democratic republic. The republic proclaimed on November 9,... Suryakumar Yadav Suryakumar Yadav is an Indian cricket player who bats right-handed and occasionally bowls right-arm off-spin. He primarily represents the national team in the Twenty20 (T20) format. He is regarded as an expert in 360-degree batting, an attacking style that uses a wide range of strokes to score runs... Today in History—February 28: M*A*S*H Ends: “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” At 11:03 pm on this night in 1983, the flow rate in New York City’s water tunnels jumped by an extraordinary 300 million gallons: The series finale of M*A*S*H had just ended, and everyone was going to the bathroom at once. That’s because 77 percent of televisions turned on in America were tuned to... Today in History—February 27: The Discovery of Solar Radio Waves On this day in 1942 a British physicist made a monumental discovery…and couldn’t tell anyone. British radar equipment operating at 55–85 MHz was experiencing severe interference: strange, powerful signals that jammed their systems. This was the middle of World War II, so everyone assumed that the... You’re all set! Thanks for signing up for Money Matters The first issue has launched, and you’re among its earliest readers. In the meantime, visit Britannica Money for a daily dose of budgeting tips, trading and investing insights, and retirement savings... Today in History—February 26: Napoleon’s Escape from Exile On this evening in 1815, a man boarded a ship and attempted one of history’s most audacious comebacks. It ended with his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. The man, of course, was Gen. Napoleon Bonaparte, exiled emperor of France. Napoleon had been hell-bent on expanding France’s territory during... Park Chan-Wook When the revenge thriller Oldeuboi (Oldboy) opened in South Korean cinemas in 2003, audiences lapped up director Park Chan-Wook’s flashy camerawork, black humor, and operatic violence—not to mention a jaw-dropping climactic twist for the ages. The following year the film became the talk of the town... Who Was El Mencho? Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, notoriously known as “El Mencho,” was the leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG; Jalisco New Generation Cartel), one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations. On February 22, 2026, Mexican military forces killed him during an... CITGO Petroleum Corp. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is an American petroleum refiner and fuel marketer headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was formed in 1982 from the retail, marketing, and transportation assets of Cities Service following that company’s acquisition by Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY). CITGO has for... How Social Security works in the United States Social Security is one of the most familiar, yet misunderstood, financial programs in the United States. For many workers, it represents the foundation of retirement income. But there are other aspects of Social Security that may not be as well known, such as disability and survivor benefits. To... Today in History—February 25: Muhammad Ali Becomes the Undisputed World Champ On this day in 1964 Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., shocked the boxing world: The unpredictable and often showy amateur took on Sonny Liston, the reigning heavyweight champion—and won. Then just 22, Clay was known for his lax stance, his fleet feet—and his big mouth. Clay had goaded Liston into the... Kaitlan Collins Kaitlan Collins is an American journalist known for her meteoric rise from an intern at Tucker Carlson’s right-wing news site, The Daily Caller, to White House correspondent and prime-time anchor for CNN less than a decade later. Along the way, she has made her own headlines for fiery exchanges... SOMA SOMA, science-fiction survival horror video game developed and published by the Swedish studio Frictional Games. Released on September 22, 2015, for Windows, macOS, Linux, and PlayStation 4, SOMA combines psychological horror with philosophical explorations of consciousness and identity. The game... What Are the Four Main Greek Concepts of Love? Ancient Greek literature gave the world enduring love stories: the descent of Orpheus into the underworld for Eurydice, the bond between Achilles and Patroclus, and Iphigenia’s willing self-sacrifice for her family. Rather than folding these various experiences of love into a single word, Greek... The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy is a series of enormously popular and critically acclaimed fantasy-adventure films based on English author J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novel The Lord of the Rings (originally published as three separate books). The three films are subtitled The Fellowship of the... externality When a transaction takes place between two entities—such as people, companies, or municipalities—it’s easy to assume that the accounting ledger is closed upon delivery and receipt. One party produces and sells; another buys. Each side of the transaction bears a cost; each receives a benefit. It’s a... Linkin Park Linkin Park, American band known for blending rock, rap, electronic music, and pop. Originating in Agoura Hills, California, in the late 1990s, the group emerged from the nu metal scene, built an international audience, and went on to sell more than 100 million records globally over the course of... Indian Women in STEM The decades following India’s independence in 1947 were a formative period for science in the country. Laboratories were established, disciplines took shape, and research began to align with national needs. Women were among those working across medicine, engineering, and other sciences,... Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer is an American writer and mountaineer widely known for his bestselling non-fiction books Into the Wild (1996) and Into Thin Air (1997), both of which have been adapted into movies. He was a member of a 1996 expedition that attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest during the... You’re all set! Thanks for signing up for Today in History Your first issue will land in your inbox within the next day. Don’t want to wait? Discover history’s biggest headlines... Population Registration Act Population Registration Act, South African law, promulgated in 1950, that provided for the creation of a population register for the country and for the classification of all South Africans as either native (all Black Africans; also called Bantu), Coloured (those of mixed race), or white. A fourth... Amjad Ali Khan Amjad Ali Khan is an Indian sarod player and music composer, celebrated for his contributions to Hindustani classical music and for bringing the sarod to global audiences. Across a career that has lasted more than 60 years, Khan changed the way the sarod is played by creating expressive... The gold-silver ratio: Industrial growth, flights to safety, and storing value Gold and silver have been used as both monetary metals and stores of value for well over two