Christmas, Owning a Home, and Empty Mall Vibes

The meaning of Christmas

Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the belief in God's birth as a first-century Judean man, Jesus Christ, celebrated each year on Dec. 25. Faithful observers believe the all-powerful, uncreated God became "incarnate" to redeem humanity from a fallen state by dying and rising again at Easter (though sects disagree on specifics). In recent centuries, the religious feast expanded into a major holiday season of gift-giving, celebrated by an estimated 2.6 billion people worldwide.
 

Its timing and many of its customs trace back to ancient seasonal festivals, such as Saturnalia and Yule, when communities in Europe celebrated the winter solstice. As Christianity spread through the continent in the fourth century, church leaders placed Christmas on Dec. 25 and adopted some of these long-standing traditions.
 

Amid the holiday's gradual secularization, the legend of Saint Nicholas’s gift-giving and the Dutch tradition of “Sinterklaas” helped shape the modern conception of Santa Claus (what we've learned about the figure). Customs solidified in Victorian England transformed Christmas into the family centered celebration recognized today—popularizing Christmas trees, cards, and carols. The holiday season brings in nearly $1T in revenue for retailers in the US.

... Read what else we learned about the holiday here.

Also, check out ... 

> See Christmas traditions from around the world. (Read)

> The title of "World's Largest Christmas Tree" is disputed. (Watch)

> Before electric lights, Christmas trees were lit with candles. (Watch)

> A Swedish town erects a giant straw Christmas goat each year—often burned down by pranksters. (View)

In partnership with Incogni

Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code 1440DAILY.

Please support our sponsors!

In partnership with Incogni

Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code 1440DAILY.

Please support our sponsors!

Homeownership, 101

Historically, homeownership has been considered a cornerstone of the American Dream. Today, about 65% of American households own a home, and roughly 5% own more than one. Homeowners view these residences as not only a place to live, but also a path to building substantial wealth.

Centuries ago, homeownership became more common as political systems evolved to allow individuals, rather than governments, to own land. In the US, the number of homeowners increased as mortgages became more accessible: Roughly 74% of today’s US homeowners used a mortgage to finance their home.

Real estate makes up roughly half of the typical American homeowner’s household net worth. The financial benefits of homeownership include diversifying one’s financial portfolio while protecting it from inflation, building equity, and more. The numerous costs associated with homeownership are often cited in the ongoing debate over whether renting or owning makes more financial sense, including homeowners insurance, property taxes, and budgeting for maintenance and repairs.

... Read our full explainer on homeownership here.

Also, check out ... 

> The vast majority of homeowners feel that they've made a good investment. (Read)

> See a guide to home buying. (Read)

> Is it better to rent or buy? (Calculate)

> The income needed to buy a home in each state. (Explore)

Lasers, explained

Lasers are tools that emit concentrated beams of visible light by stimulating electrons into emitting photons. The term is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.

Lasers are designed to emit single-color light in one direction rather than the spectrum of colors emitted in all directions by a lightbulb, star, or other source. This is accomplished through two competing effects. First, electrons are continuously energized within a material's atoms to a relatively stable energy level. Then, these energized electrons are induced to release their energy by emitting photons. These light particles result in a continuous chain reaction of emitted light for as long as electrons continue to be energized.

Lasers' uniformity and precision have made them invaluable tools for surgical procedures, treatment of dermatological and dental problems, and industrial manufacturing processes.

... Read our full write-up on lasers here.

Also, check out ... 

> Lasers could offer a cost-effective strategy for tackling the space trash problem. (Watch)

> Assigning credit to the inventor of the laser remains controversial. (Read)

> Advances in laser procedures have made tattoo removal more popular. (Read)
> How laser disc technology stores data. (Watch)

Best of the Week

We added 197 resources this week to our knowledge collective—here are some of our favorites.

Visualizing the world's $261T of investable assets. 

Handel's 1741 "Messiah" saved the music star from financial ruin.

The eerie, "liminal" vibes generated by touring abandoned malls.

The CEO of retail trading platform Robinhood is a cult hero among risky traders.

Explore the 186,000 miles of ancient Roman roads.  

How eight distinct cultures mark the winter solstice. 

Oil prices have been volatile for decades.

The case for preserving Britain's "Coalhenge," monumental cooling towers.

An interactive map of more than 7,000 global languages. 

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in three days, then burned it. 

The "Book of Judith" is a noncanonical Hanukkah story of deliverance.

Explore all the particles that make up the Standard Model of physics.

It takes an average of 14 days of work to afford a monthly mortgage in the US.

Revisiting why readers (and viewers) love Jane Austen, 250 years after her birth.

Eighty artists on their favorite Bob Dylan songs.

In partnership with Incogni

Sick of Scam Calls? Scared of Identity Theft?

Becoming truly anonymous online is hard—but it’s not impossible. Experts say there are several steps you can take:

> Use a VPN all the time

> Buy a burner phone instead of a smartphone

> Use a secure email service instead of Gmail or Yahoo

> Delete your social media accounts and associated data

Or use a data removal service like Incogni and stress less. Incogni helps you disappear online by erasing your personal data from brokers, search engines, and any site where it leaks. Build a private digital presence, layer by layer.

Hide what should stay hidden—start with Incogni. 1440 readers get 55% off your subscription with code 1440DAILY.

Please support our sponsors!

In partnership with Incogni

Don’t Fall for the 'You Missed Jury Duty' Scam

Do you consider yourself a savvy internet user? Even the most versed among us might fall for this scam: An influencer kept getting calls from “the sheriff’s office” in her town. They had her name, home address, and they said she’d missed jury duty. 

The voice on the line was calm, even soothing: “I’m not here to cause harm. It’s just my job.” She didn’t owe anything—but the scam still felt terrifyingly real. Why? Because her personal information was exposed online. That’s all scammers need to impersonate authority and pressure victims into wiring money.

With Incogni Unlimited, you can delete your details everywhere they appear online—from data brokers to people search sites and beyond. When scammers don’t have your data, they can’t make the lie sound real. Erase your data before scammers use it and get 55% off a subscription with code 1440DAILY.

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Introducing: 1440 Health & Medicine

Historybook: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" premieres (1937); F. Scott Fitzgerald dies (1940); Track and field star Florence Griffith Joyner born (1959); French President Emmanuel Macron born (1977); Bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people (1988).