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Britannica Explains
Britannica Explains
Whatever your question, Britannica has the answer.
How Chinese immigrants built the Transcontinental Railroad
Why don't humans have tails?
What's the problem with an early spring?
How do mobsters get their nicknames?
Coco Chanel: From quiet luxury to Nazi affiliation
The difference between bacteria and viruses
How Fred Astaire became a dancer
How do scabs form?
What inspires Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee to fight injustice
How Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee defines peace
What do eggs have to do with Easter?
The history of the Olympics: From ancient Greece to now
Are fungi plants?
Prince William and the future of the British throne
How much air do you breathe in a lifetime?
What is Impressionism?
The true meaning of Cinco de Mayo
Why is blood red?
What is a certificate of deposit?
What causes algae blooms?
How are plant cells different from animal cells?
How did opera's greatest soprano lose her voice?
The miles-long history of the marathon
How much blood is in the human body?
How do cicadas know when to go aboveground?
What and when is Easter?
Holi: Explaining the Festival of Colors
Pisces: The final sign of the zodiac
What is Palm Sunday?
Understanding the story of Purim
David Attenborough: An explorer's life
Do carnivorous plants actually eat their prey?
The difference between a primary and caucus, explained
What is Super Tuesday?
Brian May: Queen guitarist and astrophysicist
The hairy history of Groundhog Day
How is a pope elected?
Do mushrooms need sunlight?
What is Leap Day?
What did the ancient Babylonians say about Aquarius?
How Bob Marley brought reggae into the mainstream
What does public domain mean?
How Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court
2023: Britannica's year in review
Behind the zodiac sign: Capricorn
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree: Why do we deck thy branches?
What's the difference between Yule and Christmas?
What made Sammy Davis, Jr., the world's greatest entertainer?
A deep dive into John Singleton Copley's
Watson and the Shark
How
Whistler's Mother
became an American icon
Why
The Laughing Cavalier
's title doesn't make sense
How much do you need to save for retirement?
What inspired Peter Paul Rubens's
Descent from the Cross
?
The colorful life of
The Color Purple
author Alice Walker
How
The Death of General Wolfe
mythologized North America
The true story of “maestro” Leonard Bernstein
El Greco's
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
, explained
Roald Dahl's complicated character
The unique drama of Caravaggio's
The Entombment of Christ
Jeanne Gang on the future of architecture
What does the Sagittarius archer symbolize?
Why did early critics hate
The Death of Sardanapalus
?
Why is it called Black Friday?
Get to know the
Woman at Her Toilette
The story behind
Madonna with the Long Neck
Madeleine Albright on immigrating to the United States
Madeleine Albright: Human rights advocate and Encyclopædia Britannica editor
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The Valpinçon Bather
unusual for its time?
What's the point of Daylight Saving Time?
What caused the Black Monday stock market crash?
The true story of Priscilla Presley and Elvis
What did the ancient Greeks say about Scorpio?
Paris Street; Rainy Day
and a vision of the modern city
Mary Shelley and the birth of
Frankenstein
A look behind the curtain in Edgar Degas's
The Ballet Class
What it's like to visit an active volcano
How
Beauty Looking Back
reflects Japanese history
How the Teapot Dome Scandal ruined a president's reputation
The legend of Libra, explained
Why was
Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket
controversial?
What diversification means (and why it matters)
The true story of Napoleon Bonaparte
The scary story behind “trick or treat”
The thousand-year-old history of Halloween
How does the McGurk effect trick your brain?
The remarkable resilience of enslaved people in colonial America
How a historical interpreter connects to the past at Colonial Williamsburg
What was life like in colonial America?
How Eurovision became the “Olympics for singing”
How volcanoes work, explained by a volcanologist
Who invented the Caesar salad?
How the Whitney Plantation teaches the history of slavery
What are glaciers? Ask a glaciologist
What causes the seasons?
What is the difference between nuclear fission and fusion?
Budgeting and the 50-30-20 rule, explained
What caused the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack?
How did Labor Day become a national holiday?
What is a trophic cascade?
The true story of Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb
What is a midterm election?
How a tax increase helped spark the American Civil War
Why is Diwali called the Festival of Lights?
Cancer: The zodiac sign explained
What is National Hispanic Heritage Month?
What do the melting clocks mean in Salvador Dalí's
The Persistence of Memory
?
What is everyone looking at in
Las Meninas
?
Francisco Goya's
Saturn Devouring His Son
, explained
Why do twins represent Gemini?
