Lists and Stories

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  9 Infamous Assassins and the World Leaders They Dispatched The murder of a president, prime minister, king, or other world leader can resonate throughout a country. Sometimes the assassination of a leader is so shocking and profound that it triggers what psychologists call flashbulb memory in a country’s citizens. Many will remember forever where they were...
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  9 Love Stories with Tragic Endings Many of the most compelling love stories are tragic ones. From Romeo and Juliet to Ennis and Jack, here’s a look at nine romances that have had the opposite of happy endings. How many have left you in tears? list, love, tragedy, tragic endings, stories, literature, love stories, romance, romantic,...
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  9 Memorials and Monuments in the United States The United States is filled with memorials and monuments to its past. These nine commemorate some of the most important episodes in American history. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these places first appeared in1001 Amazing Places You Must See Before You Die, edited by Richard Cavendish...
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  9 Mind-Altering Plants In their quest for survival, plants have evolved to produce an amazing variety of chemical compounds known as secondary metabolites. These chemicals often serve to deter herbivores, protect against pathogens and neighbors, or mitigate the effects of radiation, among numerous other uses....
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  9 Muses Who Were Artists The artist-muse relationship is a well-known trope that has been around for centuries (think of the nine muses of Greek mythology). These relationships are often romantic and always dramatic. Sometimes the muses have more to offer than inspiration, however, as did the following nine women. These...
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  9 Must-See Paintings in Detroit The Detroit Institute of Arts houses one of Detroit’s most vibrant and extensive collections of art. Here are just nine of the paintings worth seeing there. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Stephen...
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  9 Mysterious Disappearances of People Other Than Amelia Earhart It turns out that a number of people throughout history have mysteriously disappeared. Some were famous when they went missing and became even more legendary afterward, and some reached celebrity status simply because they disappeared. Here are nine strange tales of people (aside from Amelia...
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  9 Noteworthy Bog Bodies (And What They Tell Us) Dredged out of the past and hinting at violent mysteries, bog bodies intrigue and haunt us. The how of their existence is known: bogs (cold-weather swamps) are excellent preservers of human bodies. The oxygen-free environment prevents decay, and the excessive tannins—naturally occurring chemicals...
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  9 Obscure Literary Terms Poetry is a precise art. A great poem is made up of components that fit together so well that the result seems impossible to imagine any other way. But how to describe those meticulously chosen components? With highly specialized terminology, of course. Thanks to centuries of effort by scholars,...
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  9 of the Biggest Oil Spills in History Humans have used petroleum (or oil) for thousands of years in medicine and weapons of war. However, the use of this material did not truly surge until the Industrial Revolution—where oil became valuable as both a fuel for illumination and a lubricant—before it became a replacement for wood, coal,...
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  9 of the World’s Deadliest Mammals Mammals are the soft, cuddly creatures of the animal kingdom. Often, mammals are the animals people are most familiar with. They are employed as working animals in the fields, as guards and companions in homes, and their visages inspire the stuffed animals on the beds and in the arms of young...
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  9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes Few animals strike as much fear into people as venomous snakes. Although the chances of running into a venomous snake, much less being bitten and dying from the toxin injected into one’s body, are miniscule compared to dying from cancer, heart disease, or an automobile accident, this seemingly...
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  9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders More than 51,500 different species of spiders are found in the world. Of these, only a small number are said to be dangerous, and less than 30 (less than one-tenth of one percent) have been responsible for human deaths. Why are so few spiders harmful to humans? Much of the reason may result from...
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  9 of the World’s Deepest Lakes Deep lakes hold a special place in the human imagination. The motif of a bottomless lake is widespread in world mythology; in such bodies of water, one generally imagines finding monsters, lost cities, treasures, mermaids, realms of the dead, and so on. Although today we can study bodies of water...
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  9 Palaces in England Among the most opulent historical buildings in England are its palaces. Here are 9 of the most spectacular ones—most of them royal palaces but a few others too. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places You Must See Before You Die, edited by...
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  13 LGBTQ Writers You Should Read Shrewd observers and lavish prose stylists, the writers on this list deserve your readership. Their variously humane and hilarious portraits of queerness and same-sex love and lust—and the everyday lives of those who experience them—are illuminating, whether you’re gay, straight, or somewhere in...
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  9 Questions About the American Civil War Answered The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. The questions and answers in this list are taken from the Top Questions sections of the articles on the American Civil War,...
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  9 Questions About the Vietnam War Answered The Vietnam War was a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. It lasted from 1954 to 1975. The questions and answers in this...
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  9 Questions About World War II Answered World War II was the world’s largest and most destructive war. It involved nearly every region of the world, and it resulted in the deaths of as many as 50,000,000 people. The questions and answers in this list are taken from the Top Questions sections of the articles on World War II, Adolf Hitler,...
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  9 Things You Didn’t Know Were Named After People The etymology of words can be complicated. In English many words derive from ancient languages such as Latin (candle) and Greek (biology) or are borrowed from other languages (guru, cigar, karaoke). Some common words, however, actually derive their names from people, though that source is often...