Venice and its lagoon were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 in recognition of its extraordinary cultural heritage. Its architectural riches are almost incalculable; here are just six of the city’s most significant buildings. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings

The rich history of Brazil’s visual arts is echoed by the country’s museums, which hold notable collections of Brazilian and international art. Here are just six paintings in those collections. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001 Paintings You Must See

Sometimes—when watching a good sci-fi movie or stuck in traffic or failing to brew a perfect cup of coffee—we lament the fact that we don’t have futuristic technology now. But future tech may be closer than you think. It’s possible some of the things you wish for, like the following, have already

The 20th century saw the fall of many monarchies and their replacement by republican forms of government around the world. There are still a significant number of countries and smaller political units that retain monarchies, however. These six countries are some of the smallest kingdoms of the

Though the word castle has been applied to some prehistoric structures, the evolution of what we know today as the archetypal castle began accelerating in the 9th century in Europe. But some came much earlier, including one in this list. Here are six of the most notable castles in Italy. Earlier

Once in a while, a very savvy and smart kid makes a difference and changes the course of history. Here are six people who left their mark at a young age. list, teenagers, famous, important, Joan of Arc, Bobby Fischer, Louis Braille, Braille, Malala Yousafzai, Mary Shelley At age 16 or 17, believing

Her marriage to Prince Harry made Meghan an international icon—and one of the most-talked-about royals. From tabloids to social media, everyone seems to have something to say. To help sort through all the chatter, here are six things we think you should know about the American actress who became a

Antony Gormley: For 6 Times (2010; in Edinburgh), he placed six figures along the Water of Leith, four of them partly submerged in the water, one partly buried on land, and the sixth standing at the end of an old pier, facing the sea.

Ryan Reynolds: Hollywood career: …(played by Denzel Washington); and 6 Underground (2019), about a billionaire who recruits a team to overthrow a dictator. In 2021 he starred in Free Guy, portraying a bank teller who learns he is a character in a video game; the sci-fi comedy also featured Jodie Comer. In The Adam…

While it may be difficult to get an event added to the contemporary Olympic roster, the early Games were noted for a willingness to include many sports that at best might be defined as questionable…and at worst might be defined as not really a sport. At least organizers were usually quick to note

People usually don’t take kindly to commands and demands. For as long as people have been overpowering one another, there has been resistance to power. And for as long as states have been ruling one another, there have been wars of independence. Here is a list of six groups of people or individual

How can you start investing if you don’t have much money to spare? Planning for your financial future doesn’t require oodles of extra cash—just a thoughtful approach to building and managing your investment portfolio. A tight budget may feel like a major constraint, but you can stretch your dollars

Tyrian purple, naturally occurring dye highly valued in antiquity. It is closely related to indigo

metabolism: The oxidation of pyruvate: …(S) of the coenzyme (6,8-dithio-n-octanoate or lipS2) of the second enzyme in the complex, dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (enzyme 2). The hydroxyethyl group attaches to lipS2 at one of its sulfur atoms, as shown in [35]; the result is that coenzyme lipS2 is reduced and the hydroxyethyl moiety is oxidized.

cytokinin: Cytokinins such as 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin) are used commercially in the storage of green vegetables to reduce yellowing. In horticultural tissue culture, high auxin and low cytokinin conditions give rise to root development, whereas low auxin and high cytokinin conditions encourage shoot development.

organosulfur compound: Thiols: …as a corrosion inhibitor, whereas 6-mercaptopurine has been employed in cancer therapy.

metabolism: The phosphogluconate pathway: …product of the reaction is 6-phosphogluconate.

Tiananmen Square incident, series of protests and demonstrations in China in the spring of 1989 that culminated on the night of June 3–4 with a government crackdown on the demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Although the demonstrations and their subsequent repression occurred in cities

60 Minutes, prime-time American television news show. It debuted in 1968 on CBS and has become one of the most successful programs in broadcast history. Created by Don Hewitt and grounded in investigative journalism, 60 Minutes is television’s longest continually running prime-time series. The

60 Minutes, prime-time American television news show. It debuted in 1968 on CBS and has become one of the most successful programs in broadcast history. Created by Don Hewitt and grounded in investigative journalism, 60 Minutes is television’s longest continually running prime-time series. The

carbon: Properties and uses: Spheroidal, closed-cage fullerenes are called buckerminsterfullerenes, or “buckyballs,” and cylindrical fullerenes are called nanotubes. A fourth form, called Q-carbon, is crystalline and magnetic. Yet another form, called amorphous carbon, has no crystalline structure. Other forms—such as carbon black, charcoal, lampblack, coal, and

