NHL players used to not wear helmets or masks

Hockey enforcers are players responsible for guarding against aggression from the opposing team

From the 1980s through to the early 2000s, enforcers were a regular part of NHL lineups. At 6 feet 7 inches, Derek Boogaard’s body was made for the part, but he was found to have suffered from CTE after his tragic death at 28. Stories about Boogaard helped dramatically reduce enforcers in hockey and opened discussions for player safety.

A tragic injury led to the original NHL All-Star Game

The annual NHL All-Star Game is a joyous affair celebrating the best players each season. But its origins came from one of the most terrifying moments in hockey history. In a 1933 game, Maple Leafs wing Ace Bailey was nearly killed on the ice, and the NHL organized a benefit game to raise money for his family.

In the 1970s, the NFL developed rules to protect players from injuries

It’s hard to imagine a football game without hash marks, but that’s how it was before Walter Camp and the rules committees changed the game. This NFL interactive deep dive goes into the evolution of the kickoff, the hash marks, and the chop block. Those rules committees are still in play today and are making the game safer for the next generation of NFL players.

The NHL's first regular season outdoor game was in 2003

Despite being a sport born on frozen ponds, modern professional hockey has held only a few exhibition and college games outside. In 2003, a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens brought players and 57,000 fans together to endure sub-zero temperatures for a piece of history.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman rejects ties between CTE and playing hockey

After multiple shocking deaths and several explosive studies, the NFL chose to embrace the league’s role in brain injuries related to concussions. But despite having concussion numbers similar to football and several studies on hockey players, the NHL has chosen to dispute the link.

The 'Original Six' era between 1942 and 1967 is known as NHL's golden age

Shortly after the National Hockey League formed in 1917, the league expanded rapidly for a decade. But as the effects of World War II took their toll on the country, NHL teams were unable to stay afloat. By 1946, only six teams remained. Using historical photos, this video recounts the teams that survived and shows what hockey looked like during the "Original Six" era until it ended in the 1960s.

John Riddell’s first helmet was adopted by college football teams in 1939

The early days of football were violent and there was little protection for players, especially their heads. When deaths became commonplace, John Riddell set out to invent a better way to protect football players. Eventually, the technology from Riddell’s helmets ended up on WWII battlefields.

The Spanish flu had a major impact on the 1919 NHL season

Just two years after the National Hockey League was officially formed, its champion was playing the PCHA champion for the Stanley Cup. The series was tied, going into the deciding Game 5, when all but three NHL players fell ill with the Spanish flu. No champion was crowned that year.

A 2004 brawl led to a strict dress code for NBA players

After the Malice at the Palace brawl between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, Commissioner David Stern wanted to tamp down the league's bad-boy image, instituting a business casual dress code for all players on the sidelines and at team-sanctioned events.

In 1975, a Major League Baseball clause that kept players legally tied to their teams after retirement was dismantled

Players fought the "reserve clause" for years, citing the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, but to no avail—in fact, the Supreme Court ruled professional baseball was neither interstate nor commerce in 1922. Players effectively unionized in 1966, and by 1975, an arbitration panel ruling led to the dismantling of the reserve clause, which had been the only antitrust exemption in professional sports.

The Harlem Globetrotters played their first game in 1927

Black players were not permitted on the existing professional basketball teams, but Abe Saperstein—the team's original coach, owner, manager, and sometimes player—leaned into the team's all-Black roster, nodding to New York's historically Black neighborhood even though the team didn't play there until the late 1960s.

See the “Miracle on Ice” through the eyes of a Soviet player

In this video, hockey legend Slava Fetisov reflects on the USSR’s powerhouse teams, his experience in the 1980 Olympic loss to the US, and his later move to the NHL—where Russian players became dominant forces.

Each player gets a full celebratory day with the Stanley Cup if their team wins, but not without supervision

During a player's special day, they aren’t just given the Cup and told to return it in 24 hours. Since 1995, it has been accompanied by the Keeper of the Cup.

