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Gregory "Joey" Johnson, holds a flag sent to him by an unknown well-wisher in New York, Wednesday, June 28, 1989.

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Five Things to Know About the Case That Made Burning the Flag Legal

It’s a grand old flag—here’s why the right to burn it was affirmed in 1989

Robert McNamara meeting with Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House.

How Robert McNamara Came to Regret the War He Escalated

The 'architect of the Vietnam war' never formally apologized, but struggled with its consequences for the rest of his life

Cassini crosses Saturn's F ring once on each of its 20 Ring-Grazing Orbits, shown here in tan and lasting from late November 2016 to April 2017. Blue represents the extended solstice mission orbits, which precede the ring-grazing phase.

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In Its Final Hurrah, Cassini Will Swoop Past Saturn’s Rings

The craft will take one last look at the ringed planet before diving into its depths

Madeleine L'Engle, with granddaughters Charlotte and Léna, in 1976.

The Beloved, Baffling 'A Wrinkle in Time' Was Rejected By 26 Publishers

Author Madeleine L'Engle, whose birthday is today, almost quit writing before it was published

New Research

Researchers Find Word Optimism Is Linked to National Misery

Even Pollyanna changes her tune in times of war and economic hardship

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Why Xenophobia Is Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year

The word derived from Greek roots captured the zeitgeist of 2016

The 45-foot Christmas tree is installed in Boston Common.

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A Century-Old Boston Christmas Tree Tradition Costs Canadians Big Money

Turns out that Boston’s city Christmas tree is a very valuable gift

New Research

Feeling Down? Scientists Say Cooking and Baking Could Help You Feel Better

A little creativity each day goes a long way

A detail of a 17th century map found stuffed in a Scottish chimney.

Cool Finds

Rare 17th-Century Map Found Shoved Up a Chimney Is Restored

Nothing like an antique document to block a draft

The "toilet" on the Soyuz capsule

Trending Today

NASA Wants to Know What to Do With Its Astronaut Poo

The Space Poo Challenge is offering $30,000 for a system that can keep an astronaut clean and dry for 144 hours in a space suit

French toast, also known as lost bread, German toast, and "poor knights' pudding" is celebrated today, but it tastes great any day.

There Are as Many Names for French Toast as Ways to Cook It

People have been enjoying the eggy bread treat since Roman times

J. Frank Duryea, left, and race umpire Arthur W. White, right, in the 1895 Duryea during the Chicago Times-Herald race, the first automobile race in the U.S.

The Forgotten Car That Won America's First Auto Race

The zippy roadster won America's first automobile race in 1895 with an average speed of 5 mph

Coconut Crab's Pinch Among the Strongest in the World

The unusual crustacean's pincer rivals the bite of a lion

The aftermath of the 1919 Great Molasses Flood

New Research

The Sticky Science Behind the Deadly Boston Molasses Disaster

Nearly 100 years after the massive molasses tank ruptured, scientists are finally sussing out how this tragedy occurred

This vertically exaggerated view shows scalloped depressions in a part of Mars where such textures prompted researchers to check for buried ice, using ground-penetrating radar aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. They found about as much frozen water as the volume of Lake Superior.

New Research

This Massive Martian Field of Ice Could Fill Lake Superior

The frosty deposit could be a lifeline for future human explorers on the Red Planet

The meteorite sample recovered near Perth in western Australia.

Cool Finds

Stargazers Help Track Down a Freshly Fallen Meteorite in Western Australia

A network of cameras and smartphone apps are helping Australian researchers hunt for space rocks

Chaunté Lowe, who placed sixth in the high jump in the 2008 Beijing Games, is now a bronze medalist

Trending Today

New Doping Tests Are Turning Past Runners-Up Into Olympic Medalists

Over 75 medal winners from the 2008 and 2012 games have been busted for doping, scrambling the Olympic record books

Turkey eggshells and bones from an offering 1,500 years ago in Oaxaca, Mexico.

New Research

Researchers Dig Into the Juicy History of Taming the Turkey

Archaeologists talk turkey in two recent studies

Trending Today

Head Transplant Patient Will Use Virtual Reality to Smooth Transition to New Body

The controversial surgical procedure is currently scheduled for next year

Latrines in Bangladesh

New Research

This "Perfume" for Toilets Could Help Improve Sanitation Around the World

The odor-masking scent could help convince people to choose latrines and prevent pollution of waterways with waste

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