
THE MAGAZINE
5 Presidential Facts Your History Teacher Never Told You
These five facts are ones for the books … even if they were technically left out of the books.
Soviet Russia's Rocket Boots
When the Soviet Union wanted to outrun the U.S., it turned to a secret weapon: rocket boots.
Why Do We Gesture When We Talk?
Gesture researchers have spent the past 40 years uncovering how movements (like a cupped hand rotating in space or a finger tracing a path through the air) are intimately tied to speech.
7 Tiny Books That Packed a Big Punch
How to Prevent Tears While Cutting Onions
Only two things make everyone tear up: the end of Old Yeller and chopping onions. There’s no cure for the dog movie, but we kitchen-tested 4 tricks for beating onions.
6 Products That Can Only Come From One Place
Your sparkling wine doesn’t have to come from France to be authentic. Here are six products that can really only be produced in one place on the globe.
The Secret Origin of 7 Extremely Important Actions
From high-fives to air quotes, these smooth moves had to start somewhere.
6 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Supermarkets
Your local grocery store is a psychological minefield, where even the bananas are ripe with mystery.
The People Behind 5 Iconic Shoe Brands
You love the snappy footwear. Get ready to meet their makers.
The Man Who Doubled as a Mobster and a Florist
The 1000-Mile Hike That Shaped the National Park Service
When an accident robbed John Muir of his sight, he gained a vision that shaped the National Park Service.
The Real People Behind 9 Characters You Thought Were Fictional
“I knew I was a strict teacher, but I didn’t think I was that bad.”
The Most Secretive Book in History
A bizarre medieval manuscript written in a language no one can read has baffled the world’s best cryptologists, stumped the most powerful code-breaking computers, and been written off as a masterful hoax. Can the hive mind finally unlock the secrets of th
10 Hidden Talents of the Octopus
They're scary smart, and they keep themselves busy in amazing ways.