Browse a list of the most important invention from each state

From Alabama's electric hearing aid and Idaho's television to Washington's artificial heart and Wisconsin's space suit, this map highlights technological breakthroughs with outsized impacts from each US commonwealth. The District of Columbia is also featured as the state of origin for the telegraph and Morse code. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Based on the number of patents, venture capital investment, and research and development spending per capita in 2025, America's most innovative states are California, Massachusetts, and Delaware.

Scientific breakthroughs funded by NASA, the NSF, and the NIH include GPS, sign language, bladeless LASIK surgery, and quantum dots—tiny semiconductor crystals used in many modern televisions.

Mapping the world records held by each US state

What world record does your state hold? Check out this map of the United States to see what weird accomplishment took place near you.

Visit these offbeat attractions in each US state

Skip the lines, avoid the crowds, go against the grain: That's the spirit of this list of the 50 coolest offbeat attractions in every US state. From Alaska's museum of hammers to Wyoming's thermal pools, you can find somewhere a little different to...

View an historical mural depicting the NSF's impact across seven decades

From 1950 to 2020, the National Science Foundation supported discovery-based, exploratory research that led to numerous breakthroughs, including the development of supercomputing centers, 3D printing technologies, biometric identification systems, an understanding of vector-borne illnesses, a DNA amplification technique, mobile meteorology units, and scientific education and literacy programming.

The coolest ghost towns in every US state

Trying to avoid crowds? This list from Thrillist compiles various ghost towns across the United States, highlighting their unique characteristics and explaining why they were abandoned. Peruse this comprehensive list to learn more about why people left these areas and what's still there. If you're looking for additional creepiness, explore and find out which of these spots are particularly haunted!

Experience a century of America's healthcare advances with this medical visualization, tracing a sampling of healthcare innovations from head to toe.

Read a breakdown of each state's pay transparency laws.

Pay transparency laws in the US are evolving quickly, as some states introduce them for the first time and others update existing legislation. This resource has an updated list of key pay transparency legislation in states across the country, as well as general explainers about what each of those laws dictate. Check it out here.

An overview of the National Science Foundation and the technologies it has helped fund

Established in 1950, the federal agency has provided billions of dollars to over 300,000 researchers, entrepreneurs, and students to conduct research across all seven continents. These funds have contributed to major technological achievements, from the invention of the internet to the first image of a black hole.

The best beach in every US state

Not every state has coastline, but every state has a beach. This list highlights the best sandy shorelines in every US state, whether near the ocean, a lake, or a river.

Before Silicon Valley, the American innovation hub was New Jersey

Today, Silicon Valley is known for its dominance in the tech world. But before it rose to prominence, New Jersey was the country's innovation hub. From Thomas Edison's light bulb to the transistor, New Jersey was considered the nation's leader in technology.

History finds of 2021

The year’s most exciting discoveries include a Viking “piggy bank,” a lost Native American settlement and a secret passageway hidden behind a bookshelf

The best restaurant tasting experiences in every state

Looking for the best tasting experiences that are a must-try in your home state or anywhere you may be traveling? Here are your options.

Nobel Prizes in science have heavily favored male, North American, and European scientists

Most science laureates come from established academic institutions, and limited outreach and nomination rules have biased against researchers from low- and middle-income countries. As of 2024, China ranks among the world’s top scientific contributors, but has only won 10 Nobel Prizes in the sciences.

The best US states for fall apple-picking

Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania are the top states in the US for everything apples, including classic picking at orchards, but also any apple-themed experience, pro-apple policies, and general public interest. Check out the full list here.

Check out the 50 weirdest roadside attractions in the US, from Alabama's Unclaimed Baggae Center to Wyoming's Elkhorn Arch.

As of 2022, about 40% of scientific research aimed at generating new knowledge has been funded by the federal government—a percentage that has decreased from a high of 72% in 1967.

The 15 most beautiful caves in the United States

The United States is home to more than 45,000 caves, including many with National Parks designation, like Wind Cave (in South Dakota) and Carlsbad Caverns (in New Mexico). This list of the 15 best isn't just for spelunkers—all of these sites are available for more typical tourists, so long as they have a good pair of shoes.