Did
The Night Watch
cause Rembrandt's downfall?
What and when is Yom Kippur?
Earth, heaven, and hell: Hieronymus Bosch's
The Garden of Earthly Delights
What are the different types of extinction?
Michelangelo's
The Last Judgment
, explained
What are the laws of thermodynamics?
What is net neutrality?
What is compound interest?
What was the Boston Tea Party?
What does Juneteenth celebrate?
Edvard Munch's
The Scream
, explained
What is the history of same-sex marriage?
Why is Pride Month in June?
Who actually invented rugby?
How Marie Tharp mapped the ocean floor
Who created Mother's Day?
Why is the symbol of Taurus a bull?
How Rosalynn Carter redefined the role of first lady
How the polio vaccine changed the world
What does Bastille Day celebrate?
How to watch a solar eclipse
How do credit scores work?
Who was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress?
Why is AAPI Heritage Month in May?
How has Pope Francis guided the Roman Catholic Church?
Aries: the legend behind the zodiac sign
Why did Henry VIII form the Church of England?
What and when is Passover?
Is overpopulation a problem?
Discover how Camilla overcame controversy to become queen consort
Dungeons & Dragons
, explained
Who created Transgender Day of Visibility?
The difference between good debt and bad debt
Why is International Women's Day on March 8?
What is the inspiration behind the diner in
Nighthawks
?
The history of March Madness
How did Volodymyr Zelensky become president of Ukraine?
What makes
American Gothic
so popular?
Who created the color wheel?
Will cloning bring the woolly mammoth back to life?
What makes the
Birth of Venus
so beautiful?
Why the history of Valentine's Day is so complicated
Find out why each Super Bowl is numbered with Roman numerals
Discover the myth behind the Chinese zodiac
Why is Black History Month in February?
Mikhail Gorbachev's legacy: What are glasnost and perestroika?
Why is the 20th Amendment called the Lame Duck Amendment?
The origin and traditions of the Lunar New Year, explained
Find out why Eid al-Fitr is also called the Festival of Breaking Fast
Why Ramadan is one of the holiest months for Muslims
What does Raphael's
School of Athens
mean?
Who was Sitting Bull?
The life and legacy of Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice
The life and legacy of Paul Farmer
Who was the first woman in Congress?
How talkies replaced silent films
The origin and purpose of the euro
Discover what Times Square, red envelopes, and 12 grapes all have in common
Explore the phases of the Moon and their effectiveness in tracking time
What is blockchain technology and how does it work?
Explore the history of Irish soda bread and its importance to Irish culture
What life was like in a Japanese American incarceration camp
Japanese American internment: Life after the prison camps
What makes Serena Williams one of the greatest tennis players in history?
Find out how Princess Diana earned the nickname “the People's Princess”
How long did Prince Charles wait to become King Charles III?
Who was the first African American senator?
How did “Fighting Shirley” Chisholm earn her nickname?
Living without medical care in Japanese American internment camps
How was the Internet invented?
Who was the first woman in the U.S. cabinet?
What made the design of Benjamin Banneker''s clock special?
Why Tecumseh dreamed of a Native American confederacy
The life of iconic talk-show host Larry King
Why did George Custer fail at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
Explaining Nikola Tesla''s inventions...and his obsession with pigeons
Find out why we celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day
The difference between sex and gender explained
What do the four horsemen of the apocalypse represent?
Malala Yousafzai
How
Loving
v.
Virginia
legalized interracial marriage in the U.S.
How Elizabeth Martínez organized the Chicano movement
How Sigmund Freud founded psychoanalysis
Cloris Leachman: Miss America contestant to Emmy Award winner
Who created the periodic table?
What was the Stono rebellion?
Georges Seurat's
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884
Explained
How did Phillis Wheatley become a poet?
What Is Inflation?
What was the first novel ever written?
What are coronal mass ejections, or CMEs?
Discover the mystery behind one of the most famous legends in history
How did Ida B. Wells-Barnett become an activist?
The life of beloved children''s author Beverly Cleary
Who was the first African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives?
Why was Mother Jones called “the most dangerous woman in America”?
The life of poet and publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Discover the Enlightenment's influence on biologic categorization, encyclopedias, and literature
Why was Robert Bly controversial?
What were the Stonewall riots?
