Government

Cool Finds

Queen Elizabeth I Held England’s First Official Lottery 450 Years Ago

The lucky winner took home a prize that included not just money, but also fancy dishware and tapestries

January 13, 2016

Trending Today

You Can Only See a Fraction of These Publicly Owned British Artworks

Parliament official says thousands of government-owned artworks belong in a gallery

January 5, 2016

Have Bad Handwriting? The U.S. Postal Service Has Your Back

Don’t worry, your Christmas gifts and cards will make it to their destination, even if your writing looks like chicken scratch

December 23, 2015

Cool Finds

How the U.S. Census Defines Race

The history of America’s racial identity, as told by 225 years of population data

November 9, 2015

Age of Humans

How We Decide Which Animals Become Endangered

It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of “endangered animals” didn’t even exist.

October 14, 2015

How the Pledge of Allegiance Went From PR Gimmick to Patriotic Vow

Francis Bellamy had no idea how famous, and controversial, his quick ditty would become

September 2015

Wasting Food? It’ll Cost You

In a neighborhood in Seoul, the Korea Environment Corp. is doling out fines to people dumping more than their allotted food scraps

August 11, 2015

City Governments Are Collaborating With Startups, and Acting Like Ones Themselves

By establishing offices that promote innovation, cities are taking more risks than ever before

June 10, 2015

Migrating Monarch Butterflies Might Actually Take to the Highway

Threatened pollinators get a trans-continental right of way

June 1, 2015

Trending Today

Young People Mistrust Government So Much They Aren’t Running for Office

The advancing age of Congress isn’t just due to reelection rates

February 25, 2015

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Year Montana Rounded Up Citizens for Shooting Off Their Mouths

During World War I, the powers that ran Montana sought any excuse to silence dissent

January 14, 2015

When America Invested in Infrastructure, These Beautiful Landmarks Were the Result

Explore eight of the Works Progress Administration’s most impressive structures.

December 10, 2014

The Whiskey Wars That Left Brooklyn in Ruins

Unwilling to pay their taxes, distillers in New York City faced an army willing to go to the extreme to enforce the law

November 18, 2014

The Forgotten History of Mace, Designed by a 29-Year-Old and Reinvented as a Police Weapon

When riots shook America, mace became a tool of crowd control instead of private protection

November 4, 2014

Trending Today

The White House Just Asked Scientists to Stop Trying to Make Diseases More Deadly

New funding is being suspended, and anyone who’s already been paid to do such work is being asked to stop.

October 20, 2014

Cool Finds

What Should the Price of Visiting Wilderness Be?

If passed, HR 5204 could introduce widespread fees for entering formerly free public lands

September 29, 2014

Trending Today

The NSA Seems to Have a Leaker Problem

Signs point to there being more than one NSA leaker

August 13, 2014

India And the EU Are Making It Much Easier for Tourists to Get Visas

Traveling can get tangled in red tape, but some governments are trying to make it easier

April 14, 2014

Art Meets Science

What Can We Learn From Pictures of People and Their Trash?

A photography project meets public service campaign aims to raise awareness about what we throw in the trash in just one week

April 11, 2014

Cool Finds

Here’s a Six-Minute Explainer for the Turmoil Currently Underway in Venezuela

The 2014 protests have affected not just political activists but ordinary citizens, too

April 11, 2014