A live bald eagle named Peter once lived at the original Philadelphia Mint

‘Mint marks’ are tiny letters on US coins that correspond to which mint location created them

As more mint branches opened up after Philadelphia (the first mint location), these “mint marks” helped hold each branch responsible for the quality of the coin. A coin minted in Philadelphia, for instance, would have the letter “P” on it. Some mint marks are extremely rare, making coins displaying them particularly valuable to collectors.

Each design detail on the US $1 bill has significance

The eye in the triangle floating above the pyramid, for instance, is “the Eye of Providence watching over and ensuring the endurance of the structure of the American government.” This article details every design choice’s significance on the dollar—and a few conspiracies around these choices as well.

The Flyer sat in a shed for 13 years behind the brothers’ Dayton bike shop

While the wood is the same used in the 1903 flight, the muslin has been replaced twice. After laying forgotten in sheds, the vehicle eventually took on national importance. However, the Smithsonian Institution did not recognize it until the 1940s, after it spent time at the Science Museum in London.

Dickens' pet inspired Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven'

Dickens had a pet raven named Grip and made him a character in the novel "Barnaby Rudge: a Tale of the Riots of Eighty." Poe reviewed the work and suggested the raven should play a bigger role. A few years later, he fixed the problem himself when he wrote his most famous poem, "The Raven." The bird is preserved at the Free Library Philadelphia.

The case against the penny

It takes roughly three cents to produce a single penny, with an annual price tag of nearly $100M. The ubiquitous copper coin is scarcely used, ending up in jars or lost in couches, necessitating even more replacement coins, perpetuating a vicious circle. Studies suggest eliminating the coin would not cost consumers money. See a quick overview of the problem here.

Before the White House was constructed, the president lived and worked in Philadelphia

From 1790 to 1800, the President's House at 6th and Market Street in Philadelphia served as the executive mansion. George Washington and John Adams both served there as president before the capital moved to Washington, DC. The site is a tour of a replica of the house.

Where the world's most wanted pirate hid in the 1600s

Metal detectorists who discovered 500-year-old silver coins have helped support the theory that notorious 16th-century pirate Henry Every hid out in several American colonies.

The idea for the Federal Reserve was conceived in secret in 1910—with bankers donning duck hunt gear for disguise while traveling to a remote country club on Georgia's Jekyll Island

The US senator who found a city in the sky

Dr. Hiram Bingham, a Yale graduate and explorer, is credited with rediscovering Machu Picchu in 1911. Financially supported by his marriage to the Tiffany jewelry heiress, Bingham ventured into the Peruvian Andes in search of the lost Inca city of Vilcabamba. Instead, guided by local farmer Melchor Arteaga, he stumbled upon the awe-inspiring ruins of Machu Picchu.

Get the inside story of the duck hunt that birthed the Federal Reserve

Pseudo-duck hunters, private train cars in Hoboken, and a thrilling work week over Thanksgiving 1910—all and more are featured in the wild story of how a group of fed-up bankers and lawmakers tried to create an enduring central bank for the US. Records of the meeting managed to remain hidden for decades.

X's bird logo cost just $15 and wasn't added until four years after launch

When Twitter launched in 2006, it featured green, slimy lettering and lacked the now-famous bird icon. The bird was adopted in 2010 and eventually became the platform's official logo—unofficially named Larry after NBA legend Larry Bird.

Harriet Tubman will be featured on the $20 bill in 2028

While the face of money is changing, most of the historical figures that grace US currency haven’t changed in a long time. From President George Washington on the $1 bill and quarter to President Abraham Lincoln on the penny and $5 bill, this article details all the people you can find on your cash.

The massive gathering that rang in the first Earth Day

Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and helped inspire a significant nationwide environmental movement. In Philadelphia, the holiday was rung in with a gathering in the city’s Fairmount Park featuring musicians, speakers, and over 10,000 attendees. This video from CBS offers remarkable footage from the day and explains why Philadelphians were especially drawn to the environmental cause.

See a list of six famous people with animals named in their honor

The bird Polioptila attenboroughi, the spider Spintharus barackobamai, and the water beetle Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi are just a few of the creatures named after celebrities.

The myths around London's tiniest sculpture

The Philpot Lane mice have been considered London's smallest sculpture for decades, delighting visitors and locals alike. But there's a common story told for why the unusual sculpture—which features two mice fighting for a piece of cheese—was placed there, saying it commemorated the death of a construction worker fighting over a lunch in the 1800s. The author of this article argues the evidence for such a story is lacking. Dive into the obscure history here.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Benjamin Franklin founded America's first lending library in 1731

Franklin convinced members of his intellectual club to pool resources and purchase books none could afford individually. The Library Company of Philadelphia was founded with 50 shareholders, each contributing 40 shillings, and served as the unofficial, de facto Library of Congress from the Revolutionary War until 1800.