Learn about Allied and Axis leaders, the Allied invasion of Normandy, and the dropping of atomic bombs
Learn how Kepler's laws analyze ellipses, eccentricity, and angular momentum as part of the physics of the solar system
Explore five questions about Shakespeare's life
Five famous “firsts” accomplished by women
Explore the roles of Marie Curie, Mabel St. Clair Stobart, and Aileen Cole Stewart in World War I
Study the causes of and fallout from the
Titanic
's striking an iceberg and sinking in the Atlantic Ocean
Following Kobe Bryant''s career trajectory
Discover the history of Carnival, also called Mardi Gras
What was the Hundred Years' War?
Where did the term Manifest Destiny come from?
Who were the Sons of Liberty?
What does the Virgo sign of the zodiac mean?
What was the Black Death?
Remembering the 9/11 attacks
How did Elizabeth I become queen?
Who are the Hazara people of Afghanistan?
Has anyone actually seen Bigfoot?
How the Progressive era changed child labour in the U.S.
How Frederick Douglass became an abolitionist
Did the Seven Wonders of the World actually exist?
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
How Susan B. Anthony became a suffragist
The Great Chicago Fire and the deadly Peshtigo firestorm started on the same day
What is the scientific method?
Is Mount Rushmore on sacred Native American land?
Who built the Pyramids of Giza?
How the McCormick reaper changed farming forever
Is there a difference between a suffragist and a suffragette?
Mary Wollstonecraft's
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
explained
How Henry Ford''s assembly line revolutionized factory production
Who really invented the lightbulb?
Why Sojourner Truth changed her name
What were the 13 major dynasties of China?
The groundbreaking art of Kerry James Marshall
How did Jackie Robinson become the first Black player in Major League Baseball?
Why Cesar Chavez's birthday is an American holiday
What was Elizabeth Cady Stanton's role in the women's rights movement?
Joe Biden''s path to the U.S. presidency
Meet key women writers of the Harlem Renaissance
What really happened at the Boston Massacre?
How Walt Disney became an American icon
Remembering Betty White''s extensive career
Why did bell hooks spell her name in lowercase?
Who was John Wayne?
How Karl Marx went from student to revolutionary
Remembering Joan Didion''s life and legacy
How Stephen Sondheim became a Broadway legend
How did Sparta become a Grecian superpower?
How Sequoyah invented the Cherokee writing system
How do countries choose their capital cities?
Who is Mae Jemison, the first African American female astronaut?
What are constellations?
Why was Galileo persecuted for his discoveries?
The
Amistad
mutiny: What happened?
How Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation
Surviving Japanese American incarceration during World War II
How life changed for Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor
How Japanese Americans were forced from their homes in the 1940s
How did Bernie Madoff''s Ponzi scheme work?
How José Rizal became the face of the Philippine independence movement
The life and legacy of beloved author and illustrator Eric Carle
Know about Queen Anne, monarch of Great Britain and Ireland
Learn about the British East India Company
Learn about the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong
Discover the life of Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, scientist, and historian
Epidemic vs. pandemic: What's the difference?
Robert the Bruce's role in Scottish history
What was the Reign of Terror?
What did the Black Panther Party do?
What is the Golgi apparatus?
The Monroe Doctrine explained
Malcolm X's role in the civil rights movement
What were the Opium Wars?
How did people respond to
To Kill a Mockingbird
?
What is liberalism?
What is nationalism?
Understand the history and ideology of nationalism
How does democracy work?
Who was St. Peter the Apostle?
Who was St. Augustine of Hippo?
What was the Open Door policy in Chinese trade?
Who was Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the father of Mexican independence?
The inspiring journey of Malala Yousafzai
How Ludwig van Beethoven revolutionized music
The impact of Jacques Cartier's explorations in North America
Who was the Prophet Muhammad?
The impact of the Meiji Restoration on Japan
When was the Massachusetts Bay Colony founded?
Examine the life of Jackie Robinson, a pioneer in Major League Baseball
Who was Ivar the Boneless, the legendary Viking chieftain?
The rise and fall of Benito Mussolini
Abraham: The first Hebrew patriarch and monotheist
Understanding the fight for women's suffrage
Understanding Isis: The Egyptian goddess of healing and motherhood
The historical significance of the Hagia Sophia
Frederick Douglass and the abolitionist movement
Adolf Eichmann's role in the Holocaust
Why was mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss significant?
The Mughal emperor Akbar's rise to power explained
Why was Cyrus the Great so “great”?
Are genetically modified organisms safe?
