Divorce reportedly existed in hunter-gatherer societies

Around the world, marriage plays an important role in bolstering social stability

Marriage was around in one form or another long before written history. From bonds between two people to large polyamorous gatherings of spouses, the rich history of marriage practices demonstrates that partnerships have been, and will likely continue to be, incredibly diverse.

Divorces in the US have been steadily declining over the past few decades

Despite these recent declines, divorce rates in the US remain between 40% and 50%. But there’s some nuance to those numbers. For instance, having a college degree makes individuals 30% less likely to divorce than those without one. People who attend church are also less likely to divorce. And prenuptial agreements are considerably likely to prevent contentious court battles.

Marriage is experiencing a general decline

Marriage has taken drastically different forms than in the past. The transformation of marriage from a form of economic dependency for women to an equal partnership has forged demographic shifts. Richard Reeves, author of "Of Boys and Men," explains how economic and educational factors have potentially destabilized partnerships and changed patterns of “marriageability” for middle- and lower-class men.

King Henry VIII's first divorce is likely the most famous divorce of all time

How often does a divorce change the course of a nation? When English King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in the 1500s, Catholicism was the national religion. Even though Catherine didn't produce a male heir, religious leaders refused to grant his wish. In response, King Henry turned his country upside down for the chance to marry the second of his six wives.

Couples therapy has seen a massive boom in recent years

70% of therapists offer couples counseling. Experts predict continuous growth in the field. With so many marriages ending in divorce, more couples are recognizing the potential for therapy to get them back on track. And parents are starting to see the impacts of divorce on their children and their own mental health.

Marriages are more at risk when the woman is sick

A study tracking 25,000 copies over 18 years revealed marriages tend to end in divorce more often when the woman is sick. Conversely, men's health issues do not impact divorce rates. Researchers noted that increased depression, potentially as a result of financial dependence, contributes to the disparity. Generally, most marriages do not end when a spouse becomes sick.

Why art history is filled with miserable brides

Paintings from the 19th century are filled with unhappy brides. The women are often visibly disturbed by their pending nuptials, sometimes even during the wedding ceremony. This Artnet article unpacks four famous examples of this trend, analyzing how and why the respective artists portrayed these disappointed figures.

How couples today manage their finances

In relationships, shared bank accounts used to be the default. Not anymore. Many couples maintain separate finances for practical reasons or to retain greater independence, though many couples experience trust issues as a result. This article checks in on the status of relationship finances and highlights, among other insights, how attitudes toward money are often determined by family history.

Two-spirit relationships and identities

Queer relationships and transgender people aren’t new. Even though gay marriage has been legalized fairly recently in Western countries, people all over the world have engaged in relationships beyond heterosexuality throughout the centuries. Although contemporary tribes have various views around homosexuality, there are numerous examples of queer relationships within indigenous traditions across what is now called the Americas.

For most of human history, property rights were in the elite’s hands

Humans learned to domesticate dogs long before they formed the concept of private property. But by the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans, property law and ownership became more sophisticated.

Ghost weddings used to be more common

Ghost weddings are marriages between two deceased parties, or one living and one dead partner. They satisfy departed family members’ needs for companionship and peace in the afterlife, according to Chinese spiritual beliefs. Unfortunately, since ghost marriages are pricey and can include the mingling of mortal remains, murderers and grave robbers have, at times, sought to supply spouses through nefarious means.

'Sesame Street' scrapped an episode about divorce because tests showed it deeply upset children

The 1992 episode, entitled "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce," left test audiences concerned rather than comforted, with many children left in tears. The show canned the episode before it aired and didn't address divorce until 20 years later, with a 13-minute online-only segment.

Matrilineal societies—where women led households—were common among Northeastern natives

Such societies also viewed women as leaders in spiritual matters. Both men and women held political roles as clan leaders and worked in tandem with an advisory council.

A scholarly analysis of romance's enduring popularity

Diane Winston, a media scholar at the University of Southern California, argues that romance novels have remained popular because they've historically offered women shame-free ways to explore their identities and sexualities. She notes that's even more true today, with contemporary romance novels, from romantasy bestsellers to "Heated Rivalry," more willingly explore social dynamics.

The story of Sporus, the castrated boy who married Emperor Nero

Ancient Romans’ views of homosexuality are quite different from Western understandings. Nero was an emperor is infamous for his cruelty, and appears to have heaped that cruelty upon Sporus, a boy he fell for and married in a public ceremony. As a slave, Sporus was held captive at the whims of Nero and subject to the class-based rules on same-sex relationships in ancient times.

Diamond engagement rings didn’t become popular until the 1900s

However, the history of engagement rings stretches all the way back to the year 850, when the pope said that a ring symbolized a man’s intent to marry. At the time, gold was the most popular choice for engagement rings. See a full timeline of the engagement ring’s history.

When did humans start kissing romantically?

This article explores the ancient roots of romantic kissing. Current archaeological evidence dates sexual and romantic lip kissing to about 2,500 BCE. A Mesopotamian clay tablet from the time shares a tale of two deities locking lips. There's also...

Scientific advances have transformed understanding of Stonehenge’s builders

Techniques such as radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis, and isotopic testing have revised scholars' understanding of Stonehenge. This article presents evidence suggesting that societies were more cooperative and less violent than earlier theories had suggested.

The evolution of the human diet

Could eating like our ancestors make us healthier? One estimate suggests prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities obtained 75% of their calories from meat and fish.

Even medieval teachers sometimes complained about their students

Although it's tempting to assume that the youngest generation has gone astray, it's important to remember that older generations throughout history have been annoyed, and even dismayed, by the behavior of the youth. Look no further than this collection of medieval teachers complaining about their students, including one father who complains that his son prefers "license to restraint and play to work and strumming a guitar while the others are at their studies."

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

IVF was long considered controversial and ethically dubious

In spite of its wide acceptance as a form of reproductive assistance today, and its role in helping millions of people have children, in vitro fertilization was once considered a controversial threat to society. One magazine went as far as to describe the procedure as "the biggest threat since the atom bomb."

Bear-baiting was another form of entertainment during Shakespeare’s time

We tend to think of Shakespeare’s audiences as prim and proper, but the Bard’s shows were just another form of amusement, viewed by commoners as entertainment not unlike the animal blood sports that were similarly popular during the time period.

Swords from around the world: an encyclopedia

Swords may have fallen out of favor as the go-to method of warfare, but they once were a common choice worldwide. Scroll through this online encyclopedia to learn about and see swords from ancient to modern times. The ubiquity of swords and their...

'Vacation' wasn't common for Americans until the mid-1800s

Although we now consider vacation to be an integral part of the summer season, the concept didn't exist in the US until the middle of the 19th century. Even then, it was still a luxury and didn't become a middle-class norm until the early 20th century.

The history of curse words

While profane language is frowned upon in many circumstances, it remains an important part of human expression. This article explores the history of taboo words, and how they eventually creeped more into the mainstream. From 19th century Irish folk-saying “bejabbers,” to the dirty language in comedy routines by Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, discover a brief history of the swear words that have now become more prevalent in society.

Graffiti dates back to at least ancient Pompeii, where citizens scrawled messages to one another on public walls

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.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, but became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

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

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

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

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.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Most of the observable universe's volume consists of voids and supervoids—enormous regions of space with little to no galaxies, stars, or light.