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An illustration of the British burning Washington in 1814

History of Now

The History of Violent Attacks on the U.S. Capitol

While the building has seen politically motivated mayhem in the past, never before has a mob of insurrectionists tried to overturn a presidential election

The stone reads "blessed Maria, who lived an immaculate life."

Cool Finds

A Tombstone Inscribed in Ancient Greek Is Found in Southern Israel

The Byzantine-era stone reads ‘blessed Maria, who lived an immaculate life’

Health workers in protective suits cull ducks in Karuvatta after the H5N8 bird flu strain was detected.

Avian Flu Outbreak in India Results in Mass Poultry Culls

No cases of avian flu have been detected in humans during the current outbreak

This is the first time that dwarfism has been documented in captive or wild giraffes.

Scientists Report First Instances of Dwarf Giraffes

Two individuals spotted in the wild seem to have classic long necks but unusually short, stubby legs

Archaeologists have been excavating the site since 2017.

Cool Finds

A Medieval Nun Led This Newly Unearthed Buddhist Monastery in Eastern India

The religious center, located on a hillside away from densely populated areas, may have had all-female or mixed-gender renunciates

An Evening Grosbeak sits on a branch covered in rime ice in Minnesota.

The Wintertime Wonder of Unusual Ice

Rime ice in the Midwest and hair ice in the United Kingdom have people wondering: Why does ice do that?

Swinhoe’s softshell turtles were pushed to the brink of extinction by habitat destruction and by hunters who sought the turtles' meat and eggs.

The ‘Last’ Female Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle Died in 2019. Now, Researchers Found Another, Renewing Hope for the Species

Conservationists have been scrambling to save the most endangered turtles in the world from extinction

Helen Viola Jackson, who wed U.S. Army veteran James Bolin in 1936, died on December 16 at age 101.

History of Now

The Last Surviving Widow of a Civil War Veteran Dies at 101

Helen Viola Jackson married James Bolin in 1936, when she was 17 and he was 93

Steamboat Geyser erupted 32 times in 2018 and 48 times each in 2019 and 2020, beating the previous record of 29 eruptions in 1964.

New Research

Reawakened Geyser Is Not a Precursor of Yellowstone Eruption, Study Finds

The researchers ruled out several theories on why the Steamboat Geyser began erupting in 2018 after three years of silence

A whimsical bag designed to look like a European horse chestnut, made by contemporary British designer Emily Joe Gibbs

How the Handbag Became the Ultimate Fashion Accessory

An exhibition at the V&A in London traces the long history of the purse, from Elizabeth I’s court to “Sex and the City”

This 1465 fresco by Domenico di Michelino depicts Dante, holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to hell.

Follow Dante Into Purgatory With Online Exhibition of ‘Divine Comedy’ Drawings

The Uffizi Gallery’s digital show features 88 illustrations by 16th-century artist Federico Zuccari

Evidence of human settlement on the Urla-Çeşme peninsula, where the temple was found, dates back to the late Neolithic period.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Turkey Unearth 2,500-Year-Old Temple of Aphrodite

An inscription found at the site—dedicated to the Greek goddess of love and beauty—states, “This is the sacred area”

Detail from Christ Carrying the Cross, a work newly attributed to Greek painter El Greco

Is This Religious Scene a Long-Overlooked El Greco Painting?

A team of Spanish scholars spent two years assessing the small-scale depiction of Christ carrying the cross

As the fastest sinking city in the world, Jakarta, Indonesia is already experiencing the devastating outcomes of subsidence.

In Many Parts of the World, the Ground Is Literally Sinking

Extracting underground natural resources is causing land to sink in on itself, which will put 635 million people at risk by 2040

Along the Potomac River, somebody spotted a bird so vibrant that it looked splattered as if it was splattered with gobs of bright paint.

A Visit From a Dazzling Bird Drew Crowds of People Into a Maryland Park

A painted bunting was spotted along the Potomac River, far from its home in the south

This 3D version of Schröder's staircase was crowned the best illusion of 2020.

Art Meets Science

See the Most Mind-Bending Optical Illusions of 2020

You can create your own version of the winning design with a free, printable kit

The city of Metropolis features structures from many eras. This theater dates to the Hellenistic period.

Cool Finds

To Survive Under Siege, the ‘Mother Goddess City’ Relied on Enormous Cisterns

The structures, which supplied the Turkish settlement of Metropolis with water, were later converted into garbage dumps

In this newspaper illustration, the Electoral Commission holds a secret candlelit meeting in the courtroom of the Supreme Court on February 16, 1877.

History of Now

Five Things to Know About the 1876 Presidential Election

Lawmakers are citing the 19th-century crisis as precedent to dispute the 2020 election. Here’s a closer look at its events and legacy

The anthem has become part of a conversation about Australia's relationship with its Indigenous citizens.

Australia Changes National Anthem Lyrics to Recognize Its Long Indigenous History

“Advance Australia Fair” no longer calls a nation with a 65,000-year history “young and free”

A metal detectorist discovered the coin, which dates back to the Northern Song Dynasty in China.

Medieval Chinese Coin Found in England Suggests a Vast Medieval Trade Route

A recent discovery dating to the 11th century offers hints of a world that was more connected than previously thought

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