Who was a model for Mary Shelley’s protagonist? Candidates include a 17th-century alchemist and Charles Darwin’s grandfather.

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Until a few decades ago, Ukraine was almost always referred to as 'the Ukraine'. Then people started dropping the definite article, and now you almost never see it. Here's why.
Learn which Connections puzzles had players searching for hints most often in 2024.
Avian influenza is causing top grocery chains to put restrictions on egg purchases.
A record-setting launch of 1.5 million helium balloons was fun until it wasn’t.
People have been observing faces and figures on the moon for hundreds (if not thousands) of years. There’s a perfectly scientific explanation as to why.
These mistakes show that little kids know a lot more about the rules than we think.
For years, couples have dedicated that finger to romance when any other digit would do.
Wendy’s may be taking a page from the McDonald’s and Dairy Queen playbooks in the coming months.
Planning a vacation? Check out these friendly destinations.
An ornithologist discovered a hummingbird “hive” in Ecuador‘s High Andes—a major departure for the solitary animals.
Today, Amber Valley looks like any number of small, rural communities, but a couple dilapidated log cabins hint at what was once the northernmost all-Black settlement in the world.
If you have a disagreement with your neighbor today, you might head to small-claims court. In 19th-century rural America, such disputes were often solved with the business end of a gun.
We give you an obscure word with four definitions—one correct, three made up. Can you identify the correct one?
Here on Earth, we tend to take showering for granted. But getting clean isn’t so easy without the force of gravity helping you out.
Before the measles vaccine, there were between 3 and 4 million cases in the U.S. per year. Now, it’s less than 500.