61 Cygni, first star whose distance from Earth was measured. German astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel obtained a value of 10.3 light-years in 1838; the European Space Agency satellite Hipparcos made much more accurate distance measurements than ground-based telescopes had accomplished and

Billy Crystal: …love of baseball in directing 61* (2001), about the 1961 race of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle to beat Babe Ruth’s home run record. In 2004 Crystal made his Broadway debut with 700 Sundays, an autobiographical solo show focusing heavily on his relationship with his father; it won a Tony…

number of the beast, well-known instance of biblical numerology appearing in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Revelation to John. The number of the beast is usually referred to as 666, although the earliest extant written copy of Revelation gives the number as 616. While the exact identity of the beast

asteroid: Trojan asteroids: …two more were found: (617) Patroclus, located near the trailing Lagrangian point, and (624) Hektor, near the leading Lagrangian point. It was later decided to continue naming such asteroids after participants in the Trojan War as recounted in Homer’s epic work the Iliad and, furthermore, to name those near the…

asteroid: Trojan asteroids: …trailing Lagrangian point, and (624) Hektor, near the leading Lagrangian point. It was later decided to continue naming such asteroids after participants in the Trojan War as recounted in Homer’s epic work the Iliad and, furthermore, to name those near the leading point after Greek warriors and those near the…

Julio Cortázar: …62: modelo para armar (1968; 62: A Model Kit), and Libro de Manuel (1973; A Manual for Manuel). A series of playful and humorous stories that Cortázar wrote between 1952 and 1959 were published in Historias de cronopios y de famas (1962; Cronopios and Famas). His later collections of short…

Julio Cortázar: …62: modelo para armar (1968; 62: A Model Kit), and Libro de Manuel (1973; A Manual for Manuel). A series of playful and humorous stories that Cortázar wrote between 1952 and 1959 were published in Historias de cronopios y de famas (1962; Cronopios and Famas). His later collections of short…

James Purdy: …Name and Other Stories and 63: Dream Palace, a novella (both 1956)—were rejected by a number of American publishing houses and were first published by Purdy through a subsidy publisher. These books won the support of Dame Edith Sitwell and, following their publication in England, met with critical acclaim in…

quiz show: …the spectacular top prize of The $64,000 Question on television. The era of television’s big-money quiz shows began in 1955.

Germanic law: …had similar functions, while the Edictum Rothari (643) applied to Lombards only.

number of the beast, well-known instance of biblical numerology appearing in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Revelation to John. The number of the beast is usually referred to as 666, although the earliest extant written copy of Revelation gives the number as 616. While the exact identity of the beast

67: More Than Just Slang: …here is a plot twist: 67 was interesting long before it became a meme. Numbers do not need to be large, visually striking, or even frequently encountered to be mathematically significant. Some, such as 67, are interesting because they recur in different mathematical settings.

If six seven lives rent free in your head thanks to the Internet, here is a plot twist: 67 was interesting long before it became a meme. Numbers do not need to be large, visually striking, or even frequently encountered to be mathematically significant. Some, such as 67, are interesting because

comet: Spacecraft exploration of comets: …hieroglyphics) on a trajectory to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). Rendezvous with 67P took place on August 6, 2014. Along the way, Rosetta successfully flew by the asteroids 2849 Steins and 21 Lutetia and obtained considerable scientific data. Rosetta uses 11 scientific instruments to study the nucleus, coma, and solar wind interaction.…

Battle of Stalingrad: …the eastward advance of the Sixth Army, under Gen. Friedrich Paulus, with 330,000 of the German army’s finest troops. The Red Army, however, put up a determined resistance, yielding ground only very slowly and at a high cost to the Sixth Army as it approached Stalingrad.

Jacob L. Devers: …during World War II, whose 6th Army Group successfully penetrated German-held positions in central Europe and helped wrest the mainland from Nazi control.

Yvonne Jacquette: …View at Night (1978) and 6th Ave Night, with Traffic II (2008), both of which paired an aerial perspective with her longtime use of New York City as subject matter. Other cities featured in her paintings include San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Vancouver.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: … (1990), True Lies (1994), and The 6th Day (2000).

September: …from septem, Latin for “seven,” an indication of its position in the early Roman calendar.

