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Greg Abel Greg Abel (born June 1, 1962, Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian-born investor and accountant who is vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway and chair of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. He has been designated as the successor to Warren Buffett as chief executive officer (CEO) of Berkshire Hathaway, effective... -
History of Public Health: A Timeline Public health is the story of humanity versus disease. From ancient clean-water systems and the introduction of quarantine practices to the rise of germ theory, vaccines, and modern health systems, each breakthrough has reshaped how societies live and thrive. Along the way, science, innovation, and... -
Ranji Trophy Ranji Trophy, India’s primary domestic first-class cricket tournament, played annually by state and regional teams. It was launched in July 1934, with the first tournament being played in the 1934–35 season. The tournament has been held every year since then, except in 2020–21 because of the... -
Claude AI Claude AI, generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot and supporting large language models (LLMs) developed by AI safety and research firm Anthropic AI. Claude analyzes text, audio, and visual inputs to answer users’ questions, summarize documents, generate long-form text, create diagrams, and... -
Zodiac Sign Calculator You probably already know what your zodiac sign is. For example, if you were born between March 21 and April 19, your sign is Aries, the ram. But that’s not the whole astrological story, as the interactive above shows. When you enter the date, time, and location of your birth, the interactive... -
Protein Calculator Proteins are the major building blocks of the body, serving most notably as the fundamental architects of muscle and fueling its growth and repair. But they also direct countless other biological functions. Each protein has its own structure and role, and with an estimated 20,000 encoded by the... -
Ranked-Choice Voting Ranked-choice voting (RCV), a form of proportional voting (in contrast to a winner-take-all election), was invented in Europe in the 1850s and used in a smattering of places—Denmark, Ireland, Malta, and Australia—throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ashtabula, Ohio, was the first place to... -
Julia Donaldson A mean dragon is outsmarted by a dog, a cat, a bird, and a frog; a little mouse scares off an orange-eyed monster (and his child); a tiny ladybird saves a farm’s prized cow; and a snail helps rescue a beached whale—Julia Donaldson’s pen spins tales that bring a fantastic world of make-believe to... -
Sue Bird Widely recognized as one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, Sue Bird is the only player to win a WNBA championship in three different decades. One of the most decorated basketball players ever, the 5-foot 9-inch (1.75-meter) powerhouse is considered the greatest point guard in... -
Extreme Birds: 7 Wonders of the Avian World Ever heard of a poisonous bird? Or a bird that mimics a snake? Birds are among the most diverse creatures on Earth, with species adapted to every continent and habitat. Some stand out for extraordinary traits that make them natural wonders in their own right. The following seven birds—each... -
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, award-winning stage musical that premiered on Broadway on March 1, 1979. It is widely regarded as the masterwork of American musical theater legend Stephen Sondheim, who crafted its music and lyrics. The book (or script) for the show was written by... -
nor’easter Nor’easter, extratropical cyclone in the western Atlantic Ocean that forms along the eastern coast of North America. The storm is named for the winds primarily blowing from the northeast that buffet the east coast of the United States from the Mid-Atlantic states and New England to Canada’s... -
Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict (2025) On October 9, 2025, following an attack a day earlier in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP; sometimes called Pakistani Taliban) on Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan carried out an air strike in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, that targeted Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader... -
Kriti Sanon Kriti Sanon is an Indian actress, producer, and entrepreneur who is known for her work in contemporary Bollywood films. Popular for her award-winning performance in the film Mimi (2021), she is regarded as a youth icon. Sanon has endorsed brands such as Coca-Cola and Tissot. She cofounded a fashion... -
Reading market signals: The role of volume and open interest Traders like to “follow the money,” and in the futures markets, two clues can help: trading volume and open interest. Picture the market as a bathtub with a flowing spigot and an open drain. The spigot is volume. The drain is day traders and those closing positions. What about the water that’s... -
Futures delivery basics: Cash vs. physical The concept of delivery is fundamental to the origin story of the American futures market, going all the way back to the years before the Civil War when a group of grain merchants gathered at what became the Chicago Board of Trade to buy and sell crops. Sellers were expected to “deliver” actual... -
Joel Mokyr Joel Mokyr (born July 26, 1946, Leiden, the Netherlands) is an American-Israeli economic historian and winner, with Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt, of the 2025 Nobel Prize for Economics (officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel) “for having explained... -
