Merrill Fabry

Recent Articles

Now You Know: Why Is 'Teatime' in the Afternoon?

It started in the 1840s, some 200 years after tea was first introduced to England

By Merrill Fabry

24 Mostly Insane Ways Man Has Tried to Cheat Death

Eating monkey brains, drinking blood and 22 other ways man has tried to cheat death

By Merrill Fabry

8 Management Tricks Barack Obama's Staff Learned at the White House

Choose your sleeping pills wisely.

By Merrill Fabry

How to Stay Sane While Working in the World's Most Powerful Office

Join a gym

By Merrill Fabry

5 Things You Learn Working at the White House

Savor even the bad days

By Merrill Fabry

As Norway Decides There's No Future for FM Radio, Here's What to Know About Its Past

It took decades for FM radio to surpass AM radio

By Merrill Fabry

Now You Know: Why Did Americans Start Naming Their Babies After the President?

"Yes we named it after you," one father of a boy named John wrote to then-Senator Kennedy in 1960

By Merrill Fabry

Now You Know: Why Do People Always Look So Serious in Old Photos?

It's not just a matter of bad teeth or long exposure times

By Merrill Fabry

Here’s What Past Candidates Have Done After Losing Presidential Elections

History shows that losing an election doesn't mean the end of influence

By Merrill Fabry

A Brief History of Voting Problems on Election Day

The problems fall into two main categories

By Merrill Fabry

The 50 Best Apps of the Year

Our favorite iPhone and Android apps of the year

By Alex Fitzpatrick , Mandy Oaklander , Lisa Eadicicco , John Patrick Pullen , Matt Peckham , Dan Hirschhorn and Merrill Fabry

What Was the First Credit Card?

Credit cards became big business in the 1950s

By Merrill Fabry

7 Firsts From Nobel Peace Prize History

Here are 7 times the Nobel Committee did something new

By Merrill Fabry

Now You Know: Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

The famous question has thousands of years of history behind it

By Merrill Fabry

Now You Know: When Did People Start Saying That the Year Was 'A.D.'?

The terms weren't introduced at the same time—A.D. came before B.C.—and each took hundreds of years to catch on

By Merrill Fabry

'Southside With You' and 5 Other True Presidential Love Stories

A new film celebrates the Obamas' first date, but they are not the first White House couple to boast a rom-com-worthy romance

By Merrill Fabry

Now You Know: Why Do We Have Middle Names?

Romans may have used three names, but that's not why Americans have middle names today

By Merrill Fabry

Now You Know: Where was the First Public Telephone Booth?

The first was in Connecticut—but which town gets the prize depends on what you mean by "telephone booth"

By Merrill Fabry

Where Kennewick Man Stands, 20 Years After Discovery

The legal saga over an 8,500 year old skeleton began on July 28, 1996

By Merrill Fabry

Now You Know: Who Was the First U.S. President to Wear Pants?

It was probably John Quincy Adams

By Merrill Fabry
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