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The Fox Sisters and the Rap on Spiritualism
Their seances with the departed launched a mass religious movement—and then one of them confessed that "it was common delusion"
October 30, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
Top Ten Most Damaging U.S. Hurricanes
Surprisingly, Hurricane Katrina is not the most damaging storm on record
October 29, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
C is for Cetiosaurus
Sauropods are iconic dinosaurs, but the first of their kind ever found was initially thought to be a huge crocodile
October 29, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
The Witches of Halloween Past
Sexy or scary, the outfit has cast a spell on costume wearers going back many years
October 26, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Before Salem, There Was the Not-So-Wicked Witch of the Hamptons
Why was Goody Garlick, accused of witchcraft in 1658, spared the fate that would befall the women of Massachusetts decades later
October 26, 2012 |
By John Hanc
Sneak Peek at “FOOD: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000″
Set to open Nov. 20, the new exhibit explores the diversity and development of American food cultures
October 25, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Napoleon’s Army May Have Suffered From the Greatest Wardrobe Malfunction in History
Historians still puzzle over Napoleon's catastrophic Russian defeat, but materials scientists think the army's buttons may be to blame
October 25, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
PHOTOS: Stanley on the Move
The little car that could, the driverless vehicle made its way from the American History Museum to the Air and Space Museum Wednesday morning
October 24, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Q&A: Joe Bataan, The King of Latin Soul
Mixing soul music with cultural pride in hits like "Ordinary Guy" and "Gypsy Woman," Joe Bataan speaks to the times and to the generations
October 24, 2012 |
By Joann Stevens
Should Americans Travel to the Middle East?
Today the area is often perceived as a murky and dangerous blur on the map. But how unsafe, really, is this area for tourists?
October 23, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
These Were the First Debates Since 1988 In Which Climate Change Went Unmentioned
Climate change was conspicuously missing from this season's presidential debates, the first time the topic has not come up since 1988
October 23, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Robot Car Stanley is on the Move
The driverless car that made history navigating 132 miles in the desert heads across the Mall to the Air and Space Museum for a new exhibit
October 23, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Dress Codes and Etiquette, Part 2: Diana Vreeland vs. Emily Post on Vulgarity
How much drama is too much? These two famous women, who wielded power over how we dress, could have debated the subject
October 23, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
A Brief History of the Teleprompter
How a makeshift show business memory aid became the centerpiece of modern political campaigning
October 23, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
In 2012 Election, Gender Gap Is As Wide As It’s Ever Been
Men and women haven't agreed in three elections: 1996, 2000 and 2004
October 22, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Two Pillars of Skepticism—Leon Jaroff and Paul Kurtz—Died This Weekend
Leon Jaroff and Paul Kurtz both died this weekend. Together, the two men represent some of the founding ideas of the modern skeptic community
October 22, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
B is for Becklespinax
For over a century and a half, paleontologists have been confounded by the sail-backed carnivore Becklespinax. What did this dinosaur really look like?
October 22, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Don’t Waste Your Best Ideas on Focus Groups
The best ideas would do terribly in focus groups, says designer Gianfranco Zaccai, because people don't know that they're going to like new things
October 19, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Taking a Closer Look at an Odd Pair of Very, Very Old Socks
With their divided toes and extreme length, these red knit wonders from an excavated Egyptian site have an otherworldly quality
October 19, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
1950s Game Show Guest Had a Secret: He Saw Lincoln’s Assassination
A 5-year old Samuel J. Seymour saw Lincoln's assassination, lived to talk about it on a 1956 game show
October 19, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