Peter Wilkinson Howitt Peter Wilkinson Howitt (born May 31, 1946, Canada) is a Canadian economist known for his theoretical work on innovation, technological change, and long-term economic growth. In 2025 he shared half of the Nobel Prize for Economics with Philippe Aghion “for the theory of sustained growth through... -
Philippe Aghion Philippe Aghion (born August 17, 1956, Paris, France) is a French economist whose research on innovation, competition, and economic growth has helped redefine how economists understand the role of technological change in long-term prosperity. In 2025 he shared half of the Nobel Prize for Economics... -
creative destruction Creative destruction is the process by which innovation reshapes an economy as new and superior combinations of products, processes, business models, or markets are developed. Along the way, established products, firms, and even industries are rendered obsolete to open space for new ones. The term... -
Letitia James Letitia Ann James grew up in Brooklyn and is one of eight children, born to a mother who worked as a cleaner and in customer service and a father who was a building superintendent. She was a self-described tomboy who liked to read fairy tales. That she would grow up to be the state’s first Black... -
Adam Brody Adam Brody is an American actor whose portrayal of Seth Cohen in the television show The O.C. (2003–07) turned him into a teen icon and made him a fixture of mid-2000s pop culture. Known for playing lovable and charming misfits, he has acted in several films and won plaudits for his turn as an... -
María Corina Machado María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan politician and pro-democracy activist, has emerged as one of her country’s most vocal advocates for political change as Venezuela has moved toward authoritarianism. Despite repeated attempts by the government to silence her, she has continued to press for free... -
A Visit from the Goon Squad A Visit from the Goon Squad, much-praised episodic novel by American writer Jennifer Egan that was published in 2010. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2011. It also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A Visit from the Goon Squad has... -
How Rare Are Rare-Earth Elements? Not as rare as plutonium, but rarer than carbon. Come on. Don’t be cute. You’re Encyclopædia Britannica. You have all the answers. There are 17 rare-earth elements. They include the elements from lanthanum to lutetium (atomic numbers 57 to 71), as well as scandium (atomic number 21) and yttrium... -
colostrum Colostrum, viscous, yellow-colored fluid produced by the mammary glands of humans and other mammals during the first few days after giving birth, before the onset of mature breast milk. The composition of colostrum, particularly its immune components, varies across species, mainly because of...
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The Devil Wears Prada The Devil Wears Prada, 2006 American dramedy directed by David Frankel, known at the time for working on episodes of Sex and the City in 2001 and 2003, and adapted by Aline Brosh McKenna, who had scripted such rom-coms as Three to Tango (1999) and Laws of Attraction (2004), from Lauren Weisberger’s... -
John Wayne Gacy’s Artwork Few criminals in American history have inspired as much horror—and morbid fascination—as John Wayne Gacy. Convicted in 1980 of murdering 33 boys and young men, he spent most of his remaining years on death row at Menard Correctional Center in Illinois. There he became a prolific painter. It is... -
Thelema Thelema, religion established by the British occultist Aleister Crowley in the 1900s. It is commonly regarded as a form of both esotericism and occultism and sometimes also a type of modern Paganism. The tradition centers on a text, The Book of the Law, that Crowley claimed to have received from a... -
How Big Can Tortoises Get? Tortoises as a group vary significantly in size. Giant tortoises, specifically those found on the Aldabra Islands and the Galapagos Islands, can grow to have shells exceeding 1 meter in length. As of October 2025 a Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) with an estimated weight of 417 kg (919... -
What Is the Difference Between a Wolf and a Coyote? The most obvious difference between wolves and coyotes is in their size and build. Most wolves, in particular the gray wolf (Canis lupus), are significantly larger and more robust, typically weighing between 14 and 65 kg (31 and 143 pounds) and possessing a muscular frame with long legs and large... -
László Krasznahorkai László Krasznahorkai is a Hungarian novelist and screenwriter known for postmodern works that explore absurdist, dystopian themes and employ long, labyrinthine sentences that wind through hundreds of pages. In 2025 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature and was cited by the Nobel committee “for his... -
TKO Group Holdings TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) is a publicly traded sports entertainment company majority owned by Hollywood talent and media conglomerate Endeavor and headquartered in New York City. Formed in 2023 as a merger between World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship... -
Penicillium notatum Penicillium notatum, species of fungus in the genus Penicillium (kingdom Fungi) that occurs naturally in soil and decaying organic matter. It can colonize a variety of surfaces in damp indoor environments and is especially common on fruit, bread, and other food. P. notatum is very closely related...