Mountaineers can all agree that climbing the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of each of the world’s continents, is among the supreme accomplishments of their sport; it is harder to get them to agree on exactly which peaks make up the Seven Summits. The problem is one of geographical classification

Richard Bissell: …71⁄2 Cents (1953; British title A Gross of Pyjamas), based on his experiences as a supervisor in a pajama factory in Dubuque. In collaboration with George Abbott, he turned 71⁄2 Cents into a musical, The Pajama Game (1954), which had a long run on Broadway and was made into a…

Closed quarters, vehicles faster than the speed of sound, zero gravity, and extremely volatile rockets. Do any of these things sound particularly prone to accidents? Space travel is tricky work that takes careful calculations and even more careful actions when situations get tough. Here is a list

Moscow’s documented history reaches back to the 12th century, though there is evidence of prehistoric habitation of the site. These seven paintings are just a small sampling of the city’s equally rich and varied cultural heritage. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first

It’s clear that Franklin Delano Roosevelt wasn’t messing around when he came into the U.S. presidency during the Great Depression. His administration created the New Deal program, in which a large number of agencies—known colloquially as “alphabet soup” because of their three- or four-lettered

The African continent has long been inhabited and has some amazing historical sites to show for it. Check out these impressive examples of architecture, culture, and evolution. list, Great Zimbabwe, Olduvai Gorge, Rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Leptis Magna, Timbuktu, Meroe, Thebes This

Almost all animals begin life as a fertilized egg, or ovum. Females (or female-gamete-producing hermaphrodites) of most invertebrates and all vertebrates that we commonly encounter produce, and in many cases lay, eggs. These eggs as well as their coverings or cases vary remarkably in size, shape,

As temperatures drop and autumn gives way to the seemingly ceaseless snows of winter, some animals in northerly climes exchange their pelage or plumage of summer drab for the purest white. Unlike many white animals associated with the north, such as polar bears and snowy owls, which are white all

There’s more in Connecticut than you may think. Here are the buildings you need to see on your next trip, from the Modernist Glass House to the now-renovated Breuer House II. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, edited

list, encyclopedia, britannica, encyclopedia britannica, list, lists, science, animals, amphibians, frogs, frog, favorite, best, cutestThe cold climate that characterizes much of Alaska and northern Canada is no matter to the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus). It can endure temperatures as low as

The world’s tropical forests house a spectacular array of frogs. In fact, although found almost everywhere on Earth, frogs are at their most diverse in tropical regions—places like the Amazon rainforest and the forests of Equatorial Africa. The following are seven amazing types of frogs found

You’ve probably heard that having a good credit score is important if you want access to favorable mortgage terms or hope to get a better rate on your next auto loan. But the benefits of a good credit score go beyond borrowing money to meet financial and life milestones. Your credit history can

Mankind’s relentless pursuit of physical beauty is nothing new (the use of cosmetics dates back to ancient Egypt and Rome) but the methods we use to achieve that “perfect look” have certainly evolved. Gone are the days of bathing with a bar of soap, dabbing on natural perfume, and applying subtle

Madrid officially became the capital of Spain during the reign of King Philip III, which ran from 1598 to 1621. This long history as Spain’s first city is reflected in these seven buildings, though with a bias toward buildings of the 21st century. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these

Do you ever wonder how long sprint kayaking will remain an Olympic sport? Do you find yourself asking, “Whatever happened to the Olympic tug-of-war event?” The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been making important decisions since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896—namely, which sports

Since 1790 there have been more than eight million patents issued in the U.S. Some of them have been given to great inventors. Thomas Edison received more than 1,000. Many have been given to ordinary people who thought of a better way of doing things. And a few have been given to people you

Most people have a primordial fear of spiders and snakes and, of course, of predators that are larger than they are. So it makes sense to regard crocodilians (that is, the group of living alligators, crocodiles, caimans, gharials, and so on) with suspicion. Though several of their ancestors were

Plants don’t enjoy losing their leaves to herbivores and have evolved a number of ingenious strategies to deter leaf predators. Unfortunately for humans, several of these chemical defenses can cause painful skin reactions. Read on to discover some plants that could burn, blister, or otherwise

Snoop Dogg: Other musical projects: …Dâm Funk on the album 7 Days of Funk. He resumed the name Snoop Dogg for the funk and R&B release Bush (2015), produced by Pharrell Williams.

