The Demon Core: How a Softball-Sized Sphere of Plutonium Killed Two Scientists
A third atomic bomb core never used on Japan killed two Los Alamos physicists in criticality accidents, then was melted down.
Puzzle of the Day: Which Way Will the Compass Arrow Point Next?
An arrow is spinning on a row of compass tiles. It starts pointing North, and it always turns clockwise from
The Balloon That Flew Toward the North Pole and Vanished for 33 Years
In July 1897 three Swedes lifted off from Svalbard in a leaking hydrogen balloon, bound for the North Pole. Their fate stayed a mystery for 33 years.
Best Hair Dryers (2026): Seven Picks Compared, From $40 to $372
A great hair dryer is one of those gifts people use every single day and rarely buy for themselves. The
Lascaux: The Cave You Can’t Visit, and the Four Boys Who Found It
In 1940 four teenagers slid into a hole above Montignac and found Ice Age paintings. Within 23 years the crowds had nearly ruined them, and Lascaux was shut.
Ötzi the Iceman: The 5,300-Year-Old Murder Victim Two Hikers Found in the Alps
In September 1991 two hikers spotted a body in the melting ice of the Ötztal Alps. He turned out to be 5,300 years old, and he had been murdered.
Kahoʻolawe: The Hawaiian Island the Navy Bombed for 49 Years, and the Nine Who Took It Back
For nearly 50 years the US military used the Hawaiian island of Kahoʻolawe as a target. In 1976, nine people landed on its beach and started the fight to win it back.
Best Wireless Earbuds (2026): Seven Picks Compared, From $43 to $260
Seven wireless earbuds compared, from the $43 CMF Buds 2 Plus to AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, using expert lab tests and Amazon data.
The Dancing Plague of 1518: What Really Happened in Strasbourg
In the summer of 1518, dozens of people in Strasbourg could not stop dancing. The city’s records tell a stranger, quieter story than the legend.
Farewell, Captain. Make it so.
Sir Patrick Stewart, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation, has died at 86. A celebration of his life, his advocacy and his wit.
The 1960 Valdivia Earthquake: The Strongest Quake Ever Recorded
On May 22, 1960, a magnitude 9.5 earthquake struck southern Chile, the strongest ever recorded. Its tsunami crossed the Pacific, and a landslide lake nearly drowned Valdivia.
Meet the History Globe: Spin the World and Travel Through Time
A new interactive 3D globe puts every Aglena history story on the map. Spin it, slide through time, and tap a pin to read the story.
The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: The True Story Behind Island of the Blue Dolphins
Left behind on a remote Channel Island in 1835, a Nicoleño woman lived alone for 18 years. Here are the records, the rescue and the cave behind the novel.
Puzzle of the Day: How Many Cherries Balance the Fruit Scales?
Apples, pears and cherries are sitting on three old-fashioned balance scales. The first two are perfectly level. Every apple weighs
Project Pigeon: How B. F. Skinner Trained Birds to Steer a Guided Bomb
During World War II, B. F. Skinner trained pigeons to steer a glide bomb by pecking at an image of the target. The military said no, but the birds changed psychology.
Best Chef’s Knives (2026): Seven Picks Compared, From $36 to $160
Seven top-rated 8-inch chef’s knives compared, from the $36 Victorinox Fibrox Pro to the $160 Mac MTH-80, with expert test results and specs.
Clipperton Island: The Pacific Colony Mexico Forgot, and the Rescue of 1917
How a Mexican garrison on a remote French-claimed atoll was cut off by revolution, ruled by a murderous lighthouse keeper, and rescued by USS Yorktown in July 1917, and what pigs, boobies, crabs and rats did to Clipperton after.
How Ancient Cultures Saw the Milky Way: Rivers, Roads, Spilled Milk and an Emu Made of Darkness
How Aboriginal Australians, the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Maya, Inca and others pictured the Milky Way, and where the evidence runs out.
Clever Hans: The Counting Horse That Fooled Berlin, and Still Fools AI
In 1904 Clever Hans tapped out sums for Berlin crowds and stumped a panel of experts. Oskar Pfungst found the horse was reading questioners’ tiny head movements, and the Clever Hans effect still shapes dog research and AI.
Best Instant Cameras (2026): Seven Picks Compared, From $84 to $205
Seven instant cameras compared, from the $84 Instax Mini 13 to the $205 Polaroid Flip bundle, with picks for kids, hybrids, wide and square prints, and Polaroid fans.
The Tree Lobster: How the World’s Rarest Insect Survived on a Sea Stack
Rats from a 1918 shipwreck wiped out Lord Howe Island’s giant stick insect. In 2001 climbers found a few survivors on Ball’s Pyramid, and Melbourne Zoo has since hatched more than 14,000. Now the island is rat-free and deciding whether to bring them home.