See unused gladiator helmets discovered in Pompeii

Early excavations at Pompeii uncovered pristine gladiator helmets and armor, showing no signs of combat wear, which were likely used only in ceremonial processions. Many are now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Why F1 cars don't have cockpits

F1 racing cars go over 200 mph, making fatal crashes inevitable throughout its history. Car models have changed many times to make them safer, but the sport has never adopted a closed cockpit, a perhaps obvious solution to protecting drivers from fast-flying debris. Instead, F1 cars have a halo-shaped top, which helps cool drivers, allow for quick escape, and more. Watch a breakdown here.

Mardi Gras revelers on floats are required to wear masks

Masks are worn to encourage revellers to embrace their wild side without letting their identity get in the way. That's something New Orleans takes seriously: If you're riding on a Mardi Gras float, city law requires that you wear a mask.

In 1970, Pittsburgh's Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter on LSD

It was the 174th no-hitter in MLB history, but the only one where the pitcher claimed to be high at the time. This animated video uses Ellis’ own comments from a 2008 NPR interview where he described why he took LSD that morning and the difficulty of pitching while tripping.

Innovative novelist Don DeLillo wrote an erotic hockey novel under a pseudonym

The acclaimed writer—known for books like "White Noise" and "Underworld"—published "Amazons" in 1980 under the pen name Cleo Birdwell. The story claimed to be a memoir, written by a woman who secretly joined an NHL team. The ruse went beyond the text, too, with a female model posing as Birdwell for promotional events.

Magic Johnson's announcing he had HIV changed public perception of the disease

When Lakers superstar Magic Johnson announced he had HIV in 1991, the disease was highly misunderstood. Commissioner David Stern had behind-the-scenes conversations with Johnson about publicly handling his eventual announcement, leading to the start of the condition's destigmatization.

The rare 1970s Ken Doll with facial hair

In 1973, Mattel released the Mod Hair Ken Doll. The toy was the first Ken since 1961 to possess "real" rooted hair, plus it came with sideburns, a beard, and two mustaches. For clothes, he wore a brown and white checked jacket, white turtle neck, light brown pants, and brown shoes. Take a look at images of the doll decked out in 1970s fashion for insight into life in another era.

What did people do before eyeglasses were invented?

An estimated two-thirds of the world's adults use a form of prescription glasses or contacts, proof spectacles were a godsend when they were invented in 1286 CE. But what did people do before that? Different tools were used for distinct vision problems, but some would use magnifying lenses, clear emeralds, and more. Watch this video for a historical explanation.

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 the 19th century, ice-cream-related illnesses were somewhat regular in America

Ice cream was a popular dessert, but it was also a dangerous one, with numerous reports of vomiting, diarrhea, and—in some cases—death. Historians argue this was likely due to vendors' poor hygienic practices.

'Heroes always have their scars. Some you can see, some you read about later on.'

- Boxer George Foreman (1949 - 2025)

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

Tony Hawk often doesn't get recognized in public

Tony Hawk is frequently misrecognized—partly because he's older now and his legal name is Anthony—with strangers often telling him he "looks like Tony Hawk" without realizing he is, in fact, the famed skateboarder.

'I've never scored a goal in my life without getting a pass from someone else.'

- Soccer star Abby Wambach (1980-present)

The US first hosted the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that lives in soccer infamy for its poor planning and the murder of Colombian player Andres Escobar, who'd accidentally scored on his own net.

Watch the cumbersome, but necessary, precautions healthcare workers must take to care for and protect themselves while caring for Ebola patients.

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.

Domino's Pizza's 30-minute delivery guarantee was responsible for the chain's 1980s surge, but it was discontinued after the company was found liable for delivery driver accidents.

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.

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

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

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.

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

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

The identity of the Tank Man in the iconic photo from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests remains unknown and was possibly killed.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

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.

Meet the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence—most of whom didn't put pen to paper until August 2, 1776—and see their original signatures.

Elk Cloner, the first computer virus to spread in public, was written as a practical joke by Richard Skrenta, a Pittsburgh high school student.

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

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

Poison ivy can cause rashes year-round since all parts of the plant contain urushiol, the oil that triggers our allergic response.

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.