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Thomas Hardy and his beloved English countryside.

'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' author Thomas Hardy is best known for his novels of rural realism, but he started out as an architect.

Karin Crompton






Pray to your porcelain god.

Half of the world’s population—nearly 4 billion people—lack safe and sanitary toilet facilities. Here are a few facts to make you appreciate our lovely loos.

Lina Zeldovich


Koalas might be cute, but they're definitely not bears.

From Chinese checkers and Panama hats to koala bears and king crabs, and beyond, these names aren't quite what they seem.

Paul Anthony Jones














Seventeen inches of lake-effect snow fell in Chicago in 2021.

Requiring a sufficiently large lake is only the first step in creating the monstrous blizzards known as lake-effect snow.

Hannah Keyser