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10 Facts About Joshua Tree National Park

Only two hours outside Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park has always had a glamorous cachet. But it also has a fascinating history filled with Hollywood-style drama.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Autumn.

10 Facts About Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley National Park is one of the most-visited national parks in the United States.

Watch Stunning—and Slightly Terrifying—Drone Footage of the World’s Tallest Waterfall

See what it looks like to fly down Angel Falls—the inspiration for Paradise Falls in 2009’s ‘Up’—in glorious 5K.

The Appalachian Mountains have a long, fascinating history.

11 Facts About the Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains occupy a towering spot in North American cultural identity, thanks in part to the Appalachian Trail. The rugged peaks have been influencing the continent for a lot longer than we’ve been around to appreciate them.

Alessandra Perilli with her bronze medal after the trap-shooting finals on July 29, 2021.

San Marino, a European Microstate, Just Became the Smallest Country Ever to Win an Olympic Medal

Thanks to shooter Alessandra Perilli, San Marino knocked Liechtenstein off a very specific—and very tiny—Olympic throne.

An aerial view of the river Thames at sunset.

11 Facts About the River Thames

The river Thames snakes its way through the center of London, continuing to waylay whales, inspire artists, sink ships, and occasionally flood areas of the British capital

11 Shipwrecks That Haunt the Great Lakes

The wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald isn't the only ship to have met an early end on the Great Lakes.

The Kuroshio Current colliding with the Oyashio Current.

The Current That Carried Shipwrecked Sailors Across the Pacific

The Kuroshio Current has swept wayward ships from Japan's waters to the North American shore.

Egypt’s famous Luxor Temple is one of the world’s oldest temples.

10 of the World's Oldest Temples

Humans have been building temples for over 10,000 years. Luckily for history lovers, many of those ancient, sacred sites still exist.

It would be hard to fit the world's longest place name onto this small sign.

The 10 Longest Place Names in the World

At 85 letters, New Zealand's Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatah is the world's longest place name.

Who among us hasn't altered international borders?

Advancing the Stone: Belgian Farmer Accidentally Invades France by Moving a 200-Year-Old Border Marker Onto French Land

France’s border with Belgium has remained mostly unchanged since 1820. But one farmer recently made his own little alteration.

Sunrise at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

America's 10 Most Visited National Parks

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is basically the popular girl in high school that you can’t hate because she’s really nice and fun.

It's time you saw Zion National Park's Narrows in person.

Celebrate National Park Week by Winning a $10,000 National Park Adventure

Waiting for a windfall to justify your dream vacation at Yellowstone National Park? This could be it.

A photograph of Harriet Tubman taken by Harvey B. Lindsley in the 1870s.

Archaeologists Have Located the Site of Harriet Tubman’s Family Home in Maryland

The Underground Railroad conductor honed her wilderness skills around the cabin her father built in the 1840s.

Utahraptor State Park will be located on land nearby Arches National Park, pictured here.

Utah Is Getting Two New State Parks

Utahraptor State Park owes its name to a massive, velociraptor-like dinosaur whose fossils were first found in the area.

The app even has offline capabilities for use in the wild.

The National Park Service’s New App Will Help You Make the Most of Any National Park Visit

Want an audio tour of the 'Star Wars' filming locations in Death Valley? The National Park Service app has one.

Your new mantra could come from any corner of the world.

Interactive World Wisdom Map Teaches You Life Lessons From Around the World

Some of the best quotes about life come from regular people—this interactive map connects you with them.

The Quest for the North Pole: A Historical Timeline of Arctic Exploration

From Leif Eriksson’s chance continental landing to Ralph Plaisted’s trailblazing snowmobile adventure, here’s how Arctic exploration unfolded.

The Alfred Wegener Institute research ship Polarstern reached the North Pole on August 19, 2020, during the year-long MOSAiC expedition to study climate change in the Arctic.

11 Frosty Facts About the North Pole

For most of history, the North Pole was the stuff of legends and wild theories. Now people run a marathon there every April. Here are more unexpected facts about the top of the world.

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Why Isn't Washington, D.C., a State?

Residents of Washington, D.C., have no governor, no voting representation in Congress, and only limited local authority. The reason is simple: D.C. isn't a state.

Mt. Everest Just Got a Tiny Bit Taller, After Years of Disputes Between China and Nepal

The legendary summit is now nearly 2 feet taller, thanks to China and Nepal thawing out their contentious debate over its size.

A young beaver with all four feet firmly on the ground.

Watch: In 1948, Idaho Officials Sent 76 Beavers Parachuting Into Idaho’s Wilderness

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a parachuting beaver!” —Something you probably thought you’d never say.

The Trailblazing Story of Alexandrine Tinné, the Victorian Explorer Who Attempted to Cross the Sahara Desert

Alexine Tinné's quests to find the source of the Nile River and cross the Sahara Desert were no luxury holiday.

How African Dust Storms Create the Caribbean’s Beautiful Beaches—and Protect Them from Hurricanes

Bermuda's red soil and the Bahamas's white-sand beaches might have come from the same place: the Sahara Desert.

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