French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes
A brief look at the life of George Orwell
Subhas Chandra Bose and India's independence
The life and legacy of Confucius
Understanding Daoism: Ancient philosophy and way of life
Who was Louis XIV, king of France?
The enduring legacy of explorer Henry Hudson
How did Vladimir Lenin change the world?
What sparked the Salem witch trials?
Maximilien Robespierre's role in the French Revolution
Who was St. John the Baptist, and how did he die?
Hear a discussion about the impact of coronavirus on the environment
What is the origin of Memorial Day?
Apollo 11's incredible journey to the Moon
The impact of the Great Depression on Americans
History and denial of the Armenian Genocide
What led to the Gulf of Tonkin incident in Vietnam?
Who was Hippocrates?
Getting to know philosopher Immanuel Kant
Filippo Brunelleschi's contribution to architecture
Learn about the Asian Giant Hornet and how they are a threat to honeybees
How did LGBTQ Pride Month get its start?
Learn about Space X, the future of space travel, and the future goals of NASA
Know about the effects of coronavirus on parenting, school education, and the digital divide
ocean temperature increase
Discover the history of Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States
What is the summer solstice?
The musical legacy of Duke Ellington
Who was Leon Trotsky, and what did he believe?
Toussaint Louverture: Liberator and leader of Haiti
Understanding tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes
Five surprising facts about the Fourth of July
Hiroshima: The devastating effects of the atomic bomb
Delving deeper into the Declaration of Independence
Understanding Oscar Wilde: His life, works, and death
Genghis Khan: His journey to power
Jane Austen's life and literary achievements
Five absurd reasons women were denied the vote
The controversy and history behind Columbus Day
Learn about India's Independence Day and know how the day is celebrated
Who was philosopher David Hume?
The life and works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Who was John Milton, and why is he famous?
The Pullman Strike and the power of the labor movement
How Apollo 11 landed on the Moon
View to learn about renewable energy, its types, and also how the coronavirus pandemic has changed energy consumption and production patterns
What is the origin of Halloween?
How did Labor Day become a national holiday?
When was the first Oktoberfest?
What is the significance of the winter solstice?
Understanding V-J Day: The end of World War II
D-Day: The harrowing reality at Omaha Beach
The successful D-Day landings at Utah Beach explained
Hear researchers talk about the challenges in the ALS research therapy in the time of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic
How is Christmas Eve celebrated?
Christmas traditions explored
When was the first Thanksgiving?
The journey to women's voting rights and the Nineteenth Amendment
What if the Cold War turned hot?
Inside the Normandy Invasion of 1944
The D-Day attacks at Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches explained
The Normandy Invasion: What obstacles did U.S. troops face at Omaha Beach?
The impact of the German chain of command on D-Day
A tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court legacy
Know about the hurricanes, its formation, and the challenges in forecasting
The importance of the Allies' landing craft in World War II
The impact of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima
What is biodiversity, and why is it important?
Unpacking the role of the Supreme Court and its justices
The impact and aftermath of Nagasaki's bombing
What is the U.S. Electoral College?
Why is voting important?
Understand the issue of voter turnout in the 2020 U.S. election, focusing on the younger generations
The Battle of Midway: A turning point in World War II
The life and works of F. Scott Fitzgerald
German music throughout history
EB Insights: Curiosity Day
Whisky Tasting with Scots
Celebrating Beethoven: His life, work, and legacy
Debunking the myths around Catherine the Great
Clear up pop culture myths about Abraham Lincoln
Britannica's 2020 Year in Review
Debunking popular myths about F. Scott Fitzgerald
Myth vs. fact: Marie-Antoinette
A turning point: Understanding the Battle of Midway
Hear a discussion about holiday food and cooking culture
Explore lines of latitude and longitude
The significance of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal
The life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Correcting pop culture myths about Coco Chanel
The Aftereffects of War: Vietnam War
How accurate is
Judas and the Black Messiah
?
Major types of pollution explained
How did Helen Keller learn to communicate?
What happened when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated?
The power of ostriches in the animal kingdom
What was the purpose of the Voyager space probes?
What is the history of Presidents' Day?
What pop culture got wrong about Pocahontas
What happens at the International Space Station?
What were Jim Crow laws?
Explore the career of educator and reformer Booker T. Washington
How accurate is
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
?
The life and legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois
Ohio River paddleboats and the Underground Railroad
Explore the history of Irish soda bread and its importance to Irish culture
Explore Irish genealogy and the Irish history of Chicago
Discover Irish music, dance, and food at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago
Visit Chief O'Neill's pub and learn about Irish culture and cuisine
Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos scandal explained
What did the Viking space probes find on Mars?
