For most buyers, a well-chosen used car is the cheapest way to own a reliable vehicle. The biggest drop in value happens in the first years, and someone else has already paid for it. The risk is buying a car with hidden problems, and that risk can be managed. The advantages Depreciation is the main … Read more
Basketball has a short, well-documented history compared with many sports, which makes it easy to explore. The game was invented by James Naismith, a teacher at the YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts, in December 1891, with peach baskets as goals. Key milestones to know Visit or explore the Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial … Read more
The Super Bowl has produced some of the most famous moments in American sport. Some came from a single play, others from an entire team’s performance. Here are several that fans still talk about. Joe Namath’s guarantee (Super Bowl III, January 1969) New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath publicly guaranteed victory over the heavily favored … Read more
Literary movements are groups of writers who shared ideas about what literature should do and how it should be written. Knowing them helps you see why a book was revolutionary in its time and how writers responded to one another. Start with an overview Romanticism (late 18th to mid-19th century) Emotion, nature, imagination and the … Read more
Some books are comfortable; others leave you uneasy, questioning things you took for granted. This list brings together novels and nonfiction that have changed public debates and still provoke discussion. Novels that question society Race, gender and class Rethinking the world Reading with an open mind For the psychology behind our beliefs, read the science … Read more
You do not need a classroom to learn about the past or how the universe works. Many experts write books for general readers, explaining complex subjects with stories and clear examples. Here are some widely praised starting points. Big-picture history Science for curious readers The universe and the nature of reality How to get the … Read more
For many people, films are the main way they encounter historical events: wars, revolutions, famous lives. That gives filmmakers enormous influence over how the past is remembered, for better and for worse. The power of historical films A vivid film can make distant events feel real. Saving Private Ryan (1998) changed how many viewers imagined … Read more
A credit score is a summary of how you have handled borrowed money. Landlords, lenders, insurers and sometimes employers look at it. If you have no credit history or a damaged one, you can build a solid score with a few boring but reliable habits. What goes into your score FICO, the score most lenders … Read more
The first Native American person to be honored on a United States postage stamp was Pocahontas. Her portrait appeared on a 5-cent stamp issued in 1907 for the Jamestown Exposition, which marked the 300th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia. The 1907 Jamestown issue The Jamestown Exposition series had three stamps: The portrait of … Read more
