Lists and Stories

• 
  Where Did the Idea for the Magic 8 Ball Come From? In the U.S., fortune-telling novelty toys such as the sleepover classic Ouija Board and the tiny red Fortune Teller Fish were huge hits in the second half of the 20th century. One of the most-popular such items among kids and adults was the Magic 8 Ball. Other than its being a pivotal and dangerous...
• 
  Where Did the Moon Come From? The largest and most familiar sight in the night sky is the Moon. Its presence has likely bewitched observers since before the time of modern human beings, millions of years ago. Since then, the Moon has been regarded as a deity by many cultures, and stories have been told of its poetic beauty, its...
• 
  Where Did the Peace Sign Come From? Occasionally maligned as an anti-Christian symbol (an upside-down broken “Nero-cross”), a satanic character, or even a Nazi emblem, the iconic peace sign is apparently not so innocent to everyone. Thankfully, the symbol has a clear history, and its origin is not so controversial. The modern peace...
• 
  Where Did the Word Hippie Come From? As might be guessed, the word hippie is derived from the word hip, which conveys being up-to-date and fashionable. This meaning of hip is thought to have originated with African Americans during the Jive Era of the 1930s and ’40s. In the 1950s, “hip” was commonly applied to the Beats, such as Allen...
• 
  Where Do Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From? The Rothschild family is arguably the most famous European banking dynasty in modern history. In the late 18th century, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the family patriarch, founded his first banking house in the German town of Frankfurt. His sons expanded the bank into a multinational enterprise, and,...
• 
  Where Do Honeybees Go in the Winter? Have you ever seen a honeybee in the winter? Most people in temperate climates probably have not. Without blankets, fires, or adjustable thermostats, honeybees have to stick together pretty closely to stay warm (and alive) in the winter. When temperatures in the winter drop below 50 °F (10 °C),...
• 
  The Bizarre Origins of the Words Nerd and Geek Nerd and geek have similar etymologies, with neither originally having much positive association. According to Benjamin Nugent, author of American Nerd: The Story of My People, the word nerd first appeared in the Dr. Seuss book If I Ran the Zoo, in which one of the zoo creatures, an angry little...
• 
  Where Does the Concept of a “Grim Reaper” Come From? For thousands of years, various cultures have had figures to represent death. One of the most common and enduring of these is the Grim Reaper—usually a skeletal figure, who is often shrouded in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a scythe to “reap” human souls. But how and when did this imagery come...
• 
  Where Does the Name Europe Come From? Europe existed as a conceptual construct long before geographers began arguing whether there are seven continents or six (the latter model considers Europe and Asia to be a single continent). The ancient Greeks divided the world into three major units: Europe, Asia, and Libya, the last of which...
• 
  Where Is “Old Zealand”? The map is littered with place names that are derived from older place names. New Brunswick. New Hampshire. New Orleans. The act of taking a location from an explorer’s country of origin, prefixing it with “New,” and assigning it to a place that scarcely resembles its namesake (”Old” Jersey is a...
• 
  Where Is the Ark of the Covenant? Jewish and Christian tradition presents the Ark of the Covenant as the physical manifestation of God’s presence and supreme power. Ancient Israelites marched the Ark into battle and brought whole cities to their knees. The Ark was so sacred that touching it meant instant death. And once it was laid...
• 
  Where Was the First Roller Coaster Invented? The first roller coaster was invented in Russia. Roller coasters have their origins in a form of ice sledding that became popular in Russia in the 15th century. An adaptation opened in 1784 in St. Petersburg that included carriages on grooved tracks. Further adaptations were made in the 19th...
• 
  Which Animal Is the Smartest? Strictly speaking, humans are the smartest animals on Earth—at least according to human standards. We are adept at all the tasks we’ve established as intelligence indicators, and we have used our smarts to do everything from improving our quality of life as a species and building great societies to...
• 
  Which Is Correct: Hanukkah or Chanukah? The Jewish Festival of Lights is an eight-day celebration that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. It is one of the most popular holidays in Judaism and is marked by the lighting of the menorah. For many English speakers, the festival is also known for confusion over...
• 
  What Is the Most Aerodynamic Animal? Aerodynamics is a branch of physics that examines the forces acting on bodies (cars, rocks, animals, etc.) passing through air and other gaseous fluids, and it’s used to explain the principles of flight. When it comes to the most aerodynamic animal—which could be taken to mean "the fastest...
• 
  Which Religion Is the Oldest? Adherents hold that Hinduism—one of the principal faiths in the modern world, with about one billion followers—is the world’s oldest religion, with complete scriptural texts dating back 3,000 years. The oral tradition that gave rise to the Mahabharata, for example, probably dates to about 850 BCE,...
• 
  Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”? Pirates and their sailing ships are inexorably linked to the romantic concept of the seven seas, and some variation of the phrase “sailing the seven seas” has existed since ancient mariners plied the Mediterranean Sea and the waters of the Middle East. But which bodies of water are those seven? A...
• 
  Who Are the Alevis in Turkey? In April 2023 Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu made waves when he announced on social media, “Ben Alevi’yim—I’m an Alevi.” Until that moment, being Alevi carried a stigma for many people in Turkey. For Kılıçdaroğlu, his video was a celebration of pluralism in Turkish society. But...
• 
  Who Becomes President After the President and Vice President? The current order of presidential succession in the United States is: Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro Tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General Secretary of the Interior Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of Commerce...
• 
  Who Can Declare a Pandemic and What Criteria Are Required for an Outbreak to Be Called a Pandemic? This article was originally published on March 18, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for declaring a pandemic. WHO monitors disease activity on a global scale through a network of centres located in countries worldwide and has a pandemic preparedness plan that consists of six...