Reader Adam from Fairfax, Virginia, wrote in to ask, "How did the US states get their names?" This week, we're tackling the origins and meaning of the names 10 states at a time. Here's Hawaii through Maryland. (Be sure to also check out yesterday's post on Alabama through Georgia.)... READ ON

We all know about Elvis, McCarthyism, Sputnik, the Korean War, Rosa Parks’ fateful bus ride, and Castro taking over Cuba – defining moments of the 1950s. In the decade itself, everyone was talking about now-forgotten moments like the Suez crisis, the “Busby Babes” plane crash and the hula-hoop craze. But then there were a few big events in the decade that hardly anyone noticed at the time. Here are just five of them… 1. Rocket ‘88’ launches... READ ON

In 1996, MECC released Oregon Trail II, an updated version of the calssic Oregon Trail computer game. In the new version, a historian added various details, and some attention was given to women and minorities (who were, if I recall correctly, completely absent from the early versions of the game). The video below was included on a "Collector's Edition" release of Oregon Trail II, and it's part documentary, part promo for the new game. It's worth a look, as it recounts 25 years of Oregon Trail gaming... READ ON

We all know just how inhospitable the Antarctic is, so it's hardly surprising that many people who set up shop in the region later abandoned their shelters and never bothered to return. What is surprising, though, is the amazing way the frigid climate preserves most of these structures, leaving them in almost the condition they were left in, even after decades. WebUrbanist has a fascinating look at ten of these abandoned areas, including the former home of early Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.... READ ON