Trivia, History & Games

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From the editors at The Conversation, an independent news organization based in Boston that publishes articles written by academic experts and edited by a team of journalists.

The Crossword Puzzle

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This tool can help protect you and your kids on gaming consoles

The Markup looks into an online tool that can help parents navigate the overwhelming number of settings on today's online gaming platforms.

Interesting history

What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation

Board games are booming: In 2023 alone, the industry topped US$16.8 billion and is projected to reach $40.1 billion by 2032. Classics like “Scrabble” are being refreshed and transformed, while newer inventions such as “Pandemic” and “Wingspan” have garnered millions of devotees. …

Exoplanet WASP-69b has a cometlike tail – this unique feature is helping scientists like me learn more about how planets evolve

Located 163 light-years from Earth, a Jupiter-sized exoplanet named WASP-69b offers astrophysicists a window into the dynamic processes that shape planets across the galaxy. …

USS Wisconsin commemorates 80th anniversary with World of Warships collaboration

(BPT) - In a salute to naval history and video game innovation, Wargaming's World of Warships — a massive multiplayer online naval combat game — is adding the USS Wisconsin to its roster …

Why civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer was ‘sick and tired of being sick and tired’

It wasn’t called voter suppression back then, but civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer knew exactly how white authorities in Mississippi felt about Black people voting in the 1960s. …

Why you should care about the Cold War

(BPT) - Can you imagine living in a world on the brink of imminent catastrophe, caught between superpowers dueling over the very future of mankind? While this sounds like the plot of a science fiction …

Video games

Titanosaurs were the biggest land animals Earth’s ever seen − these plant-powered dinos combined reptile and mammal traits

You’re probably familiar with classic sauropod dinosaurs – the four-legged herbivores famous for their long necks and tails. Animals such as Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus and Diplodocus have been standard fixtures in science museums since the 1800s. …

Who created the alphabet? A historian describes the millennia-long story of the ABCs

A, B, C, D, E, F, G – makes you want to hum the alphabet song. But there’s no real reason why people should learn these letters in this order. Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question …