How Peacock Spiders Make Rainbows on Their Backsides
The adorable arachnids use specialized scales to break light into its component colors to produce some of nature’s tiniest rainbows
The Most Notorious Poet in 18th Century America Was An Enslaved Teenager You’ve Never Heard Of
Phyllis Wheatley was a prodigy, but her ultimate fate reflects the gross racial disparities of 1700s America
An Exhibit in Illinois Allows Visitors to Talk with Holograms of 13 Holocaust Survivors
The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois, opened the new Survivor Stories Experience this fall
This Dinosaur Was Much Fuzzier Than Scientists Once Thought
A new analysis shows the extent of ancient bird-like dino’s fluff
Museum Restores North America’s Longest Painting
Completed in 1848, the quarter-mile-long panorama deteriorated after it toured the country on wagons and trains
Presidents From Lincoln to FDR Kept the Thanksgiving Tradition Going
Lincoln started the process of making it a federal holiday in 1863, crystallizing something that had been around since the days of the Pilgrims
Archivist Captures New York’s Bygone Past Through Home Movies, Historical Footage
Rick Prelinger seeks to capture ephemeral portraits of city life
These Two Small Letters Heralded the Beginning of Online Communication
Their message is far more profound in retrospect than it was at the time
The Science Behind Our Search for Waldo
‘Where’s Waldo’ was first published on this day in 1987
Canada Completes World’s Longest Hiking Trail
After 25 years and millions of dollars, the coast-to-coast hiking, biking and paddling trail has an official route
Colorado Construction Crew Unearths 66-Million-Year-Old Triceratops Fossil
While Thornton’s new Public Safety Facility, the crew happened upon a rare find
The Farmboy Who Invented Television
The inventor of television’s career presages many of the good and bad things about Silicon Valley
Australian Zoo Asks For Help Naming Rare White Koala
Among the suggestions thus far are “Tofu” and “Daenerys”
The World Trade Center’s Only Surviving Art Heads Home
Battered, but not broken, Fritz Koenig’s “Sphere” is being reinstalled near its original location at Ground Zero
What Should You Do With Your Used Eclipse Glasses?
There are several options, including recycling, upcycling and donating them to children in the path of the next eclipse
Big Ben to Fall Silent During Four-Year Renovation Project
It is the longest time that Big Ben has been paused during its 157-year history
Whale Mail Is the New Snail Mail at the World’s First Underwater Post Office
All you need to reach the Vanuatu Post is a deep breath and a waterproof postcard
Gen Xers and Millennials Out-Voted Older Generations in 2016
It’s the first time the younger generations have beat out Baby Boomers, Silent Generation voters and Greatest Generation voters
Martin Luther King and Gandhi Weren’t the Only Ones Inspired By Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience’
Thoreau’s essay became a cornerstone of 20th-century protest
New Badges Will Make Today’s Girl Scouts Tomorrow’s Cybersleuths
Camping and cookie sales are just the tip of the iceberg for modern scouts
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