Cats are among the most beloved pet animals in the world. Second only to dogs as the most common pet of choice, cats are cherished by their human companions for their unique personalities, their helpfulness in keeping away pests, and their beauty and intelligence. As Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has said of them, “It doesn’t matter how many...

　　 　　David Attenborough: An explorer's lifeSir David Attenborough might have the most-recognizable voice in the world.(more)See all videos for this articleWith his signature voice and familiar demeanor, naturalist David Attenborough has been hailed as one of the greatest broadcasters of our time. A passionate environmentalist and educator, Attenborough has inspired and informed viewers all over the globe with his engaging...

　　 　　Georges Seurat: Bathers at AsnièresBathers at Asnières, oil on canvas by Georges Seurat, 1884; in the National Gallery, London.(more)Bathers at Asnières, French artist Georges Seurat’s first large-scale painting (measuring 6.59 × 9.84 feet [2.01 × 3.00 meters]). It depicts factory workers relaxing in the sunshine by the Seine River. Images of “lowly” workingmen were more typical of small-scale genre...

　　 　　Sigourney WeaverSigourney Weaver as Lieut. Ellen Ripley in the science-fiction–horror film Alien (1979).(more)Alien, American science-fiction–horror film, released in 1979 and directed by Ridley Scott, that chronicles the struggle of the crew of a deep-space commercial spacecraft to survive an encounter with a terrifying alien creature. The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. Alien, which won widespread...

　　After a devastating blow to the Sassanid Persians at Firaz, Muslim Arab forces under the command of Khalid ibn al-Walid took on the army of the Christian Byzantine Empire at Yarmouk near the border of modern-day Syria and Jordan. The Battle of Yarmouk, which began on August 20, 636, was to continue for six days. 　　After the victory at Firaz,...

　　 　　Blue MosqueBlue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey.(more)Blue Mosque, 17th-century mosque that is one of the most magnificent structures of the Ottoman Empire, set next to the Byzantine Hippodrome and across from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. Known for having six minarets (rather than the standard four) and for its many domes and semidomes, the building became known as the Blue...

　　On July 26, 2024, the Paris Olympics will officially begin. Over the course of the next two weeks, some 10,500 athletes will compete in 329 events. The Games will feature a full roster of star athletes, and there will undoubtedly be a number of breakout stars. Who should be on your radar? Read on for our list of athletes who...

　　 　　Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven, lithograph after an 1819 portrait by Ferdinand Schimon, c. 1870.(more)Beethoven Piano Sonatas, compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven. Although he was far from the first great composer to write multi-movement compositions for solo piano, he was, nonetheless, the first to show how much power and variety of expression could be drawn forth from this single...

　　In baseball, teams alternate between being fielders (defense) and batters (offense). On defense, nine players take up assigned positions on the field with the primary objective of preventing the opposing offense from scoring. The defense is tasked with collecting outs (also called putouts), which remove an opposing player from offensive play until the player’s next turn at bat. After recording...

　　Battle of Monte Cassino, battle at Cassino, Italy, during World War II from January 17 to May 18, 1944, between Allied forces and Nazi Germany. It resulted in the destruction of the town and its historic Benedictine monastery. 　　Allied progress up the “boot” of Italy had ground to a halt during the winter of 1943–44, thwarted by the Nazis’ Gustav...

　　 　　Iran: Assembly of ExpertsMembers of the Assembly of Experts listening to Ali Khamenei, Iran's rahbar (supreme leader), Tehrān, March 10, 2022.(more)Assembly of Experts, deliberative body in Iran that oversees the supreme leader (officially called rahbar, or leader). Originally formed after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 to draft a new constitution, the Assembly of Experts was temporarily dissolved shortly thereafter...

　　Battle of Fort Necessity, one of the earliest skirmishes of the French and Indian War, the North American theater of the global Seven Years’ War, and the only battle George Washington ever surrendered. The fight occurred on July 3, 1754, near the site of an earlier skirmish that precipitated it. 　　 　　Peale, Charles Willson: George Washington as Colonel in the...