Culture Archives - Page 2 of 34

WASHINGTON, D.C. - FEBRUARY 17: Vaughn Smith poses for portrait photographs in Washington, D.C., February 17, 2022. Smith, who works as a carpet cleaner in DC, is fluent in 8 languages, and conversational in another 25. (Photo by Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Meet the Carpet Cleaner Who Speaks 24 Languages — And Had MIT Study His Brain

Vaughn Smith was bilingual from a young age, learning English from his father and Spanish from his Mexican mother. As he grew up, though, languages began to captivate him, and he soon took on many more tongues. Now age 46, he speaks 24 languages and has a basic understanding or some familiarity with 21 others. […]

Students’ Letter Writing Campaign Successfully Boosts Animal Shelter Adoptions

By putting pencil (and crayon) to paper, an elementary school class honed their creative writing and drawing skills while also helping some overlooked shelter pets find adoptive homes. Second-grade teacher Kensey Jones was mulling over new writing assignment ideas for her students at St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia. Jones had become a volunteer […]

Rare Painting Once Traded for a Grilled Cheese in the 1970s Sells for $272,548

It seems unlikely that a humble grilled cheese could be worth over a quarter of a million dollars, but one sandwich that Irene Demas cooked up in the 1970s really was — though in quite a roundabout way. This epic fable of food, art, and fate began in Canada at an Ontario restaurant called The […]

WWII Ship Found Off Philippines Coast Is World’s Deepest Wreck Ever Discovered

Explorers have identified the remains of the USS Samuel B. Roberts, known as the ”Sammy B” — the deepest shipwreck ever discovered. The ship, which had broken into two pieces, was located on a slope over 22,600 feet, or four miles, deep in the waters off the island of Samar, Philippines. The U.S. Navy destroyer escort […]

Young woman with blonde hair is dancing with her friends in a performance tent at a music festival. She has her arms outstretched and is watching the performance.

Attending Festivals Can Increase Connection to Humanity, Study Shows

Many a Burning Man attendee has been known to wax rhapsodic about their experiences communing in the desert. And that type of passion is well documented throughout history — sociologist Émile Durkheim called the self-transcending effects of mass gatherings “collective effervescence.” Now, a study out of Yale suggests that the transformative impact of festivals persists […]

Meet the NFL Player-Turned-Neurosurgeon

This article was updated on September 6, 2023 Myron Rolle’s secret to achieving his myriad accomplishments — being named a Rhodes Scholar to study at Oxford, playing in the NFL, and pursuing a career as a neurosurgeon — is taking things one step at a time. He spent two seasons in the NFL, with the […]

Music May Improve Mental Health as Much as Exercise, Research Shows

Hit the gym or press play — new findings suggest pumping up the jams could be as powerful for your mental state as pumping iron. Any music lover may tell you that bopping along to your favorite song is a surefire way to feel better, but a scientific review published in JAMA concludes that music’s […]

Why the Price of Arizona Iced Tea Remains 99 Cents Despite Inflation

Don Vultaggio began Arizona Beverages in May of 1992, creating the now-ubiquitous iced tea can with a 99-cent stamp indicating its affordable price. Thirty years later, that stamp has remained — and despite soaring inflation across the U.S., it’s not going away anytime soon. In April, Vultaggio told Today that his consumer-focused strategy, which places […]

Senior Asian woman using smartphone to communicate with her friends at home ,

Friends Appreciate Being Reached Out to More Than We Think, Study Finds

If you’d like to text an old friend but worry they won’t appreciate the gesture, new research might compel you to hit “send.” In a paper published by the American Psychological Association (APA), researchers found people consistently underestimate how much others in their social circle appreciate a surprise check-in. What’s more, the more unexpected the […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: The Blue Angels fly in formation over the San Francisco Bay, with Treasure Island and the city of Oakland in the background, on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. San Francisco's Fleet Week is a celebration of the city's naval tradition with air shows taking place Friday through Sunday, as well as other events through Monday. (Anda Chu/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images)

US Navy’s Blue Angels Selects Its First Female Jet Pilot for Aerial Acrobatic Team

Besides being able to maneuver a Super Hornet strike fighter jet at speeds over 1,200 mph, Lt. Amanda Lee has achieved the distinct honor of becoming the first woman ever to do so with the famed Blue Angels’ aerial acrobatic team. One of six new recruits to the U.S. Navy’s famous flight show team, Lee […]

Group diverse of people with disabilities work together in office. Disabled different people stand in raw and communicate with mobile phone, laptop. Handicapped persons work. Vector

The Americans With Disabilities Act Turned 32 This Year: Learn Its History

On July 13, 1990, congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation for the approximately 40.7 million Americans living with disabilities — a community that has been fighting for its members’ civil rights for decades. The ADA followed other legal triumphs, such as The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, previously passed in 1972 but […]

Helsinki Continues 80-Year Tradition of Bringing Free Lunches to Playgrounds All Summer Long

A heartwarming — and belly-warming — tradition marks its 80th year this summer, as Helsinki, Finland, continues its long practice of delivering hot, free lunches to playgrounds around the city. The meals are made available every weekday at noon, from June to August, and are free of charge to all kids up to age 16. […]