Explore the distribution of NSF Engines—regions that receive up to $160M in funding from the National Science Foundation to build and scale geographic clusters of scientific research, technological innovation, and economic growth.

America's most underrated places to visit

The United States is vast, with beautiful and fascinating cultural hubs, landmarks, and natural wonders to fill a lifetime of travel. These landmarks can be well-known and top everyone's bucket list, or they can fly under-the-radar. Here's a list of...

Snowfall records from every county in the US

Discover the one-day snowfall records of every county in the US in this comprehensive map. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration captures inches of snowfall and the year it fell the most in each county. See the contrasts between the inches of snowfall in warm southern American states and the cooler East Coast.

A rundown of some of the wildest new tech inventions around the world

The US Patent Office approves roughly 300,000 new patents every year. Among these are some fascinating tech inventions, from high-profile robots and automated bike garages to kaleidoscopic shelves and laser-projected directions for scooters. Check...

Learn the history of food science breakthroughs from the 20th century

Long after humans developed the means to produce sufficient food to feed civilizations, scientific research focused on a wide variety of objectives, such as developing methods to preserve food quality (accomplished via frozen food), speeding up cooking (leading to the microwave), and lowering the cost of sweetening food, which high fructose corn syrup provides.

Check out America's happiest places to live

Where are the best overall places to live in the US? This list focused on finding the happiest towns in America, given the ongoing reconsideration of how people want to live and work in the post-pandemic world. The selection process involved...

Visualizing US state taxes in seven charts

Ever wondered how your state’s tax system compares to others? Here’s an overview of the US state tax system based on seven visualizations.

The most haunted locations in the US

This TimeOut guide presents some of the most notorious places in the United States, profiling the creepy histories of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, the Waverly Hills Sanitorium in Louisville, Kentucky, and the lingering effects of the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts.

Science is rarely a linear progression of understanding

Particularly at the frontiers, investigations conducted based on established knowledge can provide unexpected results. This opens the door to revising existing models, inspiring new lines of research, and ultimately leading to better future comprehension. For instance, experiments on the speed of light and the expansion of the universe yielded then-confusing data that led to revolutionary insights.

See the incidence of Lyme disease across all 50 states in 2023

The US states with the highest rate of Lyme disease—meaning cases per 100,000 people—were Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine, in 2023. Rhode Island had 260 cases per 100,000 people, based on cases reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

See a visual of the US states with the most billionaires.

A free archive of firsthand historical documents from explorers of America

Maintained by the Wisconsin Historical Society, the American Journeys collection contains more than 18,000 pages of primary source documents—journals, letters, maps, and accounts written between roughly 1000 CE and the early 1800s. These include eyewitness records of the Norse arrival in North America, Spanish conquistador expeditions, and the Lewis and Clark journey. Browse this list of highlights where pages from the original texts are specified (clicking a link opens a PDF).

The wealthiest person in every US state in 2021

Alongside Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who are the richest people in the U.S.? This map reveals the wealthiest billionaire in each U.S. state.

Explore detailed US census data for each state

QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more, collected through the US census. Interactive tables, maps, and charts synthesize census data. A drop-down menu allows users to...

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called states 'laboratories of democracy'

Louis Brandeis argued that federalism allows states to experiment with new policies without committing the entire nation, thereby allowing successful ideas to spread while limiting the risks of failure.

Virtually tour 10 of America's oldest bars

If you’re the type of person who hunts for authenticity in everything you do, then you probably spend a fair amount of time looking for the first and original. Why settle for any less in your bar choices? We dug through records, spoke with local historians and fact-checked promotional material to bring you the ultimate original bar list: The oldest bar in every state.

The story of pizza in the United States

Pizza is a big deal in the US, and it has many proud regional iterations. From Chicago deep dish to New York thin crust, this video takes a slice out of US history to focus on this beloved entree. Begin with the documented first incidence of pizza in the US—believed to be by Gennaro Lombardi—and end with how old Pizza Huts are being converted around the country.