happenings
All the World's a Puppet Show at France's Biannual Festival
The international event's roots go back to a puppeteer who entertained kids during the Nazi occupation.
All Stories
pants week
Oxford Bags, the Ridiculously Wide-Legged Trousers of the 1920s
Many decades before JNCOs, British rowers took their pants to extreme dimensions.
story
Two Silver Fabergé Fish Knives, Lost For a Century, Have Reappeared
They only just survived the Russian Revolution.
fleeting wonders
Great News for Fans of Historic Buses
This weekend, the New York Transit Museum will trot out vintage vehicles from every era.
shipwrecks
Found: An Incredibly Well-Preserved Medieval Shipwreck, Among Many More
The Black Sea wreck is the first of its kind ever discovered.
feminism
The Banned 1910s Magazine That Started a Feminist Movement in Japan
"Seitō" showed women how to leave their husbands.
pants week
How Books Designed for Soldiers’ Pockets Changed Publishing Forever
Prior to WWII, Americans didn't think much of softcover books.
dinosaurs
The Bad Hair, Incorrect Feathering, and Missing Skin Flaps of Dinosaur Art
Inside the pitfalls of illustrating prehistoric creatures.
corn
Behold Wisconsin's Cabinet of Curiosity Corn Maze
The trilobite design is a 480-foot tribute to the state fossil.
asteroids
Hubble Spotted a Strange New Object in Our Solar System
It's kind of a comet and kind of an asteroid that orbits itself, and it could tell us something about early Earth.
pants week
How the Skort Went From Rebellious Garment to Athleisure Staple
The skort has always been a divisive piece of clothing—literally.
pants week
One Doctor's Quest to Reveal the Perils of Polyester Pants
A sexological tale of static electricity, male contraception, and dogs in pants.
pants week
The Split Pants That Are China's Alternative to Diapers
Kai dang ku might reflect the past and future of toilet training.
crabs
The Hermit Crab With the Cool, Modern, Expandable Home
No shell-swapping for this newly described species—their coral homes grow with them.
pants week
The Women Miners in Pants Who Shocked Victorian Britain
"The article of clothing which women ought only to wear in a figure of speech."
blimps
Can You Really Get a Blimp to Honk Its Horn?
The only way to know if blimping works it to try it for yourself.
other capitals of the world
How Kurobe, Japan, Became the Zipper Capital of the World
Reverse engineering and the Cycle of Goodness™ helped make YKK a universal brand.
pants week
The Plant-Loving Artist Who Puts Pants on Trees
Peter Coffin's "Untitled (Tree Pants)" is both silly and serious.
