Born: July 26, 2002, Seattle, Washington, U.S. (Show more) Shilese Jones (born July 26, 2002, Seattle, Washington, U.S.) is an American gymnast who has won six world championship medals. Her signature event is the uneven bars, though she has enjoyed success in all disciplines. Known for her perseverance, Jones has had to overcome injuries, personal loss, and professional setbacks. Jones...

　　 　　Imagine two brands of home coffee makers. Both appliances go through similar steps in their production. Yet, according to customer reviews, one makes better coffee than the other. Regardless of their cost—whether one is more expensive than the other or whether both are similar in price—customers feel they’re getting more bang for the buck with the “better” machine. 　　If...

　　 　　Federal and (depending on where you live) state incentives make installing solar panels on the roof of your house a fairly affordable, money-saving home improvement project. Not only will you reduce your monthly energy bills—perhaps even to zilch—but you may also recoup the up-front solar panel installation costs when the time comes to sell your home. 　　Does it make...

　　Born: October 3, 1999, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. (Show more) Piper Kelly (born October 3, 1999, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an American speed climber and a rising star in the sport. Kelly has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics and is considered one of the athletes to watch. Kelly was born to Stephanie Kelly and John Kelly and raised in Indianapolis....

　　In full: bicycle motocross (Show more) BMX, cycle sport in which participants ride bicycles that are specialized for performance on dirt tracks built with features such as rollers, jumps, and banked curves or that are specialized for stunt riding. BMX includes recreational and off-road riding as well as competitive BMX racing and BMX freestyle. BMX is represented in international events,...

　　periodical cicada, (genus Magicicada), genus of seven species of cicadas known for their unusual highly synchronized life cycles and raucous choruses. Periodical cicadas are native to the eastern and midwestern United States but are not present aboveground every year. In what are among the longest life cycles of any insects, periodical cicada broods emerge in spring only every 13 or...

　　Also known as: chatterbot (Show more) chatbot, computer program designed to have interactive or automated conversation with humans. Rudimentary chatbots were first developed in the mid-to-late 20th century and became more technically sound and widely available in the late 2010s and early 2020s, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) gained prominence in the technology sphere. The idea for the technology that...

　　list of the smallest countries by area, How small is small? For some of the world’s countries, the answer is very, very small, even teeny tiny. Vatican City holds the title as the world’s smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile (0.44 square km). As a point of comparison, the largest country in the world, Russia, is...

　　covenant marriage, type of marriage contract, currently available in three U.S. states, that imposes stricter requirements for entering into and ending a marriage than standard marriage contracts in other states do. Notably, signatories to a covenant marriage forgo the possibility of a no-fault divorce, which allows for the dissolution of a marriage without proof of wrongdoing on the part of...

　　In full: Ronald Lawrence Kovic (Show more) Born: July 4, 1946, Ladysmith, Wisconsin, U.S. (Show more) Ron Kovic (born July 4, 1946, Ladysmith, Wisconsin, U.S.) is a Vietnam War veteran, activist, and author who became a leading antiwar figure in the 1970s. Kovic had been wounded and paralyzed during his service in the war. In 1976 he detailed his experiences...

　　Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are coming into alignment. A solar eclipse will be happening near you. What do you need to do to view the eclipse safely? The first thing to know is you should not look directly at the Sun. You may think that much of the Sun is going to be covered where you are. Surely,...

　　Awards And Honors: Academy Award (Show more) There Will Be Blood, American period drama film released in 2007 that was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and is loosely based on the first 150 pages of Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel Oil! The film stars Daniel Day-Lewis as silver prospector-turned-oilman Daniel Plainview, who relentlessly pursues profit amid the late 19th-...