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Camp Fire of 2018 Camp Fire of 2018, large wildfire that scorched a portion of northern California in November 2018 and killed 85 people, making it the deadliest in California’s history and one of the deadliest conflagrations in recorded history. The fire began on November 8 in the forested hills of Butte county,... -
mirror life Mirror life, a hypothetical form of synthetic organisms designed to resemble bacteria but created with mirror images of the natural building blocks found in DNA, RNA, and proteins. Some scientists are concerned that if such life were created, it would be a deadly pathogen, because immune systems... -
Erika Kirk A beauty pageant winner, an athlete, an entrepreneur, a Christian podcaster, a wife, and a mother. That pretty much described Erika Kirk’s life until September 10, 2025, when her husband, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated, and she joined the ranks of women—including Jacqueline and Ethel Kennedy,... -
20 Deadliest Storms in History Storms, which are turbulent atmospheric disturbances, are among the most destructive natural forces and can cause tremendous loss of life and devastation—from flooding and damage to trees, unanchored structures, and power lines to the obliteration of well-built structures. Storms are marked by... -
Cave of the Patriarchs Cave of the Patriarchs, holy site believed to be the resting place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob, located in the West Bank city of Hebron. Hebron’s Old City is built around the tomb complex, which is a place of pilgrimage for Jews,... -
Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as president of Zimbabwe since 2017. Mnangagwa is a veteran of Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), one of the country’s liberation movements and, later, the ruling party. He has won two elections (2018, 2023) since... -
Richard Robson Richard Robson is an English-born Australian chemist who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of highly porous materials created by coordinating metal ions with organic linkers. He shared the prize with Japanese chemist Susumu... -
What Is Plenary Authority? Plenary authority is the broad and effectively limitless power of a single government or the unrestricted power of government branches, departments, or officials over particular operations. In the United States, government branches, departments, and officials exercise plenary authority over... -
Susumu Kitagawa Susumu Kitagawa is a Japanese chemist who is known for developing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of highly porous materials created by coordinating metal ions with organic linkers. Because of their high degree of porosity, these advanced crystalline materials have vast surface areas that... -
Maxwell Frost Members of Congress could be forgiven if they mistook Maxwell Frost for an intern as opposed to a colleague. After all, the median age for those elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 was just almost 58 years. When Frost was sworn in to the 118th Congress in January 2023, he had not yet... -
Should you sell your life insurance policy? Understanding life settlements You probably bought life insurance because it fit your goals at the time—providing peace of mind for your family, helping with estate planning, or offering tax advantages. But goals change, and so do financial realities. Maybe your kids are grown, premiums feel onerous, or you simply want cash for... -
Michel H. Devoret Michel H. Devoret is a French physicist renowned for his research on circuit quantum electrodynamics (circuit QED), in which superconducting circuits generate fundamental units known as qubits for quantum computing. Devoret made critical contributions to the understanding of quantum phenomena in... -
Naegleria fowleri Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba (one of a group of single-celled microorganisms) found in warm, moist soil and bodies of warm fresh water around the world. It usually feeds on bacteria, but it targets human brain cells when it accidentally enters the body through the nose. The result is a rare but... -
John M. Martinis John M. Martinis is an American physicist known for his pioneering work in quantum computing, particularly in the development of superconducting qubits, the basic units of quantum information. His research has advanced the generation of high-fidelity qubits that form the foundation for scalable... -
John Clarke John Clarke is an English physicist known for his research on superconductors and Josephson junctions, which allow electron pairs to move between two superconductors by tunneling across a nonsuperconducting barrier. This work led to his advancement of superconducting quantum interference devices... -
government-in-exile A government-in-exile is an individual or group that once operated as the government of a state or territory but has been forced out of its homeland as a result of foreign military invasion, civil war, or insurrection. A government-in-exile regards itself as the legitimate government of its... -
Alex Murdaugh Alex Murdaugh is a former lawyer from one of South Carolina’s most powerful families. In 2021 his wife, Margaret (“Maggie”) Murdaugh, and youngest son, Paul Murdaugh, were murdered on the family’s estate. Alex Murdaugh was later charged with their deaths, and in 2023 he was convicted of murder,... -
Shimon Sakaguchi Shimon Sakaguchi is a Japanese immunologist who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on the immune system. He shared the prize with American biologists Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell. Sakaguchi received a medical degree in 1976 from Kyōto University and a... -
Who Was Ed Gein’s Girlfriend, Adeline Watkins? The 2025 installment in Netflix’s Monster series tells the story of one of the United States’ most notorious criminals: Ed Gein. In the 1950s he gained worldwide notoriety after it was discovered that he had murdered two women and robbed graves, using body parts to make household items. Although... -
Fred Ramsdell Fred Ramsdell is an American biologist who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on the immune system. He shared the prize with American biologist Mary E. Brunkow and Japanese immunologist Shimon Sakaguchi. Ramsdell received a doctorate in microbiology and... -
Mary E. Brunkow Mary E. Brunkow is an American biologist who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for her work on the immune system. She shared the prize with American biologist Fred Ramsdell and Japanese immunologist Shimon Sakaguchi. Brunkow received a doctorate in molecular biology from... -
2025 Nobel Prize Winners The 2025 Nobel Prize laureates will receive their awards on December 10. The 2025 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to American biologists Mary E. Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell and Japanese biologist Shimon Sakaguchi by the Karolinska Institutet on October 6, 2025. They won for their...
