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 […]
The Paris 2024 Olympic Goal: Gender Parity
On Sunday, August 11, 2024, the Summer Olympics in Paris ended. The Games showed the best athletes in the world competing against each other, striving to win for themselves and their country. They were also the most inclusive Olympics yet for women. Planning for Parity In 2020 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) set a goal […]
Rebuilding Notre Dame
A team of designers is turning to their history books to figure out the best way to rebuild the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The building caught fire in 2019. A French group called Carpenters Without Borders has argued that the medieval cathedral should be repaired and restored using medieval materials and […]
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Colonialism on Trial It’s a tricky issue: a museum in one country puts on exhibit artifacts from another culture. Museums make it possible for the world to see and appreciate these objects. Sometimes, these objects represent the difficult story of colonial histories when powerful nations claimed cultural items from the regions of the world they […]
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Angry Americans You’re walking to class and someone accidentally bumps into you, knocking your things to the ground. How do you respond? If you get angry at the person, you’re not alone. A new study shows that Americans are angrier than ever before–and that this trend applies to Americans of all ages. The study also […]
YOU DECIDE: Who Should Pay to Fix Notre Dame?
On April 15, the 800-year-old Notre Dame cathedral was partially destroyed by a fire. Built during medieval times, the cathedral is a quintessential symbol of France, with an interior filled with priceless art. While firefighters managed to save most of the structure and much of its interior, the building has been completely destabilized and is […]
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Catalonian Independence? More than 800 people are injured after an election in Europe turned violent last weekend. But that didn’t stop the vote from going forward. Catalonia, a region of Spain with its own distinct language and culture, voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to seek independence from Spain. Over 90 percent of the votes were in […]
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Revising History On February 1, at an address honoring Black History Month, President Trump talked about several important African American figures in history, before saying something surprising that almost immediately drew widespread criticism: “Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job, and that is being recognized more and more, I notice,” […]
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Self-Driving Chairs? Tired of waiting in long lines at restaurants, concerts, and amusement parks? Thanks to a Japanese car company, you may not have to some time in the future. Nissan has recently developed the ProPilot, a battery-operated chair that automatically follows another chair in front of it along a set path, maintaining a fixed […]
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Congressional Hearing on Flint Earlier this year, btw brought you news of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. This month, the federal government held a Congressional hearing on the matter. The purpose of a Congressional hearing is for members of a committee to listen to testimony in an effort to solve a situation through legislation. […]