by:  Brian Truitt , USA TODAY Arrival is such a beautiful and thought-provoking film that it almost single-handedly makes up for every bad aliens-coming-to-Earth film you’ve ever seen. Yes, even Independence Day: Resurgence. The latest from director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) is a sci-fi movie (**** out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters nationwide Friday) about […]

By Zach Epstein BGR Apple hasn’t yet managed to keep up with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus demand, suggesting that the company’s new iPhones are a hit. In fact, iPhone sales in the September quarter came in slightly higher than Wall Street was expecting, even though supply of both new models was severely constrained. But even […]

By History.com Staff The game we know as poker is believed to have ancient roots that go back nearly 1,000 years, crossing several continents and cultures. Some historians say poker’s origins can be traced to a domino-card game played by a 10th-century Chinese emperor; others claim it is a descendant of the Persian card game […]

By Brett Clarkson Sun Sentinel