The Bauhaus school, the influential 20th-century institution that changed international design and architecture, developed a sleek typography that intentionally contrasted Nazi propaganda.

Quincy Jones' 'Big Band Bossa Nova' helped introduce bossa nova, the Brazilian fusion of samba and jazz, to the US.

The steak sandwich had been around since at least the 1800s, but in the early 1900s, a Philadelphia hot dog vendor topped it with cheese and used different bread to create the cheesesteak.

Belgian waffles were originally called 'Brussels waffles,' but the name was changed because a vendor believed most Americans were not familiar with the country's capital city.

Graffiti has its own visual language, including simple 'tags,' large block letters, and complex 'pieces.'

Check out a list of the 100 best artworks about America, including Norman Rockwell, Jasper Johns, and many more.

The horror film 'Obsession' borrowed its premise from a 'Simpsons' episode, which was itself based on a classic British ghost story.

The band Radiohead launched a chatbot to promote its 2001 album, creating a popular form of artificial intelligence over 20 years before ChatGPT.

The Library of America, a reissue series that began in 1982, repackaged classic works of American writers at a low cost to encourage readers to engage with what it considered the American literary canon.

Walt Whitman wrote a poem for the official celebration of America's 100th anniversary, but was not invited to read at the event.

A 2026 survey found that Dolly Parton is far more popular in the US than the world's politicians.

Five unforgettable World Cup moments from the last twenty years of World Cup soccer.

From 'Oh, Mary!' to 'Hamilton,' revisit 50 Broadway shows about a major American historical event or person.

A blind taste test in 1976 determined that California produced better wine than France in a decision known as 'the Judgment of Paris' that realigned the wine world.

The Grateful Dead pioneered a massive 3-story, 75-ton, 600-speaker sound system that revolutionized live audio in the early 1970s.

'Out in left field' is an idiom used to describe an eccentric person, and some researchers believe it likely originated at a minor league baseball park in Massachusetts that had an unusual outfield.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, a July 4th tradition, has been primarily dominated by Joey "Jaws" Chestnut since 2007, and by Miki Sudo on the women's side since 2014.

Silent film star Buster Keaton tried to turn the Civil War into a comedy with the 1926 film 'The General,' which was panned by critics for its pro-Confederate themes and tone-deaf treatment of war, but has since been reappraised.

Frisbees earned their name from a pie company that made tins that college students used to throw around campus.

Explore a critics' list of the 100 best songs of the 1960s, featuring records by the Beach Boys, the Ronettes, Miles Davis, and more.

In honor of the comedy legend Mel Brooks' 100th birthday this weekend, watch some of the best scenes from his films, including classic bits from 'Young Frankenstein,' 'Spaceballs,' 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights,' and more.

When police raided New York's Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay bar, on June 28, 1969, patrons resisted, leading to 6 nights of protests that would eventually inspire modern Pride celebrations.

Mark Twain started writing 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' considered one of the greatest novels in American literature, to distract himself from a frustrating project.

The ultraviolent Mortal Kombat caused panicked parents and lawmakers to create the video game industry's first rating system in 1993.

Explore the history of American restaurants through an archive of menus dating back to the early 1800s.

The lyrics of John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,' the unexpected anthem for the US World Cup team, reference landmarks mostly in western Virginia rather than West Virginia.

Tennis balls are yellow, partly thanks to a suggestion by British naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.

Wimbledon enforces a strict all-white dress code, a tradition dating back to the 1800s, when white clothing signified elite status.

Before becoming a country superstar, Dolly Parton recorded girl-group-style singles as a teenager, including one that became a hit outside the US.

Independent bookstores are expanding across the country, though studies show literacy rates are rapidly declining, with only 35% of American high school seniors considered proficient readers.

A Russian ban on food from outside countries has created a black market that's led the government to sometimes burn contraband food on state TV.

Lincoln Logs, the popular children's toy, was designed by John Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who was inspired by his father's foundation of Tokyo's Imperial Hotel.

In the late 1800s, over 10,000 entries of the Oxford English Dictionary were written by a patient in a psychiatric hospital.

Rest in peace, Clive Davis, the executive responsible for signing influential artists like Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, and Alicia Keys.

Start compiling your summer reading list with this list of 50 great novels under 200 pages, including works by Albert Camus, Shirley Jackson, James Baldwin, and more.

Michael Nesmith, an original member of the '60s group the Monkees, created a music video show that inspired MTV.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong's mom starred in 'Little Big League,' a '90s baseball movie about a child who manages the Minnesota Twins.

150 years old this year, Pierre-Auguste Renoir's 'Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette' is considered an impressionist masterpiece that captures the fleeting moments of working-class people at a beer hall.

World Cup athletes use tattoos to convey aspects of their identity—including details of their faith, family, and accomplishments—in the otherwise tightly regulated arena of professional sports.

60 years ago, patrons at a New York bar staged a 'sip-in' protest against an anti-gay liquor law.

Explore fun facts about Father's Day, including its status as the fourth-largest card-sending holiday in the US, with roughly 72 million cards exchanged each year.

While on vacation, writer Mary Shelley was inspired by a challenge from British poet Lord Byron to write the novel 'Frankenstein.'

World Cup venues spend months cultivating their fields and choosing their grass based on the cities' climates.

Pizza Hut helped pioneer online food delivery in 1994 with PizzaNet, a website that allowed users in select areas of California to order pizzas online.

Novelist Charles Dickens championed the rights of the oppressed in his fiction, but after separating from his wife, he tried to have her committed to a mental asylum against her will.

A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros.—widely considered the most influential video game of all time—sold for $3M, making it the most valuable video game cartridge ever auctioned.

Iceberg lettuce was introduced to the world in the 19th century by a Pennsylvania seed company and became popular thanks to its durability.

Musician Gladys Bentley defied gender norms during the Harlem Renaissance and was openly gay, even though homosexuality was still widely considered taboo.

'Bonnie and Clyde,' the 1967 film starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, was the first major American movie to feature graphic violence.

Every player from a Stanley Cup-winning team has his name added to the trophy, though the NHL gradually removes older names to keep the trophy from becoming unwieldy.