Events
Momentous and notable cultural and historic occasions as well as holidays and celebrations
Prolonged Drought Could Shut Down Shipping on the Mighty Mississippi
This time last year the Mississippi around St. Louis was 20 feet deeper
December 18, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
NASA Assures Us the World Won’t End on Friday
NASA points out the blatant illogic of this apocalypse scenario and misconceptions that caused the false notion of an end-of-the-world prophesy to come about
December 17, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Tornado Power: Green Energy of the Future?
Paypal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel just gave a small $300,000 startup grant to a Canadian researcher trying to harness power from man-made tornados
December 17, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The First Nativity Scene Was Created in 1223
Nativity buffs will also note that the familiar cast of characters relied upon today is not biblically accurate
December 14, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
After Nearly 70 Years, How Do Stealth Planes Stay Stealthy?
From the Horten Ho 229 to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, stealth technology has changed a lot
December 13, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Pet Store Refuses to Sell Impulse-Buy Puppies for Christmas
Too many animals end up on death row, one Australian pet shop says, so their shop will not sell kittens or puppies around Christmas time
December 12, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
More Than One Person Has Built an Ark To Prepare for the Mayan Apocalypse
How exactly does one prepare for the end of the world?
December 12, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Your Christmas Tree Helps Fight Climate Change
The key for trapping carbon lies in the soil, rather than the trees.
December 12, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.
It wasn't until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar
December 12, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
This Is Probably the World’s Most Beautiful Seismograph
Using different colors of paint and a map of Christchurch, this machine lays down beautiful portraits of New Zealand's deadly earthquakes
December 11, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
We Don’t Know the Origins of the Candy Cane, But They Almost Certainly Were Not Christian
There are a lot of explanations floating around out there about the candy cane - but almost none of them are true
December 11, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
In a Homemade Tank, Syrian Rebels Use a PlayStation Controller to Operate a Machine Gun
The Syrian rebel forces, who face a strong disparity in access to the tools of war, have fashioned themselves a homemade tank
December 10, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Climate Change May Have Driven Genghis Khan’s Army Across Eurasia
A multidecadal blip in temperature and rainfall patterns may have spurred the rise of the Mongol Empire
December 07, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
It’s the Final Day of the Doha Climate Talks, And, Uh, Did Anything Actually Happen?
Reports from Doha don't provide much hope that any progress has been made on the increasingly urgent issue of global climate change
December 07, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Is Every Bomb Dropped on London During the Blitz
See all 100 tones of explosives the Germans dropped on London in one map
December 07, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Here’s How to Make a Scorpion Bomb
Want to keep your enemies at bay? How about throwing a jar of scorpions at them?
December 06, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Day Henry Clay Refused to Compromise
The Great Pacificator was adept at getting congressmen to reach agreements over slavery. But he was less accommodating when one of his own slaves sued him
December 06, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
World’s Greatest Extinction May Have Actually Been Two Extinctions in One
The Permian-Triassic extinction nearly wiped out life on Earth
December 04, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Looking at the Battle of Gettysburg Through Robert E. Lee’s Eyes
Anne Kelly Knowles, the winner of Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards, uses GIS technology to change our view of history
December 2012 |
By Tony Horwitz
Watch All of 2012′s Hurricanes in One Video
Today marks the end of hurricane season. Here's the run down on the year, and every storm on one animation
November 30, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
