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Stories

This Great Lakes Town Dives Into Maritime Heritage

This Great Lakes Town Dives Into Maritime Heritage in Alpena, Michigan, where Thunder Bay's Shipwreck Alley hides scores of wrecks beneath Lake Huron.

Travel

12 Overlooked Towns In Michigan Worth Visiting

The 11 towns are some of the most overlooked destinations in Michigan and are worth visiting. From coastal views to historic museums, they have it all.

Cities

11 Most Walkable Town Centers on the Gulf Coast

These Gulf Coast towns are home to memorable waterfront attractions, along with everything from local museums and fishing piers to local parks.

Cities

11 Prettiest Towns in New Jersey

Scenic beauty, historic charm, and small-town warmth define these stunning New Jersey communities.

Lakes

How Great Bear Lake Compares To The Great Lakes

Great Bear Lake is bigger than two Great Lakes, deeper than all five, and home to just 500 people. How Canada's Arctic giant stacks up against the famous five.

Cities

10 Main Streets Where New York Comes Alive

These New York Main Streets bring history to life with a Yellow Brick Road, a waterfront carousel, and some wonderfully unexpected landmarks.

Cities

Where People Are Moving To In Alabama In 2026

Alabama's population gains are landing in towns like Madison, Calera, and Silverhill, while Jefferson, Montgomery, and Mobile counties lose residents.

Lakes

How Long It Takes Invasive Mussels To Cover A Lake Bottom

A few invasive mussels can carpet a lake bottom in two years or take over a decade. Depth, food, and the species involved decide how fast it happens.

Lakes

The Most Powerful Storms The Great Lakes Have Ever Seen

Wind speeds, wave heights, and death tolls decide the ranking of the six worst storms ever recorded across the Great Lakes, worst first.

Oceans

The Only Coral Reef In The Continental United States

Warm Gulf Stream water gives southern Florida the only living coral barrier reef on the US mainland, third-largest on Earth and 8,000 years old.

Animals

Mamushi

Mamushi is Japan's most medically important snake, a stout pit viper of rice paddies and field margins that bites a few thousand people every year.

Space

Why The Aurora Reached Florida

A fierce solar storm sent the northern lights spilling into Florida, painting subtropical skies with an Arctic glow in a rare show of the Sun’s power.

Ancient World

How Many Emperors Did The Roman Empire Have?

Rome counted roughly 70 emperors through 395 CE and closer to 90 by 476. Here is why no single number ever settles the question.

Rivers

The Widest River In The United States

The widest river in the US is the Mississippi, over 11 miles across at Lake Winnibigoshish. But there's a catch, and the widest navigable stretch is much narrower.

Stories

Five Days at Four mph on an English Canal Boat Is Pure Relaxation

Five days and 53 miles on the Shropshire Union Canal with two complete beginners aboard. No license needed, four miles an hour, and nowhere you have to be.

Animals

Amazon River Dolphin

Amazon River Dolphin turns pink with age, and much of that color is scar tissue from years of fighting, so the brightest males are usually the oldest ones.

Animals

Devil Scorpionfish

Devil Scorpionfish sits so still on the reef that algae grows over its skin, and it breaks cover only to flash the hidden orange and black beneath its fins.

Space

What The Psyche Mission Could Tell Us About Planetary Cores

NASA's Psyche spacecraft arrives at a metal-rich asteroid in 2029, where its readings could sharpen scientists' understanding of the cores of rocky planets.

Ancient World

Who Were The Most Overrated Ancient Generals?

Not all famous generals actually deserved the reputation that they have benefitted from. Here are some of history's most overrated commanders.

Stories

One Day, 10 Hours, 17 Bands at the Borderland Festival

Ten hours at Borderland's eighth year in East Aurora, from a video-called grandpa mid-set to Jack White closing on "Seven Nation Army."

Animals

Neotropical Rattlesnake

Neotropical Rattlesnake, the most widespread rattlesnake in South America, has an unusually neurotoxic venom that can paralyze and prove fatal to people.

Space

What Happens When A Satellite Burns Up In The Atmosphere

A satellite re-entry begins near 17,000 mph; learn what burns up, which dense parts reach Earth, and what the vaporized metal leaves behind.

Ancient World

The Best Leaders In Ancient Greece

Exploring these figures, and several more, is crucial to comprehending one of the most important civilizations in history.

Travel

9 Small Towns in the Southern United States with the Best Downtowns

Pay a theater in produce, browse a bookstore older than you, walk a brick riverfront. Nine small Southern towns with downtowns worth the afternoon.

Space

The Deepest Underground Labs Hunting Dark Matter

Deep in subterranean labs, some of the most advanced technology in human history is being used to study the origins of dark matter.

Ancient World

How Rome Lost Its African Provinces

Rome, for a time, commanded one of the largest empires the world has seen. Over time, they would lose certain territories, including their African provinces.

Space

Which Planet Has the Most Moons?

Saturn now holds 293 confirmed moons, more than any other planet. See how it overtook Jupiter, and meet Titan and Enceladus.

Ancient World

The African Emperor Who Ruled Rome

Septimius Severus has a complicated legacy. As the first emperor from Africa, he helped establish the Roman Empire as a truly multi-continental power.

Mountains

The Youngest Mountain Range In The United States

Grand Teton, despite its impressive appearance, is actually the youngest mountain range in the entirety of the United States.

Mountains

The American Mountains You Can Reach By Train

These six American mountain railways climb steep grades into the high country, ending at summit buildings, mountain towns, and breathtaking overlooks.

Mountains

The Widest Mountain In The United States

One American mountain spreads so far across the landscape that its width rivals its height for sheer scale, giving it a footprint unlike any other.

Mountains

The Rainiest Mountain In America

The Rainiest Mountain In America is Mount Waialeale on Kauai, where the summit averages about 450 inches of rain a year and once recorded 683 in 1982.

Geography

What Is The Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute

A border drawn more than a century ago still divides Thailand and Cambodia, with disputed temples and territory keeping tensions alive today.

Climate

The 10 US Cities With the Longest Summers

Some US cities barely see winter at all. Ranked by NOAA normals, here are the ten with the longest thermal summers, from Honolulu to Fort Lauderdale.

Geography

Country Names With 10 Letters

18 countries have names that contain 10 letters, from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan. Discover what other countries make the list!

Society

Life Expectancy in Asia

Japan has the highest average life expectancy in Asia, as well as the world.

Geography

What Continent Is Hawaii In?

Although politically Hawaii is considered part of North America, geographically Hawaii is not part of any continent.

Geography

Landlocked Countries In Asia

Twelve countries in Asia are considered landlocked, although some of them, like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are along the Caspian Sea.

Sports

The Largest Stadiums In Asia

The biggest stadium on Earth isn't in America or Europe. It's in Asia, alongside 14 more giants. See the largest stadiums in Asia, ranked by capacity.

Nature

What Is A Cloud Forest?

How cloud forests drink from the clouds, and why Kilimanjaro, Monteverde, Yakushima and the Appalachians all depend on the mist.