Almanac
Phil Edwards explains the world through its footnotes. Read more below or watch Almanac on Vox’s YouTube channel.
The history of frats reveals why they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
The name of the game shows how it went from spiritualist experiment to mass-market hit.
We’ve got a theory, and it involves the soccer wars.
It’s due to the work of legendary cinematographer Karl Freund.
But will we ever know why?
The crack of a baseball bat and the roar of a crowd aren’t accidents. They’re carefully constructed by professionals.
One type of leaf is on almost every column.
“It tastes like beer and looks like paint.” This is a brief history of green beer.
You may have seen the Irish Guards with shamrocks on their headgear. There’s a reason for it.
This camouflage looks strange now. But it had a purpose.
One hundred years ago, work on the Lincoln Memorial began. These pictures show how different it could have been.
It was a huge controversy. But the opposition wasn’t what you might expect.
Listening to an audiobook is easy as pressing play. Making one is a lot more complicated.
Glorious Technicolor was much more than groundbreaking movie technology.
These dollhouses are creepy — and they changed detective work.
How firths, lochs, and other bodies of water are different.
“It has granite countertops!” This is how granite became the hottest countertop around.
We all know open offices are awful. How did we get here?
Want to learn about crowdfunding? Exploding Kittens can help.
QWERTY is everywhere. But how it got there might surprise you.
What happened to this piece of Cold War arcana? And would it have worked?
Pat Hines is using MS Paint for all the illustrations in his book. Here’s how he does it.
Communal ice licking was a thing, for one.
Every bowling lane has a unique pattern — including yours.
This is how June 19 became known as Juneteenth.
To understand the graduation song, you have to know a bit about the Boers, the British Empire, and maybe even a little Othello.
The unlikely history of Mother’s Day centers on one woman’s quest.
Philly is covered with murals. How — and why — has public art become such a prominent part of the city’s identity?
Knights fought snails in the margins of medieval books. Here’s where the unusual trope comes from.
Oxford commas are indisputably correct. But do you know where they come from?
The assassination of Caesar is legendary. But as with most legends, that means there are a lot of myths that need to be debunked.
Kory Stamper explains her job — and the language she tries to pin down.
How this favorite font journeyed from 1920s Germany to the moon.
Minecraft is famous for being a game. But it’s also become an artistic medium with its own possibilities and risks.
Can we trust Punxsutawney Phil? The answer may change how you think about groundhogs that predict the weather.
It’s really, really fast. Here’s how it works.
Think you could be a sports camera operator? Learn what it’s really like.
The computers, televisions, and phones in a movie can be key to building a cinematic world. Here’s how it’s done.
It determines what you buy in the grocery — long before you get a look at the shelf.