Lists and Stories

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  11 Iconic Buildings in Brazil Brazil is a very large country: it fills half of South America and is larger, in area, than the continental United States. That means it has a rich and vast architectural heritage. Here are just 11 of its most iconic buildings. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared...
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  11 Lesser-Known, Mostly Contemporary Paintings You Should Hunt Down the Next Time You’re in London London offers world-class art everywhere you look. The city has superb galleries and institutions that are home to world-class artworks. Sometimes, though, these collections can take a bit of extra work to find. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001...
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  11 Memorable Quotes from U.S. Presidential Debates Although debates may seem like an essential feature of U.S. presidential campaigns, they are in fact a relatively recent phenomenon. The first debate between presidential candidates occurred on May 17, 1948, when Republican contenders Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen matched wits. The debate aired...
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  11 Must-See Buildings in Mexico City Mexico City was founded in 1521, on the ruins of Tenochtitlán. It is a densely populated city surrounded on three sides by mountains, and at its heart is a gargantuan public square with a long history. These 11 buildings capture the dynamic spirit of Mexico City’s past and present. Earlier versions...
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  11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes World history is often defined by wars. During the 20th and 21st centuries, aircraft came to play increasingly important roles in determining the outcome of battles as well as being deterrents to aggression. Military aircraft came of age during World War II, and their utility for both military and...
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  11 or 12 Things Remembered Well About the Chelsea Hotel ….or Hotel Chelsea, which looms large on West 23rd Street in Manhattan and in the history of American arts and letters as its greatest unofficial artists’ colony. Given the proliferation of renowned novelists, poets, painters, playwrights, actors, filmmakers, and musicians who put head to pillow at...
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  11 Popular—Or Just Plain Odd—Presidential Pets In late 2013, Sunny Obama, the first family’s second Portuguese Water Dog, created quite a stir when she accidentally knocked over a young guest at a White House Christmas event. This presidential pooch was far from the first executive animal to make headlines, though. Here’s a look at some other...
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  11 Questions About Birds Answered Earlier versions of these questions and answers first appeared in the second edition of The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents) by Gina Misiroglu (2010). list, birds Birds have one major feature that distinguishes them from all other animals: feathers. These strong but lightweight feathers, in...
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  11 Questions About Useful Plants Answered Which plants are useful to humans, and how do they help us? Learn more about how plants enable us to make fabric, spices, paper, and more—and how they preserve the quality of our environment. Earlier versions of these questions and answers first appeared in the second edition of The Handy Answer...
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  12 Greek Gods and Goddesses Cruel and fickle, passionate and vindictive, jealous and insecure, petty and insane: the inhabitants of Mount Olympus represent an attempt by the ancient Greeks to explain the chaos of the universe through human nature. Thus, like every deity invented before and since, these gods and goddesses are...
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  12 Incredible Buildings in South Africa Portuguese ships sailed past the Cape of Good Hope and what would become South Africa for the first time in 1488, but European settlements were not established until the 17th century. The British and Dutch, who were responsible for these settlements, arrived in a place that had been inhabited since...
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  12 Influencers Throughout History Though we might think of today’s influencers as people with millions of followers on Instagram or TikTok, both of which are relatively recent inventions, the role of an influencer is not so specific to the 21st century. In fact, centuries before social media even existed, trendsetters inspired...
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  12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written” Literary critics, historians, avid readers, and even casual readers will all have different opinions on which novel is truly the “greatest book ever written.” Is it a novel with beautiful, captivating figurative language? Or one with gritty realism? A novel that has had an immense social impact? Or...
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  12 Peculiar Phobias There are hundreds of phobias. Most people know about claustrophobia (fear of closed places), xenophobia (fear of strangers), and acrophobia (fear of high places), but what about macrophobia? Or globophobia? Hopefully, you don’t suffer from listophobia and will read on to learn about some...
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  12 Questions About Skin Answered Uncontrollable acne? Brittle nails? Thin and dry hair? Go see a dermatologist! Dermatology is the study of skin and its disorders. This branch of medicine also studies hair and nails, because skin, hair, and nails are made of the same protein: keratin. Earlier versions of these questions and...
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  12 Questions About the History of Space Exploration Answered The universe formed roughly 13.8 billion years ago. We humans have been exploring a small portion of the universe beyond Earth for only the past seven decades. What have we accomplished so far? Lots! This list provides a just a few answers, so be sure to learn much more in Britannica’s article...
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  12 Revolutionary Buildings to Visit in Vienna Vienna has been the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and the empire known as Austria-Hungary. After World War II, it was occupied by multiple countries’ forces. History courses through its streets, as evidenced by these 12 buildings, but revolution does too. Each of these buildings performs its own...
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  13 Artists Who Died Untimely Deaths Some of the most innovative artists of the Western world were only around for a decade or two during which they managed to make waves and leave an indelible imprint on the history of art. Spanning 600 years, here is a list of 13 of them. Who knows what they may have accomplished had they had a...
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  13 Buildings That Tell Berlin’s Story The history of Berlin is a long one, filled with triumphs and tragedies. These 13 buildings span centuries and capture, in microcosm, the city’s unique progression through time and arrival in the present. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You...
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  13 Buildings You Should Visit When You’re in Tokyo Tokyo was once known as Edo, which began as a fishing village many centuries ago. Edo became Tokyo (”Eastern Capital”) in the 19th century, when it became Japan’s capital. This list highlights just a few of the many significant buildings in Tokyo. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these...