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Another queen dies
Loretta Lynn, known to many as the “Queen of Country,” died on Tuesday at the age of 90. Lynn, whose hits included “Honky Tonk Girl” and the autobiographical “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” released her last album in 2021.
Kardashian crypto currency
TV personality and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian agreed to pay $1.26 million to settle a case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Kardashian shared a promotional message about an obscure cryptocurrency on her Instagram. She was paid $250,000 for doing so, and the SEC said that violated its disclosure rules.
Hurricane aftermath
U.S. President Joe Biden visited Puerto Rico and Florida this week to see the damage caused by two deadly storms. Hurricane Fiona left at least 25 people dead in Puerto Rico, and Ian’s total death toll has surpassed 100.
Global natural gas supply set for a boost
Every Day Is Halloween
Let’s face it—some of us have been waiting all year to break out the ghosts and goblins décor, and switching the calendar to October means that doing so is now socially acceptable. From the surprising evolution of trick-or-treating to the psychology behind our deepest, darkest fears, learn why this spooky holiday is about more than costumes and candy.
Why Do We Carve Pumpkins at Halloween?
© Andrey Armyagov/Shutterstock.com
9 Spooky Cemeteries to Die For
AgnosticPreachersKid
Trick-or-Treat Your Way Through Some Halloween Trivia
© Morgan Lane Photography/Shutterstock.com
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Symbols of Liberation
The Virgin of Guadalupe
In 1531 Mary was said to have appeared before an indigenous man in Mexico, and this Marian apparition became a symbol of empowerment. When Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla called for revolt against the Spanish, the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe offered inspiration for the people of Mexico.
“El Precursor” to Simón Bolívar
Francisco de Miranda—who fought for American independence under George Washington—led a revolutionary army in Venezuela in 1810. He was caught and imprisoned in 1812, but his attempt paved the way for Simón Bolívar years later.
The first animal domesticated by humans was the dog, possibly as early as 30,000 years ago.
See All Good FactsBrowse by Category
Entertainment & Pop Culture
Entertainment and leisure activities have been a part of culture in one form or another since the ancient times. Dance performances, live music, and storytelling have a long tradition throughout history, even as the styles and available methods of delivery have shifted dramatically.
Featured
- film
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Vegetable Variety: Fact or Fiction?
Are broccoli and cauliflower types of cabbage? Test...
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Spices: Fact or Fiction?
How much do you really know about spices? Take your...
Geography & Travel
Planet Earth contains some extraordinarily diverse environments, some of which are easily habitable and some not so much. In different areas of Earth, one might find sweltering deserts, dense tropical rainforests, or bone-chilling tundras. Each biome and habitat comes with its own selection of flora and fauna, and it may include physical features such as canyons, volcanoes, rivers, or caves. Human beings have built homes in many different environments, settling the area and organizing it into units such as cities, states, regions, and countries, each with its own points of interest. Shifting trends in human migration have resulted in a human geography that is profoundly different from that of centuries ago.
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Plains Indian
people
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Discover India
Which city lies on the Ganges river? What is the capital...
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Islands and Archipelagos
What are the islands of the Maldives made of? What...
Health & Medicine
The study of the human mind and body, how these function, and how they interact—not only with each other but also with their environment—has been of utmost importance in ensuring human well-being. Research on potential treatments and preventive medicine has expanded greatly with the development of modern medicine, and a network of disciplines, including such fields as genetics, psychology, and nutrition, aims to facilitate the betterment of our health.
Featured
- human behaviour
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How to tell the difference between persuasion and manipulation
It’s all about intent.
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Antibiotic resistance is at a crisis point – government support for academia and Big Pharma to find new drugs could help defeat superbugs
Basic research is necessary to address antibiotic resistance...
Lifestyles & Social Issues
It's easy enough to agree that human beings all around the world have certain basic requirements that must be fulfilled in order to ensure their individual and collective well-being. History has shown us, however, that it's not so easy to form societies or communities that fulfill these requirements for all members. The fight for human and civil rights has persisted for hundreds of years and remains alive today, both within the borders of nations and on an international scale. It has led to large-scale social movements and reforms concerning issues such as suffrage, slavery, women's rights, racism, environmentalism, gay rights, and much more.
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Mahatma Gandhi
Indian leader
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A brief history of black names, from Perlie to Latasha
Most people recognize that there are first names given...
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Returning the ‘three sisters’ – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms nourishes people, land and cultures
A scholar of Indigenous Studies focusing on Native...
Literature
With the development of language, the human imagination has found a way to create and communicate through the written word. A literary work can transport us into a fictional, fantastic new world, describe a fleeting feeling, or simply give us a picture of the past through novels, poems, tragedies, epic works, and other genres. Through literature, communication becomes an art, and it can bridge and bond people and cultures of different languages and backgrounds.