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hot-air balloon Hot-air balloon, large balloon filled with heated air that floats in the sky with a basket underneath for people to ride in. For a full treatment of all types of manned and unmanned balloon craft, see also balloon flight. Balloons were used in the first successful human attempts at flying.... -
Stardew Valley Stardew Valley, independent farming simulation and role-playing video game created by American developer Eric Barone (screen name: ConcernedApe), released on February 26, 2016. Designed as a digital replication of agricultural life, it is a role-playing game, a genre in which players assume the... -
High Seas Treaty High Seas Treaty, international agreement created to address the conservation and sustainable use of marine life in sea zones and seabeds outside the exclusive economic zones (and thus jurisdiction) of any country. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, colloquially known... -
2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey, science fiction novel that was developed in tandem with the movie of the same name by American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and English writer Arthur C. Clarke and published in 1968, shortly after the release of the movie. As Kubrick focused increasingly on the film, the visions... -
Sarah Mullally Sarah Mullally is the 106th archbishop-designate of Canterbury, the first woman to be appointed in the more than 1,400-year history of the office in the Church of England. When her election is confirmed in January 2026, she will be the senior bishop—first among equals—of the Anglican Communion, the... -
Chappell Roan Chappell Roan is an American singer-songwriter known for song lyrics that embrace queer culture and for her bold makeup and costumes inspired by drag queens. Her music incorporates various styles, including synth-pop, rock, and disco, with influences from the popular music of the 1980s and 2010s.... -
How to choose mutual funds that fit your goals Mutual funds are a cheap and efficient way to own several companies in one investment, but choosing among them can feel overwhelming. There are thousands of funds on the market, covering nearly every type of investment style and asset class. Even if your employer’s 401(k) plan offers only a handful... -
ilish Ilish, (Tenualosa ilisha), species of saltwater herring of the Clupeidae family and a prized fish in South Asia. Native to the North Indian Ocean and most populous in the Bay of Bengal, ilish is the national fish of Bangladesh and the state fish of West Bengal, India. The distribution of ilish,... -
Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip, storm that developed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in October 1979 and the largest tropical cyclone ever observed, with a diameter of roughly 1,380 miles (2,220 km). At its peak, winds reached a speed of 190 miles (306 km) per hour, and the storm had the lowest sea-level pressure... -
Bavarian Illuminati Bavarian Illuminati, Enlightenment-era secret society founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt in the Electorate of Bavaria. One of several groups in the history of Europe to claim the name “illuminati” (Latin for “the enlightened ones”), they favored the overthrow of existing monarchical governments and... -
the Tin Man The Tin Man, fictional character from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and related books by American author L. Frank Baum. The character is called the Tin Woodman in the books but is popularly known as the Tin Man. He is made entirely of metal and has no working internal organs, although he can... -
Paris Saint-Germain FC Paris Saint-Germain FC, French professional football (soccer) club based in Paris and competing in Ligue 1, the topflight French men’s football league. In 2011 Qatar Sports Investments, a Qatari government-operated shareholding organization, bought a majority stake in Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and... -
What Are the Rarest Types of Wolves? Wolves hold a unique place in nature and in the human psyche. The precursor to “man’s best friend” but also evil predators in fairy tales, wolves have an ability to fascinate and induce fear that is hard to dismiss. But there are also some that have faced extinction, including the red wolf, the... -
boy band Boy band, in popular music, a vocal group made up of young male performers whose music is geared toward teenage and preteen music fans, especially girls. Vocal harmonies and choreography are important elements of their music and performances, although some boy bands have also played their own... -
Toxic Substances Control Act Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a law passed by the Congress of the United States in 1976 that authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate or limit the production, importation, distribution, use, and disposal of chemical compounds found to be or suspected of being harmful... -
Which U.S. Presidents Have Been Impeached? The short answer is: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice). But to truly understand what happened in each of those cases, it helps to understand the impeachment process overall. So, let’s start with just a bit of background. • The impeachment process, outlined in the U.S.... -
Vantablack Vantablack, the brand name for a class of super-black coatings that absorb nearly 100 percent of the light falling on them. Developed by the British company Surrey NanoSystems (SNS), Vantablack is one of the darkest synthetic materials in the world. When applied to surfaces, its extreme light... -
Price gap analysis: What gapping stocks can tell traders If you’ve ever traveled by subway in London, Paris, or New York, you’ve seen the phrase “Mind the gap.” It’s a warning that something is missing. There’s a void ahead, and if you don’t pay attention, you could get hurt. A price gap on a stock chart is similar in that it indicates something is... -
When memory care makes sense: What families should know about care and costs One of the most devastating parts of a dementia diagnosis is realizing someone with the disease will slowly, inexorably lose the qualities that once defined them. This inevitability adds complexity to caregiving choices for families who often understandably wish to keep a loved one at home or have... -
2025 Liberal-Democratic Party (Japan) Presidential Election Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative and former economic security minister, emerged victorious in the Liberal-Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership contest on October 4, 2025, putting her on course to become Japan’s first woman prime minister. The election was scheduled after Prime Minister... -
10 Deadliest Cyclones in History Cyclones are among the most devastating natural phenomena, capable of destroying entire coastal communities and claiming several thousand lives in a single event. They can bring not only violent winds but also torrential rains and massive storm surges, which are created when a storm’s air-pressure...
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governor Governor, the constitutional head of a state in India. Although a governor is appointed by the president of India, effectively on the advice of the central government, the governor’s office is an independent constitutional post. As the nominal head of a state executive, a governor is obliged to act...
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What does “black pill” refer to? Black pill ideology is inspired by the 1999 film The Matrix, which created a futuristic world in which fighters against the status quo are presented with a choice between taking a blue pill or a red pill. Those who pick the blue pill remain blissfully ignorant about the true ways of the world....
