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What is Cubism? This Tate Kids animation explains.
What is Cubism? Invented by two young painters around 1907–08, cubism, as described by the Tate, “brought different views of subjects (usually objects or figures) together in the same picture,...
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Henrietta Lacks: The ‘immortal’ cells that changed the world
In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Unbeknownst to her or her family, her cells—sampled during her treatment—”turned out to have an extraordinary capacity to survive and...
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Excavating the Rutland ‘Sea Dragon’ Fossil
What first seemed like a pipe in the ground has revealed itself to be a rare paleontological find: A large and surprisingly complete ‘sea dragon’ fossil. The ichthyosaur, an extinct marine reptile that...
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Elizabeth Cotten plays In the Sweet By and By and Freight Train
Born on January 5, 1893, Elizabeth Cotten, nicknamed Libba, was a left-handed musician who taught herself how to play on her right-handed brother’s banjo, reversed, then on a guitar she bought at age...
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What is Impressionism?
Depicting spontaneous everyday scenes in more loosely painted styles than were traditional at the time, Impressionism was invented by a group of Parisian artists who were interested in conveying the...
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Frederick Douglass, the most photographed American of the 19th century
Renowned American abolitionist, orator, writer, statesman, and human rights advocate, Frederick Douglass was also, as the Library of Congress describes, a “firm believer in the power of pictures.”...
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The ancient secrets revealed by deciphered cuneiform clay tablets
“The earliest known form of writing is called cuneiform. First used over 5,000 years ago, it’s believed to predate Egyptian hieroglyphs. Cuneiform was used by civilisations that lived in Mesopatamia....
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Where did the idea of “normal” come from?
“The word ‘normal’ is often used as a synonym for ‘typical,’ ‘expected,’ or even ‘correct.’ By that logic, most people should fit the description of normal. But time and time again, so-called normal...
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Bisa Butler: Portraits, an Exhibition Story from The Art Institute of Chicago
Dignity and confidence come alive in quilted cottons, silks, wools, tulles, velvets, African wax printed texiles, kente cloth, and other vintage and repurposed fabrics. Fiber artist Bisa Butler found...
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Queen Liliʻuokalani and the overthrow of Hawaii
The eighth monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, Queen Lili’uokalani “ruled through one of the most turbulent periods of its history.” She fought for the voting rights of her people, authored a new...
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How can clams, crystal balls, and Scotland’s snow patches help us tackle...
“Understanding the trends of weather patterns can help us to see when one-off events become patterns of climate change.” But how have we marked and measured that weather data? Would you believe that...
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How did the telegraph help win the American Civil War?
“Nearly 150 years before the advent of texts, tweets, and e-mail,” begins History.com, “President Abraham Lincoln became the first ‘wired president’ by embracing the original electronic messaging...
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Why was the Golden Gate Bridge considered impossible?
“In the mid-1930s, two familiar spires towered above the morning fog. Stretching 227 meters into the sky, these 22,000-ton towers would help support California’s Golden Gate Bridge. But since they were...
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Shackleton’s Endurance: The lost shipwreck is found off the coast of Antarctica
The wreck of the HMS Endurance, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton‘s ship, has been found off the coast of Antarctica. Captions in this video from The Independent explain that the ship was...
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Why did sauropods have long necks?
“153 million years ago in Montana, the giant dinosaur known as Diplodocus wandered through a seasonal wetland looking for its lunch. Like most other sauropod dinosaurs, Diplodocus was pretty big – it...
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What are rocks and how do they form?
What are rocks and how do they form? What is the rock cycle? Why are rocks different colors? What are the different layers inside our planet? “From towering mountains to the gravel and pebbles along a...
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Why are there so many pigeons?
Telephone wires: Pigeons. Parking lots: Pigeons. Building ledges: Pigeons. Why do so many cities have flocks and flocks of pigeons? How did these hardy birds become one of the most abundant species on...
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Gathering maple sugar the traditional Anishinaabe way
The Anishinaabe peoples have made maple sugar, called ziinzibaakwad, for centuries. What is it and how is it traditionally made? In this CBC News video, Caleb Musgrave from Hiawatha First Nation...
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The Missing Planet, some science history behind the ESA’s Hera mission
“Astronomers in the 18th century were sure there was a planet in the wide gap between Mars and Jupiter – and even formed a group called the Celestial Police to find it. But eventually, it became clear...
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The “Screwed-Up History” of English Spelling
“English is full of these contradictions, making it one of the hardest languages to learn. Almost every spelling rule comes with a long list of exceptions… Many letters can have multiple sounds, and...
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