Thousands of musicians play 'Taps' simultaneously at 3 pm on Memorial Day

At 3 pm on Memorial Day, Americans are asked to pause for one minute of silence

President Bill Clinton first called for the National Moment of Remembrance in 1999, and Congress made it law in 2000. The time was chosen because most Americans are in the middle of holiday activities.

‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ became associated with sports at the 1918 World Series

The song is often played at the start of amateur and professional sports games, a tradition that historians say became popular during World War I. During the seventh-inning stretch of the first game of the 1918 World Series, a band started an impromptu version. Red Sox player Fred Thomas, on leave from the Navy, turned to salute the flag, and the crowd followed his lead.

Watch Springsteen open a somber 9/11 tribute

“America: A Tribute to Heroes” was a fundraising telethon on Sept. 21, 2001, and simulcast across the four major networks. Springsteen opened the program with “My City of Ruins,” a song originally written about Asbury Park that took on new significance after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest travel weekends of the year in the United States

In 2026, AAA estimated over 45 million Americans planned to travel over the long weekend, with approximately 87% of those trips made by car.

Every Oktoberfest starts with a tap

Crowds rush excitedly toward the tents to count down to the ceremonial first tap, with the mayor declaring “O’zapft is!” This short documentary walks you through the tradition at the 2019 festival. Don’t miss the impressive shots of servers carrying dozens of beer steins at once to their thirsty patrons. Prost!

Americans celebrated the end of the Revolutionary War with nationwide toasts

In 1783, citizens celebrated the signing of the Preliminary Articles of Peace with nationwide parties. Across the new country, many made 13 toasts to the 13 states. They also drank to George Washington. One poet in Boston wrote, “Health to his honor I’d freely drink, Had I a glass of wine; And whosoever with me shall think, May mix their toast with mine.”

Earth Day has become the largest civic event in the world

What began in 1970 with 20 million Americans now involves more than 1 billion participants across over 190 countries each year. Earth Day now encompasses rallies, cleanups, and climate actions worldwide.

The National Mall hosts one of the country's largest July Fourth fireworks shows

Each Independence Day, the National Mall hosts a massive fireworks display coordinated by the National Park Service, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to the nation's capital.

Turning trash into music

In a town built on a landfill, a music teacher and young musicians created an orchestra using instruments made entirely from trash. From oil cans to bottle caps, they turned waste into music.

Musicians are 57% more likely to have tinnitus compared to the general public

Musicians have four times the risk of developing hearing loss, and their risk of developing tinnitus is increased by more than half.

Watch a pyromusical display to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”

The same principles behind fireworks also power the types of pyrotechnic displays in some live events. Here, you can see an application of the technology in a pyromusical set to rock band AC/DC’s iconic song, “Thunderstruck.”

Alcohol often accompanies memorial ceremonies around the world

“Pouring one out” for the dead is something that exists across the globe, in various cultures and forms. From the Irish wake to the Korean Sangnye, alcohol is frequently used as a way to honor the deceased and comfort the living.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located in Arlington National Cemetery

Dedicated on Armistice Day in 1921, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier serves as a symbolic memorial for unidentified fallen service members. It has been guarded continuously since 1937 at Arlington National Cemetery.

How the cicada entered popular music

For significant swaths of the country, cicadas are a calming summer soundtrack. In the past few decades, though, the insects' distinct sound have also entered the music world, providing drone and ambience for a range of musicians.

An electric pipe organ in Germany is playing a song for 639 years

Created by composer John Cage, the Halberstadt organ first began playing the piece in September 2001, and has since made only nine chord changes. The device within a medieval church utilizes compressed air to play continuous tones. The next chord change is scheduled for August 2026.

130,000 working musicians once went on strike

The early days of the record industry looked much different than they do now. There were few national record labels and there were organized musicians who viewed themselves more as day laborers rather than artists. That allowed for an organized strike by the American Federation of Musicians.

D-Day, history's largest amphibious invasion, turned the war's tide

On D‑Day, over 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops assaulted five heavily defended beaches along a 50‑mile stretch of northern France. Supported by nearly 3 million men, 1,200 warships, and 13,000 aircraft, the successful landings paved the way for the liberation of Western Europe and decisively shifted momentum against Nazi Germany.

Jazz legend Louis Armstrong was once the honorary king of the Zulu krewe

The historically Black krewe invited Armstrong to lead their parade in 1949. The invitation fulfilled a lifelong dream for the musician, who grew up in New Orleans. "After that," he told Time magazine in advance of the parade, "I'll be ready to die."

An interactive sound map of 8,000 locations around the world

Cities and Memory's global sound map covers 140 countries, featuring paired recordings: original field captures of a moment in time and an artist's recomposition built from the same source. The structure treats every location as both document and raw material, giving 2,500 contributors the same prompt with unpredictable results.

A 19-month-old boy went viral for his natural drumming skills

A mother gifted her husband a drum set for Christmas, but was surprised to find their young child take a liking to the instrument. The musician couple noticed that over time the young boy taught himself proper form and how to keep up with the beat of the music. TikToks they filmed of their son went viral and amassed millions of views.

PIckleball is the fastest-growing participation sport in America

The outdoor game experienced a surge in popularity during the 2020 pandemic because it could be set up in driveways, be played by all ages, and allowed for safe social interactions. That social aspect has helped pickleball’s popularity continue to rise post-pandemic. A March 2023 APP report showed 48.3 million American adults played the sport in the last 12 months.

Hear today's call to prayer and special 'duas' sung by the muezzin

The call to prayer is a distinctive sound marking the start and end of the fast each day, playing a key cultural role in the rhythms of the period. This archive collects "duas" (or supplications, or a prayerful petition) for each day in the year, with timely prayers and recitations sung by the muezzin, or cantor, in gorgeously intricate melodic intervals.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Reports of a recording of Whitman's voice are said to be a hoax

A recording of Whitman reading a portion of his poem "America" has been mass-produced and broadcast, but the Library of Congress and other scholars say the recording is a hoax.

Spinal Tap began as a sketch on a short-lived TV show

The fake band might be best known for "This is Spinal Tap," 1984 movie that effectively created the comedy mockumentary, but the premise began with an appearance on a short-lived ABC show called "The TV Show."

BTS has finally completed their mandatory military service

The world’s biggest boyband went on hiatus in 2022, leaving millions of fans—fittingly known as the BTS ARMY—waiting hungrily for their return. South Korean law states that all young, able-bodied men between 18 and 28 must serve between 18 to 21 months in the military. A revision was made to the law in reaction to BTS’s success in 2020, stating that K-pop stars or entertainers could postpone their military service until they turn 30.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

See this overview of the firework rules across all 50 states, ranging from a complete ban on non-professional fireworks in Massachusetts to states with more lax rules like Indiana.

A century of Billboard issues documenting the evolution of popular music.

Massive blooms of microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'

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.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

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

Watch a 1934 short film starring jazz legend Cab Calloway, a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance's music scene

The concept of phantom limbs, the perception that amputated limbs are still present, dates back to a French military surgeon in the 16th century.

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

American dance legend Martha Graham, sometimes called 'the Picasso of dance,' refused to perform at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and conceived the piece 'Chronicle' in response to the experience.

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.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

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The Ramones' 'Pet Sematary,' the theme song for the Stephen King novel of the same name, was written while the band was admiring the writer's collection of horror memorabilia.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Mark Twain spent decades feuding with the US Postal Service, convinced its costs and regulations were bureaucratic overreach.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by more than 1.5 million Muslims each year.