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SNL Cast Members Since its debut in 1975, the beloved sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) has managed to weather its many ups and downs by constantly evolving. One of the sources of this renewal is the steady churn of the show’s cast. After nearly every season, familiar faces are let go and new comedians... -
Decoding Medical Jargon from Television Emergency Rooms Medical dramas are famous for their rapid-fire jargon—“Code blue,” “V-fib!,” “Stat!”—which creates tension and realism in emergency scenes. Although many of these terms are drawn from real clinical practice, their use on television often exaggerates, oversimplifies, or even misrepresents their... -
Operation Mincemeat Operation Mincemeat, covert operation by British intelligence in 1943, designed to mislead Nazi Germany about the Allied powers’ plans to invade Sicily during World War II. The operation involved secret documents placed on a dead body; the fake documents successfully misled the Axis powers into... -
A Brief History of American Political Humor “Many a true word is spoken in jest.” Attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer near the end of the 14th century, that pretty much sums up the nature of political comedy: speaking the truth in a way that gets people to laugh, even when it may make them a little uncomfortable. Political comedy didn’t start in... -
The Four-Day Workweek For most of human history, work has been largely hunting and gathering, agrarian, and hand-based (cobblers, smiths, and the like), and work schedules have depended on demand, seasons, weather, and daylight hours. The Industrial Revolution (beginning in the 18th century) introduced social and... -
masked hunter Masked hunter, (Reduvius personatus), species of nocturnal assassin bug widely known for its ability to camouflage itself as a ball of dust during its nymphal stage. The masked hunter lives chiefly outdoors, where it eats termites, earwigs, lacewings, pill bugs, and other arthropods. It sometimes... -
seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca Seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca, capture of the Great Mosque of Mecca by hundreds of militants carrying out a rebellion against the Saudi royal family. The mosque was seized on November 20, 1979, and retaken by Saudi forces after a two-week siege. In the Islamic calendar it was Muḥarram, the... -
10 Critically Endangered Animals of India India’s wildlife includes many vertebrate animals that are among the most threatened forms of life in the world. Some are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and face a high risk of extinction in the wild. Found in diverse ecosystems such... -
Cal Raleigh Seattle Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh’s 2025 season is one for the history books. In order to understand what the stocky slugger has done, it helps to understand those whose history he has rewritten. That 2025 marked Raleigh’s fourth full season in the major leagues indicates the potential for...
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Charlie Hunnam Charlie Hunnam is an English actor known for playing alpha male roles, notably Jackson (“Jax”) Teller, a leader of a violent motorcycle gang, in the popular FX crime drama Sons of Anarchy (2008–14). In 2025 Hunnam portrayed the infamous real-life serial killer Ed Gein in the third season of the... -
ofrenda Ofrenda, decorated altar set up in homes for the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) holiday as celebrated in Mexico and neighboring parts of Latin America as well as across the United States. This distinctive offering table, constructed especially for the holiday, honors and welcomes the deceased... -
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was an American fashion publicist who was thrust into the national spotlight in the early 1990s when she began dating John F. Kennedy, Jr. Her future husband was the son of U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy (later Onassis). Their surprise wedding and closely... -
Sushila Karki Sushila Karki is a Nepali lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the first female chief justice of Nepal (2016–17) and as the country’s interim prime minister (2025– ) following the 2025 Nepalese Generation Z Protests, becoming Nepal’s first woman head of government. She was an influential... -
xAI XAI is a start-up company founded by tech entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk in March 2023 to counter what he called the political correctness in other generative artificial intelligence (AI) models. Launched in July 2023 as an alternative to such AI giants as OpenAI (which Musk cofounded),... -
H-1B visa The H-1B visa is one of the most widely used work visa programs in the United States. It allows employers to hire foreign nationals—workers who are not U.S. citizens—for specialty occupations that typically require a bachelor’s degree or higher. Like all visas, it is part of the U.S. immigration... -
Do All Donkeys Have a Cross on Their Back? Not all donkeys have a cross on their back, but most of them do. The distinctive cross pattern consists of a dark stripe along the donkey’s spine from the mane to the tail and a perpendicular stripe across its shoulders. Experts suggest that it arises from the species’ genetic makeup, but the... -
Orangutan or Gorilla: Which Is Bigger? Although the orangutan holds the title of largest arboreal animal, the ground-dwelling gorilla, the largest ape overall, is quite a bit bigger when comparing adults of the same sex. Female gorillas, however, stand only slightly taller than male orangutans and are typically lighter. The average... -
Types of Spiderwebs Web-weaving spiders are master architects of the natural world, instinctively creating intricate structures that serve as homes, traps, and nurseries. Although all spiders make silk, surprisingly only about half of the more than 51,500 species of spiders on Earth actually build webs. (Many spiders,... -
Charles Sobhraj Charles Sobhraj is a French serial killer, smuggler, con artist, and thief whose career of disguises, passport theft, and murders along the Asian hippie trail (an overland route between Europe and Southeast Asia popular among Western backpackers) in the 1970s earned him the nickname “the Serpent.”... -
Super Typhoon Ragasa Super Typhoon Ragasa, tropical cyclone that attained super typhoon status on September 21, 2025, according to reports from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country’s meteorological agency. Ragasa was the world’s strongest tropical... -
Vijayadashami Vijayadashami, final day of the 10-day Indian festival Durga Puja, which celebrates the descent of goddess Durga to Earth, her victory over the demon king Mahishasura (from the Sanskrit terms mahisa, “buffalo,” and asura, “demon”), and her subsequent departure to Mount Kailash. Durga Puja is... -
What are neobanks? How they work and risks to know Neobanks are financial services companies that may offer you a better return on your savings than you get at a traditional bank. They often advertise high-yield accounts that pay attractive interest rates, but neobanks come with important limitations. Although some of their products resemble those... -
