Every December, countless people channel their inner Clark Griswold from Christmas Vacation” — hauling out a tangle of lights, climbing onto icy roofs, and turning their homes into …

Breakfast cereal might seem like an innocent pantry staple, but its history is a rollercoaster ride of health crusades, marketing genius, and cultural transformation. What started as a bland, healthy …

If you’re over a certain age, you’re sure to remember the advertising campaign for Dos Equis beer from a couple of decades ago. The ads featured actor Jonathan Goldsmith as a bearded, …

Have you ever been to a family reunion, and someone breaks out the really old photos of the grandparents or great-grandparents? Or, like me, maybe you are just going through some old photo albums …

Most readers know Agatha Christie as the mastermind behind some of the world’s most celebrated mysteries, like “Murder on the Orient Express” and “And Then There Were …

There’s something inherently magical about pockets. After all, who doesn’t love discovering they actually have a pocket when they didn’t expect one? And yet, pockets—those …

Before the delightful sound of an iPhone blaring in your ear at 6:30 a.m., people had to get a little more creative about waking up on time. Turns out, our ancestors were just as desperate to avoid …

Let’s face it: you’ve probably been telling time your whole life without ever really thinking about what A.M. or P.M. actually means. They’re just those trusty abbreviations that …

Have you ever wondered how and why some of the things that seem like a routine part of everyday life today became that way? No? Okay, maybe it’s just the way my crazy brain works. But take that …

Oktoberfest is one of the most famous cultural festivals in the world, celebrated for its lively atmosphere, traditional German customs, and, of course, its beer. While the festival originated in …

The five-day, 40-hour workweek is a standard that many workers take for granted today. However, this system resulted from decades of struggle, advocacy and change, driven by labor movements and …