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Shakespeare is the source of a lot of words.

Shakespeare is the first known citation for over a thousand words and even more meanings—but new research occasionally shows that Shakespeare actually didn't originate some phrases, a trend that will likely continue over time.

A 14th-century illustration from 'The Book of the Hunt.'

Medieval dog names ran the gamut from 'Argument' to 'Feete.'

Four American soldiers stationed in Northern Ireland in 1942.

Here's how 'Roger' came to mean "received" (and how 'wilco' fits in).

‘Jaws’ changed the summer movie season when it premiered in 1975.

From ‘Jaws’ to ‘Barbie,’ here are the biggest summer blockbusters since 1974.

Don't let this sweet face fool you: Arctic foxes eat anything that moves.

Adorable Arctic foxes will eat anything they can catch on the snowy tundra.

When “Midnight’s Children” was released in 1981, The New York Times pronounced that “the literary map of India is about to be redrawn.” Here’s what you should know about the novel that introduced the authorial voice of Salman Rushdie.

A stained-glass window at the Coats Observatory near Glasgow, Scotland, depicts William Herschel.

In 1781, William Herschel looked through his telescope and saw Uranus.

Some states try to look out for workers. Others actually set minimums below the federal rate.

From the cars to the fashion, a lot has changed in the Windy City.

Some decaf coffee contains trace amounts of a carcinogen. Should we be worried?

The microscopic “moss piglets” may be the hardiest creatures on Earth—and anywhere else.

You may not have given it much thought in the past, but you've most definitely seen a single shoe hanging around the side of the road. How did it get there?

Languages around the world have their own strange idioms.

Idioms like Mandarin’s ‘take your pants off to fart’ make no sense to English speakers—at least, not English speaker who haven’t read this list.

Smokey Bear with Girl Scouts in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Smokey Bear’s first ad slogan wasn’t quite as catchy as “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

From ‘kibosh’ to ‘niche,’ these words can trip up even the most meticulous English speakers.

The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California.

When readers failed to warm to a new 'Peanuts' character, Charles Schulz erased her. Permanently.

There's more scandal involved than you'd think.

A grain of salt a day keeps the misinformation away.

‘Take it with a grain of salt’ all (probably) started with Pliny the Elder, but he was talking about literal poison.

The act of bringing another person into the world comes with a whole host of things you might not have anticipated, from a phenomenon called “lightning crotch” and disappearing belly buttons to unexpected excrement and so much more.

There are five flags hidden in this image. How long does it take you to spot them all?

There are three red flags and two beige flags hidden in this chaotic packing scene. See how long it takes you to spot them all.

All five answers to the questions below have something in common. Can you figure it out?

In 2002, the two powerful world leaders were invited to settle their differences the old-fashioned way: Combat.

The Backstreet Boys in a late ’90s portrait session.

The Backstreet Boys’ 1999 smash “I Want It That Way,” which celebrates its 25th anniversary in April 2024, is among the definitive songs—if not the definitive song—of the ’90s teen-pop explosion.

Quick, fetch the Rexall’s Americanitis Elixir!

Nearly all of the day’s experts blamed Americanitis on stress caused by the relentless pace of life in the U.S., which was only exacerbated by new technological advancements.

21 Words Created by Shakespeare (And 4 That Weren’t)

100 Weird and Wonderful Medieval Dog Names

Who Is the Roger of ‘Roger That’?

The 50 Biggest Summer Blockbusters of the Past 50 Years

What Do Arctic Foxes Eat?

10 Fascinating Facts About Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’

How an Amateur Astronomer Discovered Uranus

The 12 States That Pay the Highest Minimum Wage

Colorized Video Transports Viewers to 1940s Chicago

A Latte Trouble: Is Decaf Coffee Bad for You?

7 Tough Facts About Tardigrades

Why Is It So Common to See Just One Shoe, Not Two, On the Side of the Road?

20 Delightful Idioms From Around the World

How Smokey Bear Helped Win World War II

10 Common Words You’re Probably Mispronouncing

Charlotte Braun, the ‘Peanuts’ Character Who Met a Gruesome End

15 Facts About the IRS to File Away

Why Do We Tell People to Take Something “With a Grain of Salt”?

20 Surprising (and Horrifying) Facts About Pregnancy

Can You Spot the Hidden Flags in This Vacation-Themed Brainteaser?

What’s the Kennection? #110

When George Bush and Saddam Hussein Were Challenged to a Duel

“I Want It That Way”: How Max Martin’s ‘Melodic Math’ Led to This Enduring (and Confusing) Backstreet Boys Hit

Americanitis: The 19th-Century Scourge of Stressed-Out Workaholics