Halloween, celebrated annually on October 31st, is filled with eerie costumes, spooky decorations, and sweet treats. While the holiday has evolved into a festive, commercial occasion, its roots run deep in history. Let's explore the origins of Halloween and some of the fun customs associated with it....

Paris is usually associated with stunning landmarks, world-class museums, and fancy restaurants. However, lately, France's capital and most populous city has been in the news for an unlikely reason — bed bugs!...

For most Americans, fall is synonymous with pumpkins. Some are used to make delicious soups and bread, while others get carved into spooky jack-o'-lanterns. Then there are the select few whose only purpose is to win pumpkin weigh-off contests. There are numerous such competitions held nationwide. However, the most impressive mega gourds typically end up at the "Super Bowl" of pumpkin weigh-offs held annually in Half Moon Bay, CA....

In case you missed it, October 14, 2023, was National Chess Day. The board game was once considered the realm of the so-called "intelligent" or "nerdy" community. However, over the past few years, chess has become a "cool" sport that can be played by people of all ages and skill levels....

On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel. The large-scale assault occurred in the early morning hours, just as Israelis were wrapping up the seven-day-long Jewish festival of Sukkot....

Fall stargazing is about to get even more exciting. On October 14, 2023, the Moon will partially block the Sun, turning it into a stunning "ring of fire." The annular — Latin for ring-shaped — solar eclipse will be visible within a roughly 125-mile-wide (201 km) path from Oregon to Texas. The last time the US witnessed an annular eclipse was on May 20, 2012. The next time will not be until July 2084!...

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and her fans may consider 13 a lucky number. However, millions of people worldwide do not share that sentiment. Things get even worse for the superstitious when the date, as will happen this week, coincides with a Friday. Some of the anxiety surrounding Friday the 13th can be blamed on the namesake movie series. However, the day was feared long before the film's hockey-masked villain, Jason Voorhees, made his debut in 1980....

American businessman Larry Connor is no stranger to breaking records. In 2022, he became the first person to travel to the deepest part of the ocean — the Mariana Trench — and to outer space — the International Space Station — within 12 months. The latter was also the first all-private mission to the space laboratory....

On September 23, 2023, 26-year-old Tigist Assefa shattered the Women's Marathon World Record in Berlin, Germany. The Ethiopian runner completed the 26.2-mile race (42 km) in 2hrs 11min 53 seconds — 2min 11sec faster than the previous record set by Brigid Kosgei in 2019. The achievement is even more impressive when considering that Assefa began her career running short distances on track. She only started running marathons in 2022....

Columbus Day is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October. It marks Christopher Columbus's arrival to the Americas. However, the US federal holiday, which will be observed on October 9 this year, has always been controversial....

North America's Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — were a hub of maritime activity in the 1800s. Thousands of ships used the inland waterways to move cargo and passengers between cities. Among them was a sailing ship named Trinidad that sank in Lake Michigan about 150 years ago. On September 2, 2023, the Wisconsin Historical Society announced that the remains of the long-lost boat had finally been found....

Nero, who ruled over the Roman Empire from 54 AD to 68 AD, was known for his love of the arts. The emperor had even purportedly built a private theater to rehearse his poetry and music. While its existence had been documented by many Roman historians, finding the structure had proved elusive. On July 23, 2023, a team of Italian archeologists revealed that they may have finally unearthed the "lost" theater....

Peanut, a 21-year-old chicken, has been making headlines lately. In March 2023, the bantam hen from Michigan was crowned the world's oldest living chicken by Guinness World Records. The hen's longevity is even more impressive when you consider that she almost never hatched!...

Not a fan of tomatoes? Then, it would be best to steer clear of Buñol, Spain, in late August. That's because every year on the last Wednesday of August, the charming town of just 10,000 residents becomes center stage for La Tomatina — the world's largest food fight. As the name suggests, the exciting event involves lots of tomatoes....

A group of young environmentalists in Montana won a landmark climate change ruling on August 14, 2023. In a historic first, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley sided with the youth activists that the state's government was not doing enough to protect them from climate change. Here is a rundown of all the essential details....

If this summer feels a little warmer than usual, you are not wrong. The global temperatures in June 2023 far exceeded the previous record set in June 2019. The sweltering weather intensified in July. On August 14, 2023, NASA reported that it was the hottest month since global temperature record-keeping began in 1880. Some experts believe July may have been the hottest month in 120,000 years. If the trend continues into the fall and winter, 2023 may surpass 2016 as the hottest year on record....

Hundreds of firefighters are currently battling catastrophic wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. The fires ignited on August 8, 2023. The flames rapidly burnt through vegetation before exploding overnight and spreading to nearby communities. Fanned by strong winds from a distant hurricane, they moved so quickly that some residents were forced to jump into the ocean to escape....

There are thousands of stunning waterfalls worldwide. However, none are as unique as Antarctica's Blood Falls. The aptly-named waterfall, which flows from the tip of the Taylor Glacier, spurts out bright red water. The existence of this five-story-tall waterfall has been known for over a century. But the reason behind its crimson waters has remained a mystery. Now, a team led by W. Berry Lyons of The Ohio State University may have finally found the answer....

Like most fish, sharks are largely ectothermic, or cold-blooded. This means their body temperature depends on the water around them. To avoid freezing, most shark species remain close to the ocean's surface, where the water temperatures are warmer. However, scalloped hammerheads have long been known to dive thousands of feet into the ocean's cold depths in search of prey. Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa have now uncovered the shark's long-kept secret. The smart fish shut their gills and "hold their breath" to stay warm....

The US Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) has been a dominant force in world soccer for the past three decades. The impressive team boasts four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals. Team USA now hopes to win its third consecutive title at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. No team, men's or women's, has achieved this feat. Also, a fifth title would put the USWNT behind only Brazil's men, who have won six....

Former US President Ronald Reagan's love for jelly beans was well-known. However, the country's 40th leader also had another guilty pleasure — ice cream. In 1984, Mr. Reagan gave the "nutritious and wholesome food" the respect it deserved by declaring July as National Ice Cream Month!...

Most artists have to wait decades for their talents to be recognized. Some, like Dutch painter Van Gogh, only achieve fame after they die. But this is not the case for Andres Valencia. The 11-year-old San Diego, CA, resident has already made millions selling his contemporary paintings to art collectors. His fans include Hollywood actors Diane Keaton, Channing Tatum, and Sofia Vergara....

Fridays are always the best day of the week. But June 2, 2023, promises to be even more special. That’s because it also happens to be National Donut Day! This makes it your civic duty to indulge in the fried treat. Surprisingly, the holiday was not established by donut makers to increase sales. Instead, it was started by volunteers from the Salvation Army to raise funds to help those in need....

Scientists have long theorized that older stars swell up as they age and devour nearby planets. However, the assumption has been derived from observations made before and after the event. Now, for the first time, astronomers have caught a star in the act of engulfing a planet. The star, known as ZTF SLRN-2020, resides approximately 12,000 light-years away in our galaxy near the Aquila constellation....