How the beaver became Canada's national symbol

The beaver has been the national symbol of Canada since 1975, where over 1,000 locations are named after the animal. Intimately tied up with the country's economic development via the fur trade, the beaver is a well-established motif in Canadian society. Though the species was endangered in the late 1900s, conservation efforts have returned them to a "secure" status.

The British pound is the oldest currency still in use

Also known as the “pound sterling,” the British pound is more than 1,200 years old. It dates back to around 775 CE, but it didn’t become the official currency of England until the 12th century. One pound originally represented a pound of silver. The below graphic shows some of the other oldest currencies still in use today.

Everything you need to know about the Tomb of Saint Peter

The Tomb of Saint Peter lies in Vatican City, a city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy. This comprehensive video explains the history of the apostle’s burial site and the brand-new technological developments surrounding it. Start your journey in Ancient Rome, learning how the Vatican got its name, and end with Microsoft’s AI technology that allows curious people from all around the world the ability to tour and interact with the space.

Birds are living dinosaurs that evolved from feathered theropods

Traits associated with birds, including feathers, laying eggs, and hollow bones, were first present in dinosaurs and carried through to their descendants. Fossils of these dinosaurs have been found in a sleeping posture, resembling roosting behavior.

The man behind the Preakness' iconic weathervane, which features every winner's name

Since 1988, Lawrence Jones has climbed into Pimlico's cherry picker to paint the Preakness winners' silks on its iconic weathervane—a tradition born in 1909. This America's Best Racing profiles Jones, a retired graphic artist, and how he has to meticulously paint the weathervane—even under challenging conditions. Learn the rich history of the event, and what happened to the weathervane after the 1966 fire.

When Niagara Falls stopped flowing

In 1969, engineers stopped Niagara Falls for the first time in 12,000 years to prevent erosion revealing hidden coins, boulders, and a rare dry view before restoring its roa

Why helium helped preserve the US' founding documents, but was later replaced

In 1951, the Charters of Freedom were stored in glass and metal cases filled with helium, which would not chemically react with the documents. After microscopic cracks were identified in the glass through which helium could leak out of and—experts feared—pollutants could infiltrate, new encasements made of aluminum, titanium, and argon replaced the old system in 2003.

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

Scientists used to speculate about life on the moon

In the 17th century, Galileo's observations suggested the moon could be inhabited, leading to fictional speculations about lunar life. In the 19th century, stories were published claiming the discovery of various creatures, including human bats. The Apollo missions in the 20th century explored the possibility of life there, but further exploration showed this idea to be less likely than before.

Some animals seem to live well on little sleep

African bush elephants typically sleep for about 2 hours per 24-hour day, coming in well under a human's recommended seven-hour minimum. Other animals also appear to skimp on sleep, by human standards, without the consequences humans associate with being sleep deprived. This academic article details the sleeping habits of animals that appear to thrive on fewer than 40 winks and explores whether their sleep processes are just built different.

Watch Peter Adeney’s TED Talk

The Mr. Money Mustache blog, started in 2011 and written by Peter Adeney, gained a significant following documenting real people’s experiences trying out FIRE, and also helped popularize the concept.

The original copy of the Declaration of Independence is not a pristine document, and even features a smudged anonymous handprint in the bottom left corner.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Against his wishes, Albert Einstein's brain was removed before his cremation, and the pathologist responsible stored it for decades in mason jars within a beer cooler.

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

The tragic Pulitzer Prize-winning image 'The Vulture and the Little Girl' (1993) generated controversy, raised concerns about ethics in photography, and eventually led to the photographer's death.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Scientists have struggled to pin down Ebola's natural reservoir species for decades, but the available evidence suggests that it's very likely fruit and insect-eating bats found in Africa.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

See how fireworks are made and learn how metals like magnesium and copper are responsible for different colors.

Warren Buffett's former professor Benjamin Graham is known as the 'father of value investing,' a strategy in which investors seek to buy stocks trading below their intrinsic worth.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Frank Lloyd Wright's houses are historically hard to sell because they're old, subject to local landmark commissions, and often unfashionable

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

The first robot in literature may have been a 'mechanical man' in 1907's 'Ozma of Oz,' a book in L Frank Baum's 'Wizard of Oz' series.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'