The internet may have made spoilers more common, but it certainly didn’t invent them. Back in 1940, for instance, the Los Angeles Times accidentally revealed the winners of the 12th Academy Awards by publishing them before the end of the event on February 29, 1940. At the time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and…

Although computer science goes back to the 19th century, the academic field really came into its own in the early 1960s. The first United States graduates with advanced computer science degrees emerged in the middle of that decade, and the first two Ph.D. candidates graduated on the same day (from different schools) on June 7,…

Being the supreme commander of a victorious army is usually enough to make one a popular presidential candidate, but it can’t hurt to have the geniuses behind some of the world’s most beloved songs and films as prominent supporters. One such talent was Irving Berlin, who captured the widespread public approval for a Dwight D.…

Lobster has long been considered a culinary delicacy, but in colonial America it was seen as the cockroach of the sea. When European settlers arrived in North America in the 17th century, New England’s shoreline was littered with the clawed crustaceans. In fact, lobsters were so prevalent, they were used by Indigenous inhabitants as fishing…

Despite their differences, the United States and England have a lot in common. A “special relationship” has bound the countries together since at least 1946, when Winston Churchill coined the phrase after the Allied victory in World War II. For evidence of the similarities, one need look no further than the movies of that era.…

When visiting a historic site — whether an ancient or medieval castle, cathedral, or statehouse — you may have noticed an eye-catching detail about the architecture: doors that are far larger than those found in modern buildings. Today, a standard interior door is typically 80 inches (6 feet, 8 inches) tall and 28 inches to…

During the American Revolution, 13 British colonies in North America fought for independence from English rule in what became one of the most defining conflicts in history. Certain moments from the Revolutionary War — which spanned from 1775 to 1783 — have certainly been etched into popular memory. But it was a long, complex conflict, and…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out 23 awards on Oscar night, one of which gets pride of place as the real star of the show: Best Picture. Studios spend millions of dollars on campaigns they hope will crown their nominee the winner, prognosticators spend 365 days a year trying to divine…