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Vladimir Durov in costume, circa 1915.
science

How a Soviet Circus Clown Tried to Prove That Dogs Can Be Psychic

In the 1920s, USSR scientists investigated “biological radio communications,” more popularly known as telepathy.
Sarah Laskow June 22, 2017
A bottle of Allen's among Allen's knitted hats.
coffee

Why Maine Is Mad for This Coffee-Flavored Liqueur

Allen's Coffee Brandy is more popular than vodka or whiskey.
Dan Nosowitz June 21, 2017
The opening pages of an 1869 copy of <em>The Book of Mormon</em>, printed in Deseret.
language

The Deseret Alphabet, a 38-Letter Writing System Developed by Mormons

It was intended to spell English words in a more phonetically accurate way.
Beau Stucki June 21, 2017
Hot Dog Stand for the New York World’s Fair, Unknown, c. 1939.
architecture

Hunting for Famous Architects' Forgotten Design-School Projects

These drawings and models show where hallmark styles were born.
Eve Kahn June 20, 2017
The edge of the universe, as depicted in a 19th century book.
astronomy

Medieval Scholars Believed in the Possibility of Parallel Universes

A 13th-century conflict between faith and science ultimately led to a surprising outcome: a medieval multiverse theory.
Sarah Laskow June 20, 2017
A singing Hermit Thrush (<em>Catharus guttatus</em>).
science

How Animals Develop Regional Accents

Whales, bats, and birds have local dialects.
Claudia Geib June 20, 2017
Fred Gwynne, on the right, in character as Herman in <em>The Munsters</em>.
television

The Man Behind Herman Munster Wrote Some Puntastic Children's Books

Fred Gwynne left a wonderfully goofy literary legacy.
Andy Wright June 16, 2017
A hobo riding the rails, 1930s.
features

How Hobo Nostalgia Inspired the 'Boxcar Children' Book Series

In the 1920s, trampdom was romanticized.
Virginia Marshall June 16, 2017
A close-up of a pop-up book paper cheetah.
engineering

The History of Movable Paper in One Massive, 9,000-Book Collection

Pop-ups, harlequinades, and Meggendorfers, oh my!
Kelsey Kennedy June 15, 2017
Shel Silverstein, author of <em>Uncle Shelby's ABZ</em>, c. 1968.
features

A Look Back at Shel Silverstein's Adults-Only Children's Book

Uncle Shelby's ABZs teach a lot more than the alphabet.
Kevin Litman-Navarro June 15, 2017
Not all of these have been translated into Latin, but more than you'd think!
books

The Highbrow Struggles of Translating Modern Children's Books Into Latin

What's the best way to translate Dr. Seuss to a dead language?
Eric Grundhauser June 15, 2017
An 1855 portrait of the Brothers Grimm.
collections

The Grimm Brothers' Other Great Project Was Writing a Giant German Dictionary

They got up to F, and then it took another century to complete.
Sarah Laskow June 15, 2017
An illustration from 1855 of <em>The Tortoise and the Hare</em>.
features

Some Versions of 'The Tortoise and the Hare' Messed With the Moral

Slow and steady doesn't always win the race.
Natalie Zarrelli June 15, 2017
The Folly Cove Designers "diploma," presented to each member by Virginia Lee "Jinnee" Demetrios upon their entrance to the guild.
art

The Unlikely Story of the Folly Cove Guild, the Best Designers You've Never Heard Of

Led by beloved children's author Virginia Lee Burton, this group of mostly untrained women created immortal designs.
Cara Giaimo June 14, 2017
Three titles from the Federal Writer's Project children's books: <em>The Ladder of Clouds</em>, <em>At the Zoo</em> and <em>Television</em>.
books

The Forgotten Government-Funded Kids' Books of the Great Depression

New Deal, new children's literature.
Julie Knutson June 14, 2017
Scissorman attacks.
rare books

The 19th-Century Book of Horrors That Scared German Kids Into Behaving

Original illustrations from the book that inspired Edward Scissorhands.
Sarah Laskow June 14, 2017
<em>Tattoo of Death</em>, Choose Your Own Adventure #22
maps

These Maps Reveal the Hidden Structures of 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Books

If you decide to see more, click on this story.
Sarah Laskow June 13, 2017
Tyler G. Tyler, right, pulls crab pots at the start of blue crab season.
video

Maryland's Smith Island, Home to a Vanishing Dialect and Rising Sea Levels

Despite climate scientists' predictions, the laid-back inhabitants aren't too concerned.
Rob Kunzig June 8, 2017