Moorgate Tube crash Moorgate Tube crash, train crash on February 28, 1975, at Moorgate station in the London Underground system. It killed 43 people and injured many more, making it the system’s deadliest peacetime disaster. The Moorgate station, in central London, was the southern terminus of the Northern City Line,... -
How Tall Was Goliath in the Bible? According to 1 Samuel 17 of the Hebrew Bible (which contains a large portion of the Christian Old Testament), Goliath was a heavily armed Philistine giant who challenged King Saul for 40 days to send out a man to fight him. No one would face this intimidating warrior until young David, a shepherd... -
chief minister (India) Chief minister (India), in India, elected head of government of each of the 28 states and 3 of the 8 union territories (Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry). The chief minister’s position at the state level is similar to that of the prime minister at the national level. The chief minister... -
Renting as a retirement strategy: Freedom from homeownership Retirement—or the idea of it—often comes with big lifestyle decisions. Housing is among the biggest and may involve considering whether to continue to own a home or switch to renting. Some seniors envision staying put and outsourcing some or all of the maintenance, while others picture selling,... -
List of Number One NBA Draft Picks Every summer a new cohort of professional basketball players joins the ranks of the NBA through a draft. Prospects are judged on their performance in high school, college, or international leagues, and teams must decide which player is most likely to be a valuable contributor to their rosters.... -
Who Owns the Gulf of Mexico? The Gulf of Mexico (also called the Gulf of America) covers an area of some 600,000 square miles (1,550,000 square km), and a little more than 2 percent of it is classified as international waters. The remainder is claimed by the three countries that border it: Cuba, Mexico, and the United States.... -
The Wire The Wire, American crime drama television series, created by David Simon and considered by critics as one of the best shows ever made because of its unique portrayal of systemic dysfunction in American civic institutions. HBO aired 60 episodes over five seasons, the first on June 2, 2002, and the... -
How Did Adolf Hitler Die? On April 30, 1945, with the war lost and Soviet troops advancing, Adolf Hitler fatally shot himself in his underground bunker in Berlin. Some sources claim that he also bit into a cyanide capsule as he pulled the trigger. Eva Braun, whom he had married the previous day, also took cyanide and died... -
Assassination of Charlie Kirk Conservative activist and Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings in the United States on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, when a single shot fired from a distance of some 175 yards (160 meters) hit Kirk in the neck, killing... -
Nicole Brown Simpson She was the glamorous ex-wife of a National Football League (NFL) legend. She was the victim of one of the most infamous crimes of the second half of the 20th century. She became a rallying cry for police to change the way they dealt with reports of domestic violence. But Nicole Brown Simpson was... -
Rhodnius prolixus Rhodnius prolixus, parasitic species of South American assassin bug that is one of the primary vectors of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease in humans, dogs, and other mammals. The insect, like other members of the kissing bug subfamily Triatominae, feeds on... -
Marshall Islands atomic bomb tests The Marshall Islands atomic bomb tests were carried out by the United States between July 1946 and August 1958 on Bikini and Enewetak atolls in the Marshall Islands. These tests of nuclear weapons were conducted from the air, from ships, and underwater. The United States plunged the world headlong... -
Slash Slash is a British-American guitarist whose emotional playing, whether in melodic solos or bluesy yet heavy riffs, makes him one of the greatest rock guitarists. He has most famously played for the band Guns N’ Roses, and his signature look—a top hat and an amber Gibson Les Paul—has become... -
Karva Chauth Karva Chauth, a festival traditionally observed in parts of northern India and Nepal primarily by married Hindu women. During this festival, women fast for a day from sunrise to moonrise and pray for their husbands’ longevity and prosperity. Some unmarried women also participate in the fast and... -
State Animals of India Each of India’s 28 states and seven of its eight union territories (all except Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu) has an official animal, selected to represent its unique wildlife and cultural heritage. The practice of selecting a state animal began in the 1970s. The selected animals, some... -
Sukhoi Su-57 Sukhoi Su-57, single-seat, twin-engine Russian heavyweight multirole combat aircraft that first flew in 2010. It was developed by the Sukhoi design bureau, creator of the Flanker series, a line of aircraft that serves as the backbone of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). The maximum takeoff weight... -
panchayati raj Panchayati raj, a system of rural administration in India with a three-tier structure: gram panchayats for villages, panchayat samitis for administrative divisions called blocks, and zilla parishads for districts. The panchayati raj system consists of elected governing bodies, based on the Vedic... -
What Dog Breed Is Closest to a Dingo? There are several dogs that are closely associated with dingoes, including the rare Carolina Dog and the wild New Guinea singing dog. But the Australian Cattle Dog is the dog breed that was developed in the 19th century by crossing a Blue Merle Collie with a dingo. Breeders sought to imbue the... -
Why Do Yaks Have Long Hair on Their Bodies? Yaks have long hair because it is essential for survival: it provides superior insulation against the extreme cold of their native high-altitude environments, originally stretching from the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau in the south to Lake Baikal in the north. The dense, double-layered coat,... -
Mammootty Mammootty is an Indian actor and producer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema. Celebrated for his versatility, Mammootty is especially noted for portraying complex and larger-than-life characters. In a career spanning more than five decades, he has appeared in about 400 films, including... -
How Long Do Tortoises Live? Tortoises are renowned for their impressive life spans, as some species live for more than 60 years. This longevity is a result of adaptations such as a slow metabolism and protective shells, which help them avoid predators and conserve energy. Captivity can significantly extend a tortoise’s life... -
power sharing Power sharing, distribution of political power among different organs and levels of government, as well as among social groups within a country. Power sharing can help prevent the concentration of power in any one social group or political party. It can also promote inclusive decision-making and...
