Lists and Stories
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7 Vestigial Features of the Human Body Vestiges are remnants of evolutionary historyââfootprintsâ or âtracks,â as translated from the Latin vestigial. All species possess vestigial features, which range in type from anatomical to physiological to behavioral. More than 100 vestigial anomalies occur in humans. The following list explores... -
7 Ways Hosting the Olympics Impacts a City Hosting the Olympic Games is great for a city, right? Or at least good? Anyway, itâs not a bad thingâor is it? The truth is that the track record for Olympic host cities is pretty uneven. Many cities have found that welcoming the worldâs athletes and their fans for two weeks produces far fewer... -
7 Winter Solstice Celebrations From Around the World The winter solstice, the longest night of the year, falls on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20 or 21 in the Southern. Since ancient times, people all over the world have recognized this important astronomical occurrence and celebrated the subsequent âreturnâ of the Sun in a... -
7 Women Warriors When courage is in short supply, we look outside ourselves to find it. Sometimes a good book or film will rouse it, or a quiet place, or the example of another person. Hushpuppy, the six-year-old heroine of the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild, is one such inspiration. When her father, to help her... -
7 Wonders of America Itâs almost time for that long-awaited family vacation, and youâre starting to make plans. With so many destination choices, how do you decide where to go? For many families, that choice is often one of Americaâs national parks. The U.S. government maintains hundreds of national parks, monuments,... -
70 Years After Hiroshima On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Two-thirds of the cityâs area was destroyed, and by the end of the year about 140,000 had died. Three days later a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 70,000. Japan announced its surrender... -
70th Anniversary of V-E Day On May 8, 1945, the European phase of World War II ended with the unconditional surrender of all Nazi German forces to the Allies. The event became known as Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. spotlight, anniversary, v-e day, wwii, world war ii,... -
75th Anniversary of Operation Barbarossa June 22 marks the 75th anniversary of the launch of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Although the initial offensive caught the Soviets completely by surprise, penetrating hundreds of miles into Soviet territory and netting hundreds of thousands of prisoners, the advance... -
75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain In the words of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, âNever in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.â British pilots exerted their dominance over the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940, ensuring that an invasion of Britain would prove impossible for Hitlerâs war machine.... -
75th Anniversary of the Lithuanian Holocaust June 1941 marked the beginning of a dark episode in Lithuaniaâs history: amid World War II and the occupation of the country by Nazi Germany, on or about June 23 the slaughter of nearly the entire Jewish population of Lithuania began. Lithuaniaâs Jews had lived in the country for hundreds of years... -
8 Amazing Physical Features of Africa The vast expanse of the African continent spans several different climatic regions and contains everything from dry deserts to rainforests to snow-covered mountaintops. Check out some of the most-impressive physical features found in Africa. list, Congo River, East African Rift System, Ituri... -
8 Animals That Live in Extreme Environments Earth is a planet of environmental extremes, ranging from numbing cold to blistering heat. With only a few exceptions, humans live primarily in temperate regions, but an eclectic array of other creatures thrive in the inhospitable. These organisms are known as extremophiles. Here are a few... -
8 Animals That Suck (Blood) Team Edward, Team Jacob, and Team Leeches? Probably not. While Hollywood vampiresâespecially those in the Twilight seriesâhave a devoted fan base, real-life bloodsuckers arenât so adored. Transmitters of diseases and often just downright creepy, they prove that drinking blood isnât always sexy. So,... -
8 Birds That Canât Fly Have you ever wished you were an eagle, soaring high above the prairie? How about the mythical phoenix, rising from the ashes? For centuries people have wistfully watched birds take wing and felt a bit jealous. But what about birds that donât fly? Youâd think theyâd hold a grudge against their... -
8 Buzzworthy Types of Bees While honeybees seem to get all the attention, there are actually more than 20,000 species of incredible bees in the world. Bees of all kinds (with a tiny handful of exceptions) are essential pollinators to an astounding 80 percent of the worldâs flowering plants. Thank you, bees! Here are eight... -
8 Creepy Critters in the Work of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe was an early master of horror. He famously seated its source in the soul, writing "If in many of my productions terror has been the basis, I maintain that terror is not of Germany but of the soul.â His uncanny ability to sound the depths of the human psyche is demonstrated in many... -
8 Extraordinary Paintings at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna The collection of paintings at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Viennaâthe Picture Galleryâcan be traced as far back as 16th-century members of the House of Habsburg. The building that currently houses the Picture Gallery was opened in 1891, though the museum also has several other expansive... -
8 Famous Animals They donât do interviews or write self-promoting memoirsâthough some definitely know how to strike a pose. Yet animals have been capturing the publicâs imagination for centuries. Some have impressed with their loyalty and devotion, and others have garnered attention for saving lives. A few have... -
Nutritional Powerhouses: 8 Foods That Pack a Nutritional Punch Sure, we all know that weâre supposed eat a balanced diet to contribute to optimal health. But all foods are not created equal when it comes to health benefits. Some foods are nutritional powerhouses that leave the others in their dust. Here are some of the more interesting, and in some cases, not... -
8 Fruits to Try Before You Die As a botanist and a foodie, sampling edible plants is one of my favorite pastimes. The following is a list of fruits that Iâd love to try but might have trouble finding in my local grocery store or farmersâ market. How many of these have you eaten? list, fruit, fruits, exotic, tasty, bucket-list,...