millennia. Although you won’t see them change hands at a checkout counter today, their roles haven’t entirely faded. Investors still turn to these precious metals as a store of value, as protection when... Health insurance marketplace: How Obamacare coverage works If you don’t get health insurance through a job, there’s a good chance you’re shopping on the health insurance marketplace (aka Obamacare). The marketplace was established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to let individuals purchase plans from private insurers. Although... Today in History—February 24: When the Church Invented Time Travel In 1582 a pope rearranged time. Thursday, October 4, would be followed by Friday, October 15, according to a papal bull issued on this day. It erased 10 days and changed the calendar for Catholic Europe. We have Pope Gregory XIII to thank for creating the commission that developed what we now call... Today in History—February 23: The Expedition That Chased Cities of Gold On this day in 1540, more than a thousand men marched north from Mexico in search of cities made of gold. Instead, they found Kansas. It started, as these stories often do, with a shipwreck. In 1536 Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Estéban (an enslaved man from North Africa), and two other survivors... Sophie Turner Sophie Turner is an English actress best known for her roles as Sansa Stark on the popular HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones (2011–19) and as Jean Grey in the X-Men film series (2016–19). She was married to Joe Jonas of the band Jonas Brothers from 2019 to 2024. Turner was born in... Britannica’s Online Curling Game The venerable but quirky game of curling has enthralled audiences of the Winter Games since it was added to the Olympic program in 1998. Maybe you’ve watched some matches yourself and wished you could play. Think you have what it takes to deliver the stone? Are your sweeping skills second to none?... Insurance terminology: Premium, deductible, co-pay, coinsurance, and more Which do you find more confusing: reading your insurance policy or trying to decipher the jargon in an auto insurance claim or medical explanation of benefits (EOB) form? Deductible, co-pay, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum—sometimes the language is more painful than the fender bender or doctor... Today in History—February 22: A Cold War Showdown on Ice On this day in 1980, the impossible happened at the Lake Placid Winter Games: A ragtag U.S. hockey team of college players beat the Soviet Union’s “Red Machine.” In the game’s waning seconds, broadcaster Al Michaels asked, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” Thanks to those words, the upset became... Nightwood Nightwood, novel by avant-garde American author Djuna Barnes that was first published in 1936. Often considered her masterpiece, it has been described as a classic of lesbian and of queer literature as well as of Modernist literature. Set mostly in Paris and New York, the novel describes a... Today in History—February 21: Best Souvenir Ever On this day in 1972, Richard Nixon became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the People’s Republic of China. Nixon, no doubt thinking about his legacy in these pre-Watergate days, dubbed it “the week that changed the world.” The trip was the product of months of maneuvering by National... The Epstein Files: A Scandal in Photos The story of Jeffrey Epstein has proven to be one of the more disturbing and enduring scandals of the early 21st century. The notorious Epstein files include literally millions of pages of documents, among them emails, photographs, and videos. The scandal has ensnared heads of state, royalty, and... James Talarico James Talarico is perhaps the unlikeliest of poster children for progressive Democratic politics in the 2020s. Consider: Talarico, a member of the Texas state legislature, is running in the 2026 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate against fellow progressive U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. The fact... Today in History—February 20: The Eleventh Duel Commandment? No Dueling On this day in 1839 Congress banned the ritual that Lin-Manuel Miranda made famous in the hit musical Hamilton. They outlawed dueling in Washington, D.C., with a law so thorough it basically banned vibes. No challenging someone to a duel. No accepting a challenge to a duel. No delivering a message... 10 Conservationists of India India has a long history of efforts to protect wildlife and manage natural resources, shaped by both state policy and local practice. Early examples include the 3rd-century-bce edicts of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, which called for restraint in the use of forests and animals, as well as... Today in History—February 19: The Donner Party’s Devastating Predicament On this day in 1847, the first of four rescue teams arrived to save the famously ill-fated Donner party from where they sat stranded in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The initial group included the families of George and Jacob Donner, brothers from Springfield, Illinois, and of businessman James... T20 World Cup Records Since the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 (now the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup) was held in 2007, the short format has exploded in popularity, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) granting T20I-playing status to more than 100 countries across the world. The T20 World Cup provides regular... Why Is Sleep Important? Sleep is a cornerstone of human health, a window of time in which the body repairs itself, memories are consolidated, and vital systems are brought back into balance. This period of quiet restoration is an essential part of life, for adults and especially for children and teens, in whom sleep... Why Is Japan’s Population Decreasing? Japan’s population has been declining steadily since 2005 primarily because of a decrease in births, which have consistently been lower than the number of deaths per year. The birth rate in Japan dropped from about 19 per 1,000 people in 1970 to just 6 in 2023. Until the mid-1970s, the total... Amber Glenn Amber Glenn is an American figure skater who won the U.S. national championships in 2024, 2025, and 2026, making her the first woman to claim that title over three consecutive years since Michelle Kwan, who was the reigning national champion from 1998 to 2005. Glenn was a member of the U.S. team at... Today in History—February 18: From Kansas to the Kuiper Belt The 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... 2026 Israeli Elections Israelis 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... otaku Otaku, 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... 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... fezolinetant Fezolinetant, 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... Gordie Howe International Bridge Gordie 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... 