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Almanac

Phil Edwards explains the world through its footnotes. Read more below or watch Almanac on Vox’s YouTube channel.

The bridge design that helped win World War IIThe bridge design that helped win World War II
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Culture

It’s a simple innovation that helped win a war.

By Phil Edwards
The invention that fixed lighthousesThe invention that fixed lighthouses
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Video

It wasn’t the light. It was the lens.

By Phil Edwards
Coffee is now a substitute for chewing tobaccoCoffee is now a substitute for chewing tobacco
Almanac

The way we chew now.

By Joseph Stromberg
How tag became a professional sportHow tag became a professional sport
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Video

Tag went from childhood game to competitive spectacle. This is how.

By Phil Edwards
Mike Pompeo’s RNC speech will place him as the most partisan secretary of state in decadesMike Pompeo’s RNC speech will place him as the most partisan secretary of state in decades
Politics

“We should not be using American diplomacy for partisan political purposes,” a State Department official critical of Pompeo’s upcoming address told Vox.

By Alex Ward
How slow motion changed moviesHow slow motion changed movies
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Video

Slow-mo is inescapable. Here’s how it happened.

By Phil Edwards
How to trace an outbreak in 1854How to trace an outbreak in 1854
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Video

It all starts with a pump.

By Phil Edwards
The real story behind Rosie the RiveterThe real story behind Rosie the Riveter
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Video

She’s an icon. But how did women become riveters during World War II?

By Phil Edwards
The right way to play MonopolyThe right way to play Monopoly
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Video

If there were ever a good time to learn ...

By Phil Edwards
How the Venus de Milo got so famousHow the Venus de Milo got so famous
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Video

The Venus de Milo is iconic. Why?

By Phil Edwards
Was this the greatest dog of all time?Was this the greatest dog of all time?
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Video

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show had a legend.

By Phil Edwards
Why the game of Life used to have poverty, suicide, and ruinWhy the game of Life used to have poverty, suicide, and ruin
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Video

The game of Life used to be incredibly depressing. Here’s why that may have been a good thing.

By Phil Edwards
Hollywood almost lost to this cityHollywood almost lost to this city
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Video

Why did voters reject the movie industry?

By Phil Edwards
The trick that made animation realisticThe trick that made animation realistic
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Video

Rotoscoping made animation move naturally. And it started with a clown on a roof.

By Phil Edwards
The insect collector who gave us stop motionThe insect collector who gave us stop motion
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Video

He collected beetles and changed the movies.

By Phil Edwards
How Mars photos inspired the first CGIHow Mars photos inspired the first CGI
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Video

It all began with a simple transmission of binary code.

By Phil Edwards
Why the US drinking age is 21Why the US drinking age is 21
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Video

It’s a story about alcohol. But it’s also one about roads.

By Phil Edwards
Why Route 66 became America’s most famous roadWhy Route 66 became America’s most famous road
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Video

And does it matter?

By Phil Edwards
Why so many suburbs look the sameWhy so many suburbs look the same
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Video

It was all part of the plan.

By Phil Edwards
Where Manhattan’s grid came fromWhere Manhattan’s grid came from
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Video

It’s iconic. But you might not realize why it’s there.

By Phil Edwards
Glamping with Thomas Edison and Henry FordGlamping with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford
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Video

It’s time to go road-tripping with some men who ran the world.

By Phil Edwards
Astronaut ice cream is a lieAstronaut ice cream is a lie
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Video

That chalky space ice cream you got at the gift shop? It is a crumbly con.

By Phil Edwards
This photo reveals Seinfeld’s never-before-seen fourth wallThis photo reveals Seinfeld’s never-before-seen fourth wall
Culture

You have never seen this part of the Seinfeld apartment ... until now.

By Phil Edwards
The goose that conquered AmericaThe goose that conquered America
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Video

The Canada goose is a nuisance. This is how it all started.

By Phil Edwards
How Leonardo da Vinci made a “satellite” map in 1502How Leonardo da Vinci made a “satellite” map in 1502
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Video

It was accurate — and incredibly imaginative.

By Phil Edwards
The bold and beautiful baby cageThe bold and beautiful baby cage
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Video

Photos and video from when baby cages were used to help rent apartments.

By Phil Edwards
How #$@!% became shorthand for cursingHow #$@!% became shorthand for cursing
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Video

It’s called a grawlix.

By Phil Edwards
The DeLorean paradox: how it failed and became a legendThe DeLorean paradox: how it failed and became a legend
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Video

When you learn its story, this car really is a time machine.

By Phil Edwards
9 superb owl facts you need to know9 superb owl facts you need to know
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Science

Everybody’s talking about the superb owl, so these facts will be a hit at your next superb owl party.

By Phil Edwards
This is the telegram MLK sent Malcolm X’s wife after her husband’s assassinationThis is the telegram MLK sent Malcolm X’s wife after her husband’s assassination
Life

These telegrams show the two leaders’ relationship in a new way.

By Phil Edwards
Read MLK’s childhood letter about throwing snowballs and making snowmenRead MLK’s childhood letter about throwing snowballs and making snowmen
Almanac

“We are really having a fine time.” This is what Martin Luther King Jr. did on his first snow day.

By Phil Edwards
Court dissolves North Carolina elections board with election fraud scandal still under investigationCourt dissolves North Carolina elections board with election fraud scandal still under investigation
Almanac

A years-long court challenge has thrown a House election, uncalled because of fraud allegations, into even more chaos.

By Dylan Scott
The World War II battle against STDsThe World War II battle against STDs
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Video

What happens when you mix venereal disease and global war?

By Phil Edwards
The biggest lie we still teach in American history classesThe biggest lie we still teach in American history classes
Culture

“The idea that we’re always getting better keeps us from seeing those times when we’re getting worse.”

By Sean Illing
The facial prosthetics of World War IThe facial prosthetics of World War I
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Video

Why the war’s wounded needed a sculptor.

By Phil Edwards
Why gamers use WASD to moveWhy gamers use WASD to move
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Video

WASD is a standard. Why?

By Phil Edwards
Why the Marvel Cinematic Universe feels emptyWhy the Marvel Cinematic Universe feels empty
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Video

The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t a very good cinematic universe.

By Phil Edwards
How ninjas went mainstreamHow ninjas went mainstream
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Video

Why does the whole world know about ninjas?

By Phil Edwards
How Jackson Pollock became so overratedHow Jackson Pollock became so overrated
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Video

If he is overrated, this is the critic who made him that way.

By Phil Edwards