The earliest known purpose-built weapons in human history date to the Bronze Age. Maces, which were little more than rocks mounted on sticks, had questionable value as hunting tools, but they were superbly suited for smashing the bones and skulls of other humans. Later in the Bronze Age, the sword

Some of these fruits were first grown in California, and some took thousands of years to get there. Learn their histories here. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these foods first appeared in 1001 Foods You Must Try Before You Die, edited by Frances Case (2008). Writers’ names appear in

People have swallowed elixirs, inhaled vapors, and applied ointments in the name of healing for millennia. But only a small number of substances can be said to have fundamentally revolutionized medicine. Seven of those drugs are listed here, along with some facts that may surprise you. list, drugs,

An idiom is a phrase that is common to a certain population. It is typically figurative and usually is not understandable based solely on the words within the phrase. A prior understanding of its usage is usually necessary. Idioms are crucial to the progression of language. They function in a

George Pal: Pal’s last film, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), based on Charles G. Finney’s novel, was a fantasy set in the 19th-century American West. Tony Randall starred in the title role of a magician whose exotic traveling circus is capable of teaching many lessons to those willing to…

Not all gifted children go on to achieve great things as adults. Here are seven who did. list, child prodigies, chess, mathematics, science, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, John von Neumann, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Judit Polgár Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the child prodigy par excellence, playing songs on

On July 28, 2016, at the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential candidate of a major U.S. political party. Although Clinton was unsuccessful in gaining the presidency that November, her nomination was regarded as another crack in the ultimate “glass

Amsterdam has its origins in a fishing village established more than 700 years ago; by the 15th century, it was Holland’s primary port, a center of business, and a place of great wealth. Its position as one of northern Europe’s preeminent cities has continued to today, and that status is reflected

In 1779 Jean-Baptist-Point Du Sable, a trader, founded the settlement that would become Chicago. It was incorporated as a town in 1833 and then again as a city in 1837. A third of it burned down in 1871, but Chicago rebuilt itself ferociously and has been building, and tearing down, ever since. The

The Old Havana district of Cuba’s capital was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982, but there’s much else to see in Havana. Here are just seven of the city’s iconic buildings. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You

When ancient astronomers named the planet Jupiter for the Roman ruler of all the gods and heavens, they had no idea of the planet’s massive dimensions. But the name proved appropriate: Jupiter is larger than all the other planets combined. Here are seven notable dates in humankind’s history of

Until the last part of the 20th century, Mercury was one of the least-understood planets. Find out how these seven dates have helped learn more about the smallest planet in the solar system. list, Mercury, space, solar system, astronomy, space exploration, planetsA transit is when one astronomical

London bombings of 2005, coordinated suicide bomb attacks on the London transit system on the morning of July 7, 2005. At 8:50 am explosions tore through three trains on the London Underground, killing 39. An hour later 13 people were killed when a bomb detonated on the upper deck of a bus in

Vishal Bhardwaj: Other films: …of wayward husbands in Bhardwaj’s 7 Khoon Maaf (2011; “Seven Murders Forgiven”), also starring Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Usha Uthup, Neil Nitin Mukesh, and John Abraham.

The Pilgrims, the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, and Thanksgiving are familiar elements of the history of Plymouth colony, the first permanent settlement by Europeans in New England. However, the area that would become the state of Massachusetts was also the site of another colony that played a huge

Vatican City is an independent nation-state—the smallest in the world—with a staggering collection of artworks. Here are just seven paintings you shouldn’t miss. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings first appeared in 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die, edited by Stephen

We have all heard of the great monarchs of history: Alexander the Great, Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, etc. But what about those who weren’t quite so great? Certain rulers had the bad luck of acquiring some outspoken enemies who used unflattering adjectives—and even, in one case, a

Your goldfish’s ancestors weren’t gold. Your hamburger’s ancestors are extinct. Rabbits were first domesticated so monks could eat their fetuses. Step inside for a whistlestop tour of some of the weirder facts about animal domestication. If you missed the first installment of this list series,

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the seat of the European Union. That makes it a hub of international governance and business, and the city shows its cosmopolitanism through its architecture. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must See

The Nobel Prizes were first presented in 1901 and have since become some of the most-prestigious awards in the world. However, for all their pomp and circumstance, the prizes have not been untouched by scandals. Slights, questionable winners, and perceived conflicts of interest are among the

Swiss cultural life shows strands of German, Italian, and French influence, among others, but its uniqueness is particularly apparent in its art and artists and its museums and other art venues. Here are just seven paintings from that milieu. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these paintings