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Why Is Blue Cheese Safe to Eat? Stilton. Roquefort. Gorgonzola. These are just some of the varieties of blue cheese known for their sharp, piquant flavor—a flavor that is produced by mold that has grown in the cheese. But isn’t mold dangerous? If so, why is blue cheese safe to eat? Some molds are indeed toxic and dangerous to... -
How Big Were Saber-Toothed Cats Compared to Tigers? Saber-toothed cats in the genus Smilodon were comparable in length and height to Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) but were generally more robust, stockier, and heavier. The species S. populator, however, was considerably larger and more robust than modern big cats, including lions and... -
Why Did the Manson Family Murder Sharon Tate? On the night of August 8–9, 1969, followers of Charles Manson brutally murdered Sharon Tate and four others at her home in Los Angeles. He reportedly told his followers to kill everyone at 10050 Cielo Drive “as gruesome[ly] as you can.” (There is no indication that Manson knew who was living at the... -
Why Is Chilean Sea Bass So Expensive? Chilean sea bass commands a high price because of a combination of factors: its scarcity, arising from its deep, remote Antarctic habitat, which complicates and inflates the cost of fishing operations, and a robust demand, particularly in fine-dining settings, fueled by its celebrated rich, buttery...
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What Is the Most Venomous Jellyfish? The Australian box jellyfish, scientifically named Chironex fleckeri, is widely considered the world’s most venomous jellyfish. Its highly potent venom can induce intense pain, paralysis, cardiac arrest, and death within minutes of a sting. Immediate medical attention is often required to prevent... -
What Is the Rarest Dog Breed? Determining the rarest dog breed in the world is a challenging task because of the difficulty of obtaining and analyzing reliable data. Different sources give differing information. According to the American Kennel Club, which tracks some 200 breeds, the rarest breed, ranking 197 out of 197 in... -
Jan Matejko Jan Matejko was a Polish painter, one of the most renowned in Polish history, who is known for his monumental Romantic canvases. He was one of the foremost artists of the 19th century working in the popular history painting genre. His best-known works, such as Stańczyk and The Battle of Grunwald,... -
How Many People Died When the Titanic Sank? On April 14–15, 1912, the Titanic sank. While the exact number of people killed is unknown, it is generally believed that of the ship’s approximately 2,200 passengers and crew members, some 1,500 perished. The lack of certainty over the death toll is due to several reasons. Original passenger and... -
Why Are Bloodhounds Used as Police Dogs? Bloodhounds are often recruited for police work because of their exceptionally keen sense of smell. The dogs possess 230 million–300 million scent receptors, which is about 40 times that of humans and the highest number among dog breeds. This superior olfactory capacity enables the breed to... -
How Did the Tradition of Wedding Rings Start? When Taylor Swift said yes to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in August 2025, it seemed as if all the megastar’s romantic anthems were coming true. And by proposing with what fans quickly identified as a dazzling Old Mine-cut diamond set on a gold mount, Kelce joined a long tradition of... -
Why Do Oarfish Swim Vertically? Oarfish swim vertically to camouflage themselves in their deep-water habitat. This orientation hides their flattened bodies from predators above, and their reflective silver flesh blends into the color of the water around them in the low light of the depths. Swimming vertically also has other... -
Are Donkeys Intelligent? Donkeys are intelligent animals, though they’re often thought to be slow and stubborn. Studies suggest that donkeys show signs of intelligence through cognitive traits such as memory, problem-solving, learning from their environment, and adapting to new challenges. Donkeys may appear stubborn, but... -
What Is a Platypus’s Closest Living Relative? The closest living relatives of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) are the echidnas (family Tachyglossidae), which comprise four species. Both the platypus and the echidnas (or spiny anteaters) are monotremes belonging to the order Monotremata, an ancient group of mammals that are oviparous... -
Why Is Milk Pasteurized? Pasteurization is a heating process used to make foods and beverages, including milk, safe for consumption. First suggested for milk in 1886, it was widely adopted in the early 20th century to combat diseases once commonly carried in raw milk, such as tuberculosis, typhoid, and diphtheria. Today... -
Jewish Holidays The many holidays of the Jewish religious year offer a wide variety of festivities, feelings, histories, and sacred meanings. Some holidays in Judaism are solemn and require fasting, whereas some feature festivity and feasting. Most, but not all, Jewish holidays are stipulated in the Torah (the... -
Owen Wilson Owen Wilson’s path to Hollywood comedy stardom began with what he once described as a “little idea” that he cooked up in his early 20s with Wes Anderson, his college friend and lifelong collaborator. That little idea grew into a small-budget independent movie called Bottle Rocket (1996), which... -
