Throughout Europe, soccer matches like the FIFA World Cup have become deeply significant, in part because that continent's identity is so complex.

The 1874 locust swarm was estimated to be twice the square mileage of the state of Colorado. Why don't locusts swarm anymore?

The excitement of the FIFA World Cup is exemplified by the songs that become World Cup anthems—both official and unofficial.

The august Irish poet was once a member of a secret occult order called The Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn. He was also an avid student of the Tarot.

Lauren Groff’s latest story collection explores the literary archetype of the Orphan.

Modern baby food didn’t exist until 1928, when Daniel Gerber launched his first line of mass-produced canned strained peas for babies.

A robot disguised as a crocodile is helping scientists understand that mass fish die-offs serve a purpose.

Constructed in the mid-16th century by Pier Francesco "Vicino" Orsini, this bizarre pleasure garden features twelve strange, disturbing statues--and no one knows why.

Well-researched stories from The Cut, Longreads, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.

Pop culture has made Anne Frank into an icon, but one scholar notes that she was a terrified child trapped and killed by war, and should be seen as such.