You might have heard of Uncle Sam. But he was not the first fictional character to be used as a symbol of the United States. Earlier cartoons often used a character called Brother Jonathan. Brother Jonathan was named after Jonathan Trumbull. He was the governor of…
Alex Mullen is the reigning World Memory Champion. He can memorize an entire shuffled deck of cards in 17 seconds. He can remember hundreds of random words and images. Yet, he still loses his keys on occasion. Recently, researchers began looking…
Scientists have discovered what could be the oldest remnants of life on Earth. These tiny "microfossils" might be as old as 3.77 to 4.28 billion years. If so, the rock samples, found in Canada, could be older the current oldest fossils, which were found…
British signer Adele collected the three biggest awards of the night at the 2017 Grammy Awards, including record of the year, album of the year, and song of the year. In doing so, she became the first person to twice sweep…
One of the best ways to get writing ideas is to reimagine something that already exists. Writer Nikki Grimes has done just that with her new book. Called One Last Word, this book uses lines by poets writing during the…
The US Surgeon General blames smoking for 12 types of cancer. These include lung, esophagus, and stomach cancers, as well as cancers of the mouth and throat. A new report from the American Cancer Society says that smoking leads to 3…
Never count out quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The Atlanta Falcons found that out first hand in Super Bowl LI. New England at one point trailed by 25 points, but Brady led a stunning comeback and the…
A frog can grab its prey at an incredible speed. But how is this possible? Scientists have discovered it is due to their specialized tongues. Their saliva is neither a liquid or a solid. One researcher compared the consistency to a mixture of cornstarch…
Each year, the Newberry Award is given to one children’s book in the United States. It is the nation’s highest award for children’s literature. This year’s winner is The Girl Who Drank the Moon. It was written by Kelly Barnhill. It tells…
Every year on February 2, crowds gather around the burrow of a groundhog. Loud music blares, people cheer, and eventually, the sleepy groundhog noses his way out of his burrow. According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will…