What Happened to Emmett Till’s Killers? On August 28, 1955, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, both of whom were white, kidnapped and killed Emmett Till, an African American teenager. Earlier that day Till had reportedly whistled at, touched, or flirted with Bryant’s wife, Carolyn Bryant, a cashier at the local grocery store. The two men were... -
Lamine Yamal Lamine Yamal is a Spanish football (soccer) player who typically operates on the right flank as an “inverted” left‑footed winger for FC Barcelona. Known for his close control, trickery with the ball, and passing range and creativity, Yamal is considered one of the sport’s most talented young stars.... -
Do Emperor Penguins Mate for Life? Emperor penguins do not mate for life. However, a male and a female often pair up for one breeding season. Emperor penguins are considered serially monogamous, meaning that while individual males and females usually form an exclusive pair bond for a breeding season, the partnership rarely continues... -
Are Llamas Ruminants? Like ruminants, a llama chews its cud, which consists of plants it has eaten and then regurgitates and rechews to break down the cellulose in it. But unlike the so-called true ruminants—a type of mammal that includes cattle, sheep, and goats, among others—llamas have a three-chambered stomach. True... -
Ousmane Dembélé Ousmane Dembélé is a French football (soccer) player with the Ligue 1 (French topflight football league) club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and operates as an attacking winger and forward. Experts consider him one of the best active players in the world because of his two-footed dribbling technique,... -
John F. Kennedy, Jr., plane crash On the night of July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette were killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, while en route to a family wedding. The plane was piloted by Kennedy, a magazine publisher and the... -
How Big Are Anglerfish Compared to Humans? Most anglerfish are considerably smaller than humans. The European monkfish (Lophius piscatorius), a species of anglerfish, can grow up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length, longer than the average human, who typically stands about 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) tall. However, most anglerfish are about 30... -
Arthur Sze Arthur Sze is an American poet who was appointed U.S. poet laureate in 2025, making him the 25th person to hold that post since its creation in 1985 and the first Asian American to hold the post. The winner of a 2019 National Book Award and a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Sze... -
How Old Is the Oldest Living Greenland Shark? Scientific data suggest that Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) may live for more than 500 years and that the oldest known living Greenland shark is about 400 years old. This remarkable longevity—which earns this fish the title of “world’s longest-lived vertebrate”—is likely a result of... -
Why Are Scallops So Expensive? Scallops owe their high market price to a combination of biological traits and economic factors. They are commercially important bivalve mollusks, but they are not as abundant as mussels or oysters. The scallop is prized for its large adductor muscle—the tender, mild portion that is typically the... -
Benny Blanco American record producer and songwriter Benny Blanco has collaborated on a slew of hits with many pop artists, including Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, and Maroon 5. An Interscope Records executive has called him “one of the most sought after hit makers in contemporary music.” He has... -
Who Planned the September 11 Attacks? Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is considered the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, though Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the operational planner. Mohammed came up with the tactical innovation of using hijacked planes to attack the United States, and al-Qaeda provided the personnel, money, and... -
Where Is the Wreck of the Titanic? The wreck of the Titanic—which was discovered on September 1, 1985—is located at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, some 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater. It is approximately 400 nautical miles (740 km) from Newfoundland, Canada. The ship is in two main pieces, the bow and the stern. The exact... -
What Were the September 11 Attacks? The September 11 attacks were a series of airplane hijackings and suicide attacks committed in 2001 by 19 terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil; nearly 3,000 people were killed. The attacks involved the hijacking of four... -
What Are Baby Koalas Called? Baby koalas are called joeys. The term joey is widely used for the young of all marsupials such as kangaroos, opossums, and wallabies. Koala mothers only give birth to one baby at a time. A joey is born in a highly undeveloped state after a short gestation period of about 34 to 36 days. This tiny,... -
K.B. Hedgewar K.B. Hedgewar was an Indian physician, nationalist, and social organizer who founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS; Hindi: “National Volunteer Organization”) in 1925 in Nagpur, Central Provinces and Berar (Nagpur is now in Maharashtra, India). At a time when India was under British colonial...