Female pirates? Murderers? Gangsters? Conspirators? Yes. Throughout history women have had their share in all of it. Here is a list of seven notorious female criminals of the 17th through early 20th century who wreaked havoc on land and sea. list, crime, criminals, women, history, pirates, thieves,

Strictly speaking, a serial killer is someone who murders at least two people in separate events that occur at different times. While “serial murder” is not formalized by any legal code, the crimes of serial killers have often been seized on by the media and the public consciousness—especially in

They may look harmless enough, but plants can harbor some of the most deadly poisons known. From the death of Socrates by poison hemlock to the accidental ingestion of deadly nightshade by children, poisonous plants have been responsible for human deaths throughout history. Get to know some of the

Travel by sea has always carried an element of risk. Accidents, human error, harsh weather, and actions during wartime are among the things that could send a ship to the bottom. While some nautical disasters such as the sinking of the Titanic have captured the popular imagination, others—some of

If you’re a thrill seeker, here are seven festivals and celebrations from around the world that will get your blood pumping. list, celebration, festivals, holidays Deck the halls, or deck each other? You may associate Christmas with Santa Claus or peace on Earth and goodwill toward men, but in some

To many people, lizards and turtles are bizarre-looking creatures. Many lizards are considered menacing because of their seemingly expressionless faces combined with their claws and teeth, whereas turtles are thought of as slow-moving, docile creatures. Most lizards, in reality, are harmless to

Although only a few of the 70-80 species of poisonous mushrooms are actually fatal when ingested, many of these deadly fungi bear an unfortunate resemblance to edible species and are thus especially dangerous. Read on to learn more about these terrifyingly lethal mushrooms. list, mushrooms, fungi,

Despite dreams of holding fame as long as they could hold a note, these music artists graced the American stage for one act, and one act only. They rode high on the charts, smiling from atop the gold-plated wings of their hit record, before falling from the pages of Billboard magazine and hitting

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the world’s great encyclopedic art museums. Its collection of more than 300,000 artworks covers the history of art across multiple cultures and eras. Among its strengths is its European and American art; this list highlights just a few notable works from that

The Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts are two of the great art institutions in Boston where you can see these paintings. The collections in these institutions are significantly more diverse in terms of creators and subject matter than is represented by this list. Earlier versions of the

These seven figures in LGBTQIA+ history broke barriers around the world. Their contributions to their respective fields have dismantled systems of oppression, advocated for LGBTQIA+ human rights, and allowed LGBTQIA+ people to express themselves more freely. list, Britannica, Encyclopaedia

Over the years, aircraft have vanished without a trace, leaving unanswered questions even after thorough investigations. Here are seven of the most puzzling plane disappearances in history. list, encyclopedia, britannica, list, lists, planes, disappearances, mysterious, mystery, history, bermuda

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, reptiles, lizards, snakes, crocodiles, alligators The lizard is a reptile, a cold-blooded animal that is unable to internally control

Mammals can do amazing things! This list will answer your questions about flying ones, venomous ones, really fast ones, and smelly ones. 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).

Jessica Meir made history on October 18, 2019, when she and fellow astronaut Christina Koch made the first all-woman space walk. For more than seven hours they worked outside the International Space Station (ISS) to replace a power unit. Meir and Koch went on to make two more space walks together,

Since 1925 American grade-school students (and a few from outside the U.S.) have participated in a national spelling bee held annually in Washington, D.C. Students proceed through a series of rounds by spelling words correctly, and the winner of the bee is the contestant who pulls off one final

You’ve made your hotel reservations. You have your airline tickets. You’ve identified your mass-transit options. But…what do you really know about that place you’re going to? Do you know its capital? Its history? How about its area? Facts are the best things to pack for your trip, so use these

Just thinking about scalpels, forceps, and shears is enough to make some people squeamish. But while the modern versions of those instruments are nothing to sneeze at, consider the surgical knives, gorgets, and trepans of centuries past. Those vintage tools were crude at best by modern standards,

The Olympic Games are a time when many nations come together to celebrate athleticism and mental strength. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) aims to promote sport competition and education free of any discrimination, “in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” The Olympics are a

Stadiums have their roots in ancient Greece, where they were a place for footraces. Modern stadiums are home to a much wider variety of sports and purposes. Here are seven significant ones. Earlier versions of the descriptions of these sports structures first appeared in 1001 Amazing Places You