Halloween

This Is What 7,000 Jack O’Lanterns Look Like

At a historic landmark in New York, pumpkins take the shape of dragons, spider webs and even a planetarium

October 29, 2015

Trending Today

An Asteroid Will Buzz by Earth on Halloween

Don’t worry—it won’t interrupt your Halloween plans

October 21, 2015

Halloween

An Awe-Inspiring Altar Remembers One Latino Artist’s Guiding Spirit

At the American History Museum, an installation reimagines the life story of a Latina artist and writer

October 31, 2014

Halloween

How Halloween Has Taken Over England

The British have long celebrated Guy Fawkes Day on November 5, but now the October 31 holiday is a lot more appealing.

October 31, 2014

Halloween

How Witches’ Brews Helped Bring Modern Drugs to Market

Got nausea, headaches or heart trouble? You can thank medieval witches’ potions for helping to cure what ails you

October 31, 2014

Halloween

No Costume? Grab A Sheet And Rock a Toga

Costume designer Mariah Hale explains how to wrap the perfect last-minute toga

October 31, 2014

Halloween

What “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Tells Us About Contagion, Fear and Epidemics

Washington Irving fled New York because of a yellow fever epidemic. Twenty-two years later, his classic story spoke to the chaos of his youth

October 30, 2014

Halloween

Seven Vampires That Aren’t Bats (Or Bela Lugosi)

From flying frogs to deep-sea squid, meet some of the other nosferatu of the animal kingdom

October 30, 2014

Festivals of the Dead Around the World

In the United States, Halloween is mostly about candy, but elsewhere in the world celebrations honoring the departed have a spiritual meaning

October 30, 2014

Halloween

This Grave Atlas Shows Where to Find the Distinguished Deceased

We know where the bodies are buried … take a virtual tour of world cemeteries that host famous artists and rogues

October 29, 2014

Halloween

Nine Famous People and What They’re Buried With

Icons of their time, these celebrities didn’t stray far from their public personae when it came to their final resting places

October 29, 2014

Halloween

Barmbrack, Toffee and Other Treats to Have an Around-the-World Halloween Celebration

This weekend’s celebrations extend beyond snarfing down Hershey and Mars bars

October 27, 2014

Halloween

Women of the Early 1900s Rallied Behind Beautiful, Wartless Witches

Women looking to work, vote and marry whomever they wanted turned the Halloween icon into a powerful symbol

October 27, 2014

Halloween

Denver Police Stoke a New Halloween Fear—Pot-Laced Candy

You really think people are going to give marijuana away?

October 17, 2014

Cool Finds

“Vampire Grave” in Bulgaria Holds a Skeleton With a Stake Through Its Heart

The skeleton likely fell victim to vampire hysteria that gripped Eastern Europe until relatively recently

October 13, 2014

Halloween

Need Some Alone Time? Check Out America’s Coolest Ghost Towns

Old mines, abandoned buildings, and the occasional curse: Ghost towns cover the United States, and they make for a fun detour

October 9, 2014

Halloween

The (Still) Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Was the famous author killed from a beating? From carbon monoxide poisoning? From alcohol withdrawal? Here are the top nine theories

October 7, 2014

Where Did the Fear of Poisoned Halloween Candy Come From?

The answer, as always, is to blame the media

October 6, 2013

Real-Life Turkish Vampire Now Cured

A man just recovered from a condition his doctor called “clinical vampirism”—which was characterized by insatiable cravings for human blood

February 13, 2013

Why Does Dracula Wear a Tuxedo? The Origins of Bram Stoker’s Timeless Vampire

The evolution of Dracula, from the mind of a sickly youth to an iconic portrayal on the silver screen

October 31, 2012