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Cities

14 Prettiest Towns In the Appalachians

Fourteen of the prettiest towns in the Appalachians hold a treasure-trove of natural beauty, and are worth seeing if one has the chance.

Cities

The Towns In The Great Lakes Where Retirees Are Actually Moving To

Forget Florida. Migration data shows retirees settling in Great Lakes towns from Michigan and Wisconsin to Ontario, trading big-city equity for the shore.

Rivers

The Warmest River In The United States

The Warmest River In The United States is Yellowstone’s Firehole, heated by geysers, while the Rainbow and Rio Grande run warm for other reasons.

Forests

The National Forests With The Most Mountain Goats

Mountain goats in Washington, Montana, and Idaho gather in five national forests, from Mount Baker-Snoqualmie to Flathead, where patient hikers can spot them.

Cities

7 Most Breathtaking Towns In Virginia

On top of its natural beauty, many of Virginia's towns are packed with cultural landmarks, including harvest festivals, historic theaters, and beloved diners.

Cities

11 Most Neighborly Towns In Upstate New York

11 Most Neighborly Towns In Upstate New York. Watch residents build an Ice Palace in Saranac Lake or cheer IRONMAN racers through the streets of Lake Placid.

Lakes

How Lake Winnipeg Compares To The Great Lakes

Lake Winnipeg is 29 percent bigger than Lake Ontario and holds a sixth as much water. But it drains more land than all five Great Lakes combined.

Bodies of Water

The Ferries That Still Carry Cars Across The Great Lakes

From the coal-fired S.S. Badger to icebreaking island runs, these car ferries still haul vehicles across Lake Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Superior.

Stories

The English Castle Where Harry Potter Learned To Fly

Alnwick Castle in Northumberland was Hogwarts in the first two films, and the lawn where Harry learned to fly still hosts broomstick lessons 25 years on.

Wildlife By Place

Where Copperheads Go In The Winter

Where copperheads spend winter: rock crevices, talus dens, and shared shelters across the eastern US, plus when they return to dens and emerge in spring.

Animals

Wobbegong

Wobbegong sharks, named for a shaggy beard of skin flaps, are ambush predators that blend into the reef floor and can even walk between tide pools.

Space

What Happens To A Body Left In Space

What Happens To A Body Left In Space. A person would black out within seconds, then swell, freeze, and mummify, slowly worn down by tiny micrometeoroids.

Ancient World

The Greatest Military Innovations From The Ancient World

Greek hoplite phalanxes, Macedonian sarissas, Hannibal's double encirclement at Cannae, and Roman legions were key military innovations of the ancient world.

Rivers

The American Rivers With The Most Alligator Gar

Seven rivers from Texas to Alabama hold America's biggest alligator gar, including the Trinity, Rio Grande, and Mississippi, home of the 327-pound record.

Animals

Harpy Eagle

Harpy Eagle facts, from its bear-sized talons and sloth-hunting ambushes in the rainforest canopy to its slow breeding cycle and its Vulnerable IUCN status.

Space

Which Moon Is The Most Volcanic?

Io, Jupiter's innermost moon, has about 400 volcanoes powered by tidal heating from Jupiter's pull, not the global magma ocean once suspected.

Ancient World

The 5 Most Important Leaders In Ancient Egypt

Narmer, Khufu, Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Cleopatra: the five pharaohs whose reigns shaped Ancient Egypt across three thousand years.

Travel

11 Underrated Virginia Towns Worth the Drive in 2026

Whenever you’re ready to hit the open road, it’s worth adding to the itinerary any of these 11 underrated Virginia towns worth the drive in 2026.

Geography

How Far Apart America's Extremes Actually Are

America is a large country, and when its territories are factored in, its geographic extremes become even more prominent.

Animals

Dark-Spotted Anaconda

The dark-spotted anaconda lives in northeastern Brazil and French Guiana, a little-studied water boa that bears live young and hides in flooded wetlands.

Space

How NASA Uses American Deserts To Prepare For Mars Expeditions

NASA rehearses Mars missions and tests rovers, drones and spacesuits in the Mojave, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico.

Ancient World

Who Were The Most Influential Ancient Generals?

On top of their seemingly mythic status, these generals had a practical influence through their military accomplishments and political endeavors.

Mountains

The American Mountains With The Darkest Night Skies

The American Mountains With The Darkest Night Skies. Spot Andromeda from Wheeler Peak, use a research telescope on Mount Locke, or camp above Death Valley.

Space

Which Moon Orbits The Fastest?

Gravity and orbits are a fundamental aspect of both our solar system and our universe. Here is the moon in our solar system which orbits the fastest.

Ancient World

How Roman Generals Dominated Their Opponents

The best generals of Ancient Rome relied on a slew of tactics, both military and psychological, to defeat their opponents.

Geography

How Big The Great Plains Is Compared To All Of Western Europe

The Great Plains could fit Western Europe twice with room for Texas. See how this vast region compares with European countries, from France to Austria.

Travel

Pittsburgh Has More Bridges Than Any City In America, If You Want It To

Pittsburgh calls itself the City of Bridges, and 446 is the number everyone repeats. Houston has 2,325. Here is how the claim survived for over a century.

Space

Why The Milky Way May Never Collide With Andromeda

A 2025 study of the Milky Way and Andromeda found roughly even odds of a merger within 10 billion years, challenging the long-held collision forecast.

Travel

10 Underrated Florida Towns Worth the Drive in 2026

10 Underrated Florida Towns Worth the Drive in 2026. See manatees at Blue Spring, the Navy SEAL museum in Fort Pierce, and a cattle drive in Okeechobee.

Geography

How Long America's Rivers Are Compared To The Nile

The Mississippi runs about 57% of the Nile's length, and the Missouri-Mississippi nearly 90%, with the Yukon, Rio Grande, Colorado, and Columbia even shorter.

Travel

8 Underrated Iowa Towns Worth The Drive In 2026

These towns will take you through Danish settlements, former railroad communities, and towns preserving unusually specialized museums.

Industries

The Top Semiconductor States In America

Semiconductors are some of the most coveted materials on the planet, currently. Here are the top semiconductor states in America.

GDP

The Richest Countries In Africa 2025

Africa’s richest countries fall into three types: island economies, hydrocarbon exporters, and diversified markets, shaped by resources and policies

Climate

The Difference Between A Hurricane, A Typhoon, And A Cyclone

A hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone are the same storm under three names. Which one you get depends on the ocean, and a date line crossing proves it.

Mountains

The Mountains That Are Still Growing

Some mountains are still rising today, pushed upward by tectonic forces even as erosion and melting ice reshape their peaks.

Mountains

How The Himalayas Compare To The Rockies

How the Himalayas and Rockies compare in height, length, age, glacier ice, earthquakes, and the rivers they feed, from Everest to the Continental Divide.

Mountains

The American Power Plants Built Inside A Mountain

From Tennessee's Raccoon Mountain to Washington's Boundary Dam, several U.S. power plants run their turbines deep inside excavated mountain rock.

GDP

The Richest Countries In Europe 2026

Europe has been an economic hub of the world for centuries. Strong banking and manufacturing sectors and embracing free trade have been key to its success.

Industries

The States With More Farmland Than People

Eight US states have more farmland than people, with farm operations covering over half their land and fewer than 100 residents per square mile.

Geography

How Much of America Drains Into the Mississippi River?

The Mississippi-Atchafalaya basin drains about 41% of the contiguous US, over 1.245 million square miles, and the Missouri subbasin alone supplies 43% of it.