On August 11, 1973, Clive Campbell—aka DJ Kool Herc—and his sister Cindy organized a back-to-school party for mostly high-schoolers in the Bronx, bringing together the elements that would form the foundation of an art form, a culture, and a phenomenon: hip-hop. On the occasion of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, we set out to capture its trajectory from cultural mashup to source of global influence by highlighting …
If you have to ask what it means to be cool, well, you probably aren’t cool. What is cool, though, is just how many slang words we’ve used over the years to talk about people and things that we think are fab, funky, fresh, groovy, fly, phat, lit, gnarly, rad, and the cat’s meow. And that is just a taste of the coolness we managed …
Few days light up the US like Independence Day—literally, in the case of how many fireworks shows go on all over the country. The holiday also goes by various iterations of the date it takes place every year: July 4, July 4th, and the Fourth of July. Arguably the most patriotic of US holidays, Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on …
Every year near the start of summer, people around the country celebrate Juneteenth. The holiday is far from new — it commemorates an event that happened more than 155 years ago — but awareness and interest in Juneteenth has steadily increased over the years. With that awareness and interest comes an opportunity to learn more about the history behind June 19 and how it’s commonly …
Language is constantly evolving, but is it always a good idea to say “out with the old and in with the new”? These old English words just might prove otherwise. The phrase “old English”can mean two different things. There’s the official term Old English, which refers specifically to the English spoken between 450 and 1150. But there’s also old English—as in words that are considered …
The words left and right are closely associated with differing “wings” of the political spectrum. But how did liberal politics become associated with the word left, anyways? And why are conservatives labelled as right? When we discuss the origins of words, we often warn against origin stories that sound too good to be true. Well, in this case, the history of the terms left and …
It’s in human nature to tell stories and in many ways, our stories—our mythologies—work their way into every aspect of our daily lives, from meme culture to the language we speak. You may be familiar with some of the words derived from the names of Greek and Roman gods and characters (herculean, echo, narcissist, to name a few). But some of the words with similar …
Hocus pocus, abracadabra, alakazam! These are the words we invoke when magic is at work—even if it might just be a card trick at home. While a few of these words and phrases have wholly crossed over into entertainment magic or originated there from the start (e.g., presto change-o), some of these words are rooted in older commands that called upon higher powers to influence …
Women’s History Month is an opportunity to learn about and focus on women around the world who have worked to make a difference through their advocacy and leadership. Whether promoting action on climate change, greater access to education, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ violence, and other important issues, the words of these women will inspire you. Malala Yousafzai | Gul Makai Malala Yousafzai, who often goes by …
Puerto Rican songwriter Bad Bunny loves to meld genres—reggaetón blended with a little pop here, punk and rock there, and also soul. In a way, his music perfectly encapsulates Caribbean and Latin American music and its history of weaving and fusing together different musical styles that come together for a highly danceable mix. From reggaetón to the cha-cha-cha to the “singing newspapers” known as plena, Caribbean and …
Great things can come out of hard times — take Scrabble. During the Great Depression, architect Alfred Mosher Butts couldn’t find work. So he decided to create a board game that required the vocabulary skills of anagrams and crossword puzzles but also had an element of chance. Butts hand-drew the original board with architectural drafting equipment.
Where did the name March come from? The name March is ultimately derived from the Latin word Martius (named after Mars, the Roman god of war). Martius was the name of the first month in the original Roman calendar. Along with January, May, and June, March is one of several months named after a god. The Roman ruler, Numa Pompilius, is traditionally credited with adding January and February to the …
