Jeep culture, explained

The Airstream surged in a postwar road trip boom

Wally Byam invented the Airstream in the late 1920s, but it took off following World War II, when more affordable automobiles allowed families to venture out into an expanding network of state and national parks. Airstream enthusiasts sometimes traveled in caravans, camping in front of famous scenery, like the Pyramids at Giza.

Foghorn honks helped duckbills set the mood

Examining the unique crest of the Parasaurolophus, which researchers think allowed the creatures to emit loud, unique vocalizations as part of their social interactions.

Frisbee, Jet Ski, and Dumpster—explore a list of words you might not realize are trademarked

Many products that have become household names started out as first-of-a-kind items. As those products grew in popularity, the brand name became the default name for the product.

Tesla has incorporated several Easter eggs into its electric vehicles

After a customer complained that the car's sounds woke up his baby, Tesla implemented "Joe Mode," which quiets sounds, in his honor. Autopilot can be used to engage a depiction of Rainbow Road from Mario Kart on the navigation screen.

The Corps traded gifts with many native tribes as a sign of goodwill

They offered peace medals, beads, cloth, and mirrors, while receiving food, horses, furs, and guidance that helped them navigate and survive the western wilderness. This image collection showcases items the expedition collected.

Jasper Johns’ works often captured familiar symbols and made them abstract

Some of pop art’s most famous works toy with the push and pull between recognizable and hidden. ARTnews dissects seven well-known pieces by Jasper Johns—including works of American flags and maps—to explore the relationship between obvious iconography and invited analysis common to the genre.

'The urge to explore has propelled evolution since the first water creatures reconnoitered the land. Like all living systems, cultures cannot remain static; they evolve or decline. They explore or expire.'

- Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (1930-present)

Dogecoin, the seminal memecoin that has no specific use

Dogecoin has ridden a wave of enthusiasm to become one of the most valuable cryptocurrencies. Created in 2013 by software engineers as a joke, the token has become the poster child for the viral and unpredictable nature of the cryptocurrency market, and has inspired tens of thousands of imitator coins.

Its subculture has a litany of carny-inspired terms

Listening to wrestling superfans talk can feel like eavesdropping in a foreign country. That’s because much of the industry’s terminology comes from the carnival world, which was responsible for the rise of American professional wrestling in the early 20th century.

Maya jade earflares were believed to open pathways to the divine

Carved from rare, hard-to-work jadeite, Maya earflares symbolized vitality and timelessness. Seen as living objects, they were believed to act as portals between the human and supernatural worlds, making finely crafted examples especially prized.

Warren Buffett first started investing in Geico in 1951

Buffett is known for his large collection of insurance investments, and Geico is no exception. This is partly due to investments from his mentor Benjamin Graham and a private, impromptu meeting with the company’s future CEO.

Childhood memes like '67' existed before the internet

Kids saying "67" and then erupting in laughter may have been popularized by social media, but childhood rhymes, songs, and jokes that confuse adults have always existed. Iona and Peter Opie studied the phenomena, publishing numerous books on the topic from the 1950s through the 1980s.

John Elway's 'helicopter dive' capped his first Super Bowl title at 37

In Super Bowl XXXII, John Elway's airborne "helicopter" scramble symbolized his deep desire to win his first championship at age 37, after losing three previous Super Bowls.

In Japan, elders lead toasts

Older family members and colleagues, or senpai, are expected to take the lead at formal gatherings, pouring drinks and offering toasts. Younger people should accept pours by holding their glasses with both hands and waiting to drink until their older adults have done so. Finally, before drinking, participants should say “kampai!”

The history behind New Orleans' drive-thru daiquiris

New Orleans attracts millions of annual visitors with its freewheeling drinking culture, reaching its apex during the weeks-long Mardi Gras celebration. But even the most intemperate tourists might be confused by the city's drive-through daiquiri stands. This resource offers a brief history of the quirky staple and explains how it has survived changes in the law.

Launched in 2020, NASA's Perseverance rover was equipped with a deployable helicopter

Nicknamed "Percy" and designed as the successor to the Curiosity rover, the vehicle has covered more than 36 kilometers (22 miles), collected dozens of samples, and taken hundreds of images while searching for signs of ancient microbial life.

What is Archaeology?

If you are up-to-date on your Jurassic Park lore, then you likely already know the answer to this question. But for those of us who didn't delve into the world in dinosaurs, it's easy to assume that professionals who study old stuff likely study the remains of what came before us, right? Find out in this article by the Society for American Archaeology.

Hydroplaning occurs when a vehicle's tires lose traction on wet roads

Water depth must be over 0.1 inches, and vehicle speed must exceed 50 mph for hydroplaning to occur. Tire wear, size, and tread patterns affect the likelihood of hydroplaning, which is more common for all-wheel drive vehicles.

Wojtek the bear fought for Poland in World War II

Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear who eventually became a mascot, symbol, and eventually a soldier attached to the Polish II Corps during World War II. Learn about the amazing Wojtek, the Polish II Corps, and the incredible history of the Polish soldiers, many of whom had been imprisoned by the Germans or Soviets, who served during World War II.

Why Steve Jobs always wore the same outfit

Steve Jobs is well-known for his signature outfit: a black mock turtleneck and denim jeans. The outfit originated in Japan, where Jobs observed Sony employees all wearing matching uniforms. He proposed Apple employees do the same, but that idea was rejected. However, he still decided to create his own uniform.

The squeegee kids of Baltimore

For decades in Baltimore, youth looking to earn some money have waited at high-traffic intersections to offer quick windshield washes for a fee. While some drivers find it encouraging, a positive way to spend time, others get annoyed, resentful, or...

The controversy behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

It's now a standard stop for tourists visiting Washington, DC, but before it was built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial triggered an internecine battle between the war's veterans, some of whom believed the planned memorial was offensive. This short documentary recounts the controversy and the ultimate triumph of the memorial, which helped change the country's impression of the war and its soldiers.

Which cars retain the most value after five years?

Aside from two different models of Porsches, the cars with the lowest rates of depreciation after five years aren't luxury vehicles. For instance, Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas both made the top 10 list. To see the ranking, which is based on data from over 1.1 million used cars from model year 2018 and sold between November 2022 and October 2023, click here.

The NASCAR championship trophy has evolved for decades

From the Winston Cup’s reign from 1971 to 2003, to the Nextel/Sprint Cup awarded from 2004 to 2016, this NASCAR video shows the evolution to the new Bill France Trophy with every track outlined.

'Jeopardy!' super fans use a specific method to calculate a player's score

In its many decades on the air, “Jeopardy!” has developed a fervent fanbase that likes to play along at home. The Coryat score was developed by Karl Coryat, who appeared on the show in 1996. The equation ignores forced responses on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy! Correct responses for Daily Doubles are scored as their natural value.

Watch this video that uses Lego bricks to explain how venture capital works.

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

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.

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

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

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

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

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.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

The US dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world, and is involved in nearly 90% of global transactions

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

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.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

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

Waves off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, can reach over 100 feet and are caused by the area's deep underwater canyon geography

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