For the grand finale of our Christmas Characters theme week, we’re ending with a character who arguably embodies the entire emotional spectrum of the season—from bitterness to redemption, from isolation to joy, and from “Bah humbug!” to

When the holiday season arrives, few characters feel as iconic—or as charming—as the Nutcracker. These stern-faced wooden figures have become staples of Christmas décor, instantly conjuring images of twinkling lights, crackling fires, and beloved seasonal traditions. But

Today on our Christmas Characters theme week, we’re bundling up and stepping into the snowy world of one of the most beloved figures in holiday pop culture: Frosty the Snowman. Though he may be made of snow,

If you picture a Christmas elf today, you probably imagine a cheerful little helper in a pointy hat, tinkering away in Santa’s workshop. But the story of these merry makers stretches much further back—and their earliest origins

Welcome to the start of our festive Christmas Characters Week! Each day, we’ll explore the stories, legends, and pop-culture moments behind some of the season’s most iconic figures. And who better to kick things off than the

What happens when you challenge one of the most imaginative writers in history to use only 50 words to create a children’s book? You get one of the most beloved titles of all time: Green Eggs and

Happy Throwback Thursday! Our throwback year today is 1974. Let’s rewind to 1974—a year of bell-bottoms, bold patterns, and one delicious new invention that would go on to change dessert cocktails forever. That’s right: 1974 is the

Thirty-three years ago today, a simple, two-word message quietly kicked off a communication revolution. On this day in 1992, Neil Papworth—a 22-year-old developer and test engineer—sent the world’s very first SMS text message. Working on a team

When we think of snow, many of us picture soft flakes drifting peacefully from the sky, coating the world in a blanket of white. But behind that serene scene lies an incredible blend of science, history, and

December isn’t just the season of twinkling lights and holiday gatherings—it’s also the month we celebrate Bingo’s Birthday! The game we know and love has a surprisingly rich and global history that stretches back nearly 500 years.

Thanksgiving Myth #3: Thanksgiving is exclusively an American holidayPart of our Thanksgiving Myths theme week If you’ve been following along with our Thanksgiving Myths Week, you already know that many of the stories we take for granted

Thanksgiving Myth #2: Turducken is a new dishPart of our Thanksgiving Myths theme week If you’ve ever watched an NFL Thanksgiving game in the late ’90s or early 2000s, you probably remember John Madden raving about one

Thanksgiving Myth #1: Turkey’s Tryptophan Is What Makes You SleepyPart of our Thanksgiving Myths theme week If you’ve ever blamed the Thanksgiving Day nap on turkey, you’re in good company. The idea that tryptophan—the amino acid found

It’s another Fun Fact Friday! Did you know Dalmatians are born completely white? Their iconic spots don’t show up until about 10 days later, and they continue to develop until the dog is around 18 months old.

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today’s throwback year is 1981. On January 21 that year, something truly futuristic rolled out of a factory in Northern Ireland: the very first DeLorean automobile. With its stainless-steel body and dramatic gull-wing doors,

It’s not every day a raccoon becomes a White House celebrity, but Rebecca—Calvin and Grace Coolidge’s unexpected pet—earned her place in presidential history through a story equal parts quirky and charming. Rebecca’s tale began in Mississippi, where

On this day in 1902, a beloved childhood icon—the teddy bear—was named after U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. The story begins with a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi that November. Unlike other hunters, Roosevelt hadn’t managed to bag a

Fifty-five years ago today, a humble wooden block with two wheels, a button, and a trailing cord quietly changed the course of computing. On this day in 1968, Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) received

We’ve reached the final day of our theme week on iconic city nicknames—and we’re wrapping things up with one of the most famous monikers of all time: New York City, The Big Apple. Bold, brash, legendary, and

Welcome back to our weeklong tour through America’s most iconic city nicknames! Today, we’re heading west—farther west than Los Angeles, in fact—to explore Reno, Nevada, famously known as “The Biggest Little City in the World.” It’s a

Welcome to Day 3 of our theme week on city nicknames! Today we’re heading down to the Gulf Coast to explore the vibrant, musical, and endlessly fascinating city of New Orleans – “The Big Easy.” The nickname