2026 T20 World Cup Highlights The 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. Memorable moments include the nail-biting clash between South Africa and Afghanistan, which... 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... 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... 2026 T20 World Cup: Players to Watch The 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... 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... Today in History—February 15: The Headline That Led America to War On 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... Today in History—February 14: The Day Chicago’s Bootlegging War Spiraled Out of Control At 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... Today in History—February 13: Farewell to Peanuts The 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.... Nordic combined Nordic 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... Jeffrey Epstein’s Islands At 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... Artemis II Artemis 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... 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... Today in History—February 12: The Surreal Theft of The Scream Security 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... Howard Lutnick Howard 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... Trinamool Congress Trinamool 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... 67: More Than Just Slang If 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... Nervous Conditions Nervous 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... Shubman Gill Shubman 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... How fintech shapes everyday banking, payments, and investing Financial 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... Today in History—February 11: The French 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... Deaths in 2026 Below is a list of notable deaths in 2026, arranged in chronological order. (The age of the individual is in... Athletes Speaking Out at the 2026 Winter Olympics The 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... Black Tuesday and the Crash of 1929 October 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... 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... The holiday spending hangover By February, the holidays are long gone, but for many of us, the bill is still very much here. The season that just wrapped up was a big one. According to the National Retail Federation, U.S. holiday retail sales topped $1 trillion for the first time, with consumers having spent about $890 per... 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... Transfer taxes: How gift, estate, and generation-skipping (GST) taxes fit together Whether 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... Vocabulary Quiz Test 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... T20 World Cup The 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... Social Security Administration The 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... Robert Herjavec Robert 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... 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... 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... 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... Gulzar A 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... Today in History—February 9: Magic Johnson’s All-Star Return Amid the AIDS Crisis Today 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... severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome Severe 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... Italian Place Names in the United States Although 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... 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... Today in History—February 8: The Battle That Turned the Tide in the Pacific On 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... 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... Today in History—February 7: The Most Unlikely Leading Man On 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... 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... Sinners Written 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... Languages of Northern Italy Italy 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... Today in History—February 6: Sovereignty: Signed, Sealed, and Disputed On 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... Gregory Bovino Gregory 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... bomba Bomba, 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... 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... Today in History—February 5: The Life and Disappearance of George Bass On 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... Savannah Guthrie Savannah 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... samphire Samphire, 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,... Vocabulary Quiz Test 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... Today in History—February 4: Walt Disney’s “Folly” That Earned $180 Million On 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... Kristi Yamaguchi Kristi 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... Vocabulary Quiz Test 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... Kristen Wiig Kristen 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,... Which Country Has Won the Most Olympic Medals? For athletes, winning an Olympic medal of any kind represents a reward for years (and sometimes decades) of hard work and dedication in pursuit of excellence in their specialized activity, with a gold medal being the highest summit. For countries, however, garnering gold, silver, and bronze medals... 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... Today in History—February 3: When Rebellion Was the Mother of Invention On 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)... Olivia Dean Olivia 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... Jovenel Moïse Jovenel 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... galangal Galangal, 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... 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... Venkateswara Venkateswara, 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... 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... History of U.S. Land Acquisitions Over 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... Nipah virus Nipah 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... My Hero Academia My 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... Today in History—February 2: The Weather-Watching Whistle-pig On 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... Paying and filing taxes You’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... 2026 T20 World Cup The 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... Today in History—February 1: How a Hobby Revived an Industry With 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... 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... Sarah Kane Sarah 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... Tom Homan Tom 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...