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Don’t Know What to Read Next? This Comprehensive Book Map Can Help

TheLibraryMap organizes 100,000 book titles in a way that’s visually pleasing and easy to navigate.

Mantle Piece: You Can Own Shares of Mickey Mantle’s Boyhood Home for $7

The baseball icon’s modest Oklahoma home is getting the fractional ownership treatment.

A detail of the Chi Rho monogram in the Book of Kells, a priceless illustrated manuscript from the Middle Ages.

5 Misconceptions About the Middle Ages

The medieval era wasn’t just a bunch of flat Earthers feasting and jousting.

One Minute of Music: Remembering the HitClips Fad of the Early 2000s

The tiny chips held just 60 seconds of pop music, but kids still couldn’t get enough.

Sugar skulls are just one part of Día de los Muertos.

12 Facts About Día de los Muertos

In Latin America, el Día de los Muertos is a celebration of life and death, and an invitation for the deceased to return home once again to those who love them.

Why Is Opening an Umbrella Indoors Supposed to Be Bad Luck?

When it comes to superstitions about bad luck, indoor umbrellas are right up there with broken mirrors and black cats.

The fast food chain's much-loved Halloween pails are back for 2023.

McDonald’s Boo Buckets Are Back—and Here’s How to Get Them

Boo Buckets are back for 2023, and here’s how you can get your hands on the McDonald’s Halloween buckets that kids have been getting hyped up for since the 1980s.

*Insert Jaws theme here* / Alexyz3d via Shutterstock

Wild Misconceptions About Sharks

In this episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd debunks some myths about these great beasts of the ocean, from whether punching them in the nose is a valid defense tactic to the events that inspired 'Jaws.'

Grandparent nicknames are different all over.

'Grandude': America's Most Common Grandparent Nicknames

Calling a grandparent 'Grandmother' or 'Grandfather' is so played out.

11 Surprising Facts About Vampire Bats

Only three bat species, out of some 1100 in the world, actually have a taste for blood.

Now you can trim your tree with the Sentinel Sphere from 'Phantasm'

Deck the Halls With Gore and ‘80s Throwbacks With These Horror-Themed Christmas Ornaments

Middle of Beyond offers holiday ornaments, ugly Christmas sweaters, and more inspired by your favorite '70s and '80s horror classics, including "Evil Dead 2," "Phantasm," and others.

Chadwick Boseman stars in 'Black Panther' (2018).

10 Surprising Facts About ‘Black Panther’

‘Black Panther,’ which stars the late Chadwick Boseman, was a major success for the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it hit theaters in 2018.

The Leonid meteor shower becomes a meteor storm every 33 years.

The Leonid Meteor Shower Explodes Across Skies This November

Known for producing the occasional meteor storm, the Leonid meteor shower is highly anticipated among astronomy fans.

Why Is the First Episode of a TV Show Called a ‘Pilot’?

Getting a concept onto the big screen is a difficult process, and the pilot episode is what can make—or, more often, break—a series. By why is it called that?

10 Chilling Facts About Permafrost

About 11 percent of the Earth’s surface is perpetually frozen, though that will surely change as global warming continues.

Timothée Chalamet stars in 'Dune' (2021).

The 8 Best Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix Right Now

From dystopian nightmares to paranormal action thrillers, Netflix has got something to scratch every type of sci-fi fan’s itch.

This Map Shows You Where to Find the Best Cider Donuts in New England

If you're planning a leaf-peeping trip through New England this fall, you'll want to map out the best spots for apple cider donuts along your route.

Windsocks can tell you which way the bise blows.

21 Wonderful Words for Wind

Geographers and climatologists have a goody bag full of wonderful words that get super specific about wind.

Modern office machines are made to fit a certain size of paper.

The Reason Why a Standard Piece of Paper Is 8.5 Inches by 11 Inches

The letter-sized standard actually has roots in the 1660s, when paper was made by hand—and Herbert Hoover had something to do with it, too.

Use of the word ‘placebo’ in a medical context is more recent than you might think.

Why Is It Called the “Placebo Effect”?

What is a placebo? Technically, a Latin phrase meaning ‘I will please.’ It’s also a Catholic prayer and a clever insult.

Museum visitors admire Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss.’

15 Things You Should Know About Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’

Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ is a deceptively simple portrait of lust and love. But beyond that glittery gold leaf, the work is full of fascinating facts.

12 Novels Inspired by Real Events

Novelists have used everything from real killers to newsworthy hostage situations to literal white whales to craft their fiction.

A cosplayer dressed as Freddy Krueger during Comic Con.

The Smart—and Scientific—Reason Freddy Krueger’s Sweater Is Red- and Green-Striped

Wes Craven didn’t intend for his classic horror film villain to look like he was headed to a Christmas party.

A Shot in the Dark: How to Photograph a Black Cat

With some simple adjustments, you can transform your black cat from a dark blob of fur into a handsome portrait subject.

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