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History & Society
Trace how culture, power, and ideas shape societies across time.
In terms of the planets we've discovered, super-Earths are by far the most common. What does that mean for the Universe?
We are generally taught that there is an arc of history — an inevitable path of progress that leads to modern society. Maybe it isn't true.
People who visit Florence seem strangely susceptible to Stendhal syndrome, which is blamed on an overwhelming sense of awe.
The author of classics like "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Sun Also Rises" is known and loved for his simple yet effective writing style. Here’s how to imitate it.
Someone breaks into a mailbox that stores letters waiting to be sent and grabs some of them in hopes they’ll contain a check that’s been filled in. That's just the start.
On December 19 1972, astronauts Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, ending the Apollo 17 lunar mission. They were the last people to travel […]
It started with a 22-year-old woman, named in papers only as Mrs McK.
Death is the great and terrifying unknown, awaiting us all at the end of this life. Giving it a personality makes it easier to gaze upon.
Maps can do more than show us places. They also can help determined people find others long lost, whether birth mothers or fugitive killers.
Many key inventions were unique: one-offs.
The James Webb Space Telescope finally could answer the age-old question of whether we are alone in the universe.
Frank Lloyd Wright captured serenity in his masterpiece, Fallingwater, but his egotistical tendencies made life for others anything but serene.
Humans seemingly have opposing desires to fit in and to be unique. The interplay between these might drive the evolution of fads.
Scientists used 3D scans to analyze the corpse of Amenhotep I. They discovered that his brain was never removed and that he was circumcised, among other curiosities.
Distinguishing fact from fiction can be tough, especially when it comes to people as controversial as Stalin.
The Solar System isn't a vortex, but rather the sum of all our great cosmic motions. Here's how we move through space.
Famished, not famous: retrace Orwell’s hunger days, when he was one of the city’s legion of poor foreigners.
Undiagnosed brain disease or divine inspiration? The origins of the French composer’s most provocative composition remain up for debate.
Pokémon has people wandering the world to enslave wild and magical creatures so they can fight in painful blood sports. What's fun about that?