Dec 4, 2024

Notre Dame Cathedral Reopens After Fire Repairs

On April 15, 2019, the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral–one of the world’s most famous churches–was partially destroyed by a fire. Five years and nearly $1 billion later, the 800-year-old World Heritage Site will reopen to the public this month. Here, btw takes a closer look at what it took to restore the landmark and what […]

Current Events, People and Culture, Stuff You Should Know

Nov 21, 2024

Native American Heritage Month: Kuwohi

Each year, millions of American and international tourists visit the over 400 National Park Service sites around the United States. The most popular park is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. (Other popular national parks include Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona; Zion National Park in Utah; […]

Current Events, Science and Technology, Stuff You Should Know

Nov 21, 2024

Ancient Woolly Rhino Fossil Discovered

Imagine a rhinoceros that is: six feet tall and sixteen feet long; is covered in fur; and has a horn the length of a human child. That’s the woolly rhino–a creature that roamed northern Asia during the Ice Age, tens of thousands of years ago. Recently, a very rare woolly rhino fossil specimen was discovered […]

Current Events, People and Culture, United States

Nov 21, 2024

Thanksgiving Turkey and Traditions

Americans love turkey on Thanksgiving, and it’s only fitting that the president pay homage to one of the countries dearest traditions. Just look at some of these turkey facts through American history. One of the country’s founding fathers Benjamin Franklin had proposed the turkey as the United States’ national bird, instead of the bald eagle. […]

Stuff You Should Know, World History

Nov 13, 2024

A New Ancient Tomb Found in Egypt

This fall, archaeologists from Egypt, Germany, and the United States made an astonishing discovery: a 4,000-year-old tomb on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. Here, btw takes a closer look at why this discovery is so special, what the tomb contained, and what this could mean for Egypt’s tourism industry. The Discovery Egypt […]

People and Culture, Stuff You Should Know, United States History

Nov 13, 2024

President Formally Apologizes for U.S. Native American Boarding School Program

On October 25, President Joe Biden visited the Laveen Village near Phoenix, Arizona. He spoke at the Gila River Crossing School in the Gila River Indian Community. This is the home of the O’odham and the Pee-Posh Native American people. In his speech, President Biden apologized to the Native American community for the government’s Indian […]

People and Culture, Stuff You Should Know

Nov 7, 2024

Native American Inventions

November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States. It is a time to recognize, honor, and celebrate Native Americans’ contributions to culture and history. When you think of Native American inventions, you might think of pottery, instruments, or jewelry. But Native Americans are responsible for inventing many things that are still widely used […]

Science and Technology, Stuff You Should Know, World

Nov 1, 2024

India’s Farmers Struggle with Climate Change

Climate change is altering weather patterns around the world and conditions like rainstorms and dry periods are becoming more extreme. These sudden and dramatic shifts are affecting many industries, especially farming. Farmers in the Asian nation of India have been especially hard hit. Too Much Rain, Too Little Weather in the southern regions of India […]

Stuff You Should Know, World

Nov 1, 2024

Sri Lanka’s New President

The people of Sri Lanka, the island country located southeast of India, elected a new president: Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dissanayake has vowed to end government corruption and strengthen the country’s economy. Who Is Anura Kumara Dissanayake? Dissanayake was born in 1968 in Galewela, a town in central Sri Lanka. Dissanayake attended college and acquired a […]

Economics, Stuff You Should Know, World

Oct 25, 2024

China Increases Worker Retirement Ages

China’s legislature recently approved a policy that raises the retirement age for workers. The new policy raises the retirement age of men from 60 to 63. The retirement age changes for women are based upon the type of work they do. The retirement age for women with professional careers will change from age 55 to […]