Explore technological innovations of the Cold War
What is the origin of St. Patrick''s Day?
Who was the real St. Patrick?
The Monroe Doctrine explained
Why didn''t the Articles of Confederation work?
How the United States changed after the Civil War
What we can learn from Frederick Douglass today
How Frederick Douglass learned to read and write
Why Frederick Douglass wrote three autobiographies
The photographs of Frederick Douglass explained
What was the impact of the Harlem Renaissance?
How Joseph Stalin rose to power
Food history: How to make German Black Forest cake
Revisit the legend of the feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families
Take a one-of-a-kind museum tour with Chicago Scots President Gus Noble
The fascinating history of Amish quilts
Frank Sadorus: Photographing life on the Illinois plains
What you need to know about Scottish heritage
Learn about the conservation efforts that saved bald eagles
Explore our favorite facts about bears
Memorize this song and never forget a fact about ferrets again
Find out why all frogs are poisonous
How did April Fools' Day start?
Why the Dred Scott decision is one of the worst U.S. Supreme Court rulings in history
How amputation saved lives during the American Civil War
What was Manifest Destiny?
The Lincoln-Douglas debates explained
Kamala Harris's path to the U.S. vice presidency
How Audrey Tang became Taiwan's youngest cabinet minister
What is the theory of continental drift?
How Elizabeth II became queen
How did Prince William and Kate Middleton meet?
What if the
Titanic
hadn''t sunk?
Did ancient Greeks believe their myths were real?
How Billie Holiday protested racism with her songs
How old are the Academy Awards?
The problem with climate change explained by Bill McKibben
Why are superheroes so popular?
How World War II led to the end of the British Empire
How World War II led to the invention of the slinky
How did World War II affect China?
When is the Indy 500 not on TV in Indiana?
Who are notable winners of the PGA Championship?
Why did people think Alexander the Great was a god?
Britannica Study Guide: The Crisis of the Union
What happened during the Iran-Iraq War?
How earthquakes cause seismic waves
What was Jewish life in Germany like after World War II?
How the Industrial Revolution changed the world
Enrique Salmón explains the threat of biodiversity loss
Who was Achilles?
Why are North and South Korea divided?
What was the Parthenon used for?
The history behind the FIFA World Cup
Explore milestones in human brain development
Discover the power of play in human development
Learn about technology and modern childhood
Find out the importance of social and emotional learning
What if Richard Nixon hadn't resigned?
The transition to renewable energy explained by Phil the Fixer
What happened to the
Mayflower
after Plymouth?
A brief guide to meditation
How William Shakespeare used audition sides
How the Compromise of 1850 led to the American Civil War
How the American Whig Party fell apart
The ancient history of encaustic painting
What was the Manhattan Project?
How does photosynthesis work?
Claude Monet's Water Lilies series, discussed
Explaining the High Gothic art style of Sainte-Chapelle
How the Cold War contributed to antibiotic resistance
Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida''s
Otra Margarita
Explained
See the night view of Boston city
When was the Coca-Cola Company founded?
What were Abraham Lincoln''s Spot Resolutions?
What does Juneteenth celebrate?
Fourth of July questions and answers
Key innovations of the Ming dynasty
What is the relationship between Israel and Palestine?
How antibiotics saved lives during World War II
Uncover the history of the zodiac
How Internet Explorer won the first “browser war”
How FDR's New Deal changed the U.S.
How does pollination work?
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
How the U.S. Army used fake poop during the Vietnam War
Gitanjali Rao explains the fight for clean drinking water
The real serial killer who inspired
Psycho
How the Roman Empire was founded
The spooky science behind carnivorous plants
What is nitrogen fixation by bacteria?
What is organic farming?
Jack Kerouac''s
On the Road
Explained
Explaining Bob Dylan''s “Blowin'' in the Wind”
What is critical race theory?
How frozen blood saved lives during the Vietnam War
How Allen Ginsberg''s
Howl
describes the Beat movement
What was the Reconstruction era?
When are Roman numerals used?
How the Eyjafjallajökull volcano stopped air travel in Europe
What is a simple machine?
What caused the Russian Revolution?
What was China''s one-child policy?
Why is the symbol of Leo a lion?
What happened at the Battle of the Alamo?
Napoleonic succession,
Succession
style
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, mission and process.
