The Nearest Star Is 4.24 Light-Years Away. So Why Are We Still Stuck Here?
The nearest star system is only about 4.24 light-years away, yet sending humans there is far beyond anything we can do today. The challenge is not simply…
Ten Days After Nepal’s Floods, Rescuers Are Still Finding People Alive
Ten days after a catastrophic flood tore through Nepal’s Himalayan valleys, rescue teams are still finding people alive. On September 5, rescuers pulled a Chinese worker from…
The Chess Machine That Fooled Napoleon, Franklin and Thousands of Others
In 1770, a strange machine appeared at the court of Empress Maria Theresa and did something that seemed impossible: it played chess against human opponents—and won. The…
They Built a $100 Billion City for 700,000 People. Then It Became a Ghost Town
Forest City was supposed to become a futuristic paradise near Singapore, built on artificial islands with enough homes for more than 700,000 people. Instead, rows of luxury…
The U.S. Could Bomb the Jungle. It Couldn’t Destroy What Was Beneath It
During the Vietnam War, American forces had aircraft, artillery, tanks and overwhelming firepower. Yet beneath the countryside around Cu Chi, opposing forces had created something those weapons…
The Twin Towers Were Built to Connect the World. Then 9/11 Changed Everything
Long before the Twin Towers became synonymous with September 11, they represented something very different. They were built as the centerpiece of a vast World Trade Center…
He Survived Hiroshima. Three Days Later, He Faced Another Atomic Bomb
Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb used in warfare exploded over the city. He survived the blast with severe…
What If We Could Move the Sun—and Take Earth With It?
One day, a civilization might face a problem no spacecraft could solve: its home star could become a liability. Instead of abandoning the planets around it, what…
Britain Captured This Tiny Island. Days Later, Montreal Fell
In the summer of 1760, Britain was closing in on the last major French stronghold in North America. Between the British army and Montreal stood a tiny…
He Was 5’5″. He Trained U.S. Rangers to Fight Dirty in WWII
He stood only 5 feet 5 inches tall, yet during World War II he was tasked with preparing U.S. Rangers for some of the closest and ugliest…