Featured
- Latin literature
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Quick Quiz: American Playwrights
You need to know three American playwrights and their...
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Shakespeare and His Plays Quiz
“If quizzes be the food of knowledge, play on...” is...
Philosophy & Religion
Humans have long pondered not only how we came to be but also why we came to be. The earliest Greek philosophers focused their attention upon the origin and nature of the physical world; later philosophers have theorized about the nature of knowledge, truth, good and evil, love, friendship, and much more. Philosophy involves a methodical assessment of any and all aspects of human existence and experience. The realms of philosophy and religion have sometimes intersected in conducting such inquiries as these. As with philosophy, the study of religion underscores how humankind has long speculated about its origins. The possibility of a higher being (or beings) to which livings things owe their existence has long captived human thought. Many religions also offer their own views on the nature of good and evil, and they may prescribe guidelines and judgment on different kinds of human behavior.
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Hinduism
religion
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World Religions & Traditions
Do you believe you know all there is to know about...
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Buddha and Buddhism
Founded by one man, this religion now inspires millions....
Politics, Law & Government
The world today is divided territorially into more than 190 countries, each of which possesses a national government that claims to exercise sovereignty and seeks to compel obedience to its will by its citizens. Governments can be classified in any number of ways. For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy). Governments can also be classified by mode of succession; for example, ascension to governmental leadership may follow the rules of hereditary succession, or it may be determined through elections or by force. Governments also vary in terms of the laws and rules of conduct that each political entity follows.
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Barack Obama
president of United States
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An autonomous robot may have already killed people – here’s how the weapons could be more destabilizing than nukes
Autonomous weapon systems – commonly known as killer...
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U.S. Presidents and Their Years in Office Quiz
The president of the United States serves a four-year...
Science
How can the sky be blue one day and stormy the next? Why do heavy objects tend to fall downwards when dropped? How are birds able to fly (and why can’t I do the same?)? Human beings have long been curious about the world in which we live, striving to identify connections among the phenomenons we witness and to understand how it all works. The field of science has developed over many centuries as a way of studying and understanding the world, beginning with the primitive stage of simply noting important regularities in nature and continuing through the rise of modern science. The modern-day sciences cover a vast range of fields, including biology, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, physics, and much more.
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scientific modeling
science
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6 Awesome Dinosaur Species You Should Know
Move over, T. rex.
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Watch Your Step: 6 Things You Can Fall Into
Solid ground is not always so solid.
Sports & Recreation
Physical contests and recreational games have long played a part in human society. In both team and solo sports, the human body has been pushed to its limits in the name of improving athletic performance and in order to break record upon record. The ancient Olympic Games are an early example of the contests in which humans have engaged to showcase physical prowess. In modern times, sports and games have evolved into a lucrative and competitive industry, while other leisure activities, such as card and video games, can be competitive or just serve as a way to unwind or socialize.
Featured
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figure skating
sport
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Golf Terms Quiz
How much do you know about golf terms? If you don’t...
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When the NCAA permitted colleges to pay stipends to student-athletes, the colleges also raised their estimated expenses
When NCAA Division I colleges with big-time sports...
Technology
Humankind has long striven to improve its living conditions through the development of tools, instruments, and transportation and communications systems, all with the goal of making our lives easier, more productive and—why not?—more fun, too. Thanks to human curiosity and technological research, many significant inventions have been made throughout history that in turn made a difference in our daily lives.
Featured
- military technology
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History of Technology Timeline
Learn more about the history of technology from the...
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How Much Trash Is In Space?
You might think we humans keep all our trash on the...
Visual Arts
These are the arts that meet the eye and evoke an emotion through an expression of skill and imagination. They include the most ancient forms, such as painting and drawing, and the arts that were born thanks to the development of technology, like sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation art. Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, different eras in art history have had their own principles to define beauty, from the richly ornamented taste of the Baroque to the simple utilitarian style of the Prairie School.
Featured
- Southeast Asian arts
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20 Paintings You Have to Visit at the Museo del Prado in Madrid
Learn Before You Look
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The African roots of Swiss design
The design style that undergirds much of the graphic...
World History
Does history really repeat itself, or can we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? History provides a chronological, statistical, and cultural record of the events, people, and movements that have made an impact on humankind and the world at large throughout the ages.
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Russian Revolution
Russian history [1917]
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Caligula: Fact or Fiction?
Did Caligula really make his horse consul? Was he as...
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Nero: Fact or Fiction?
Did Nero start the great fire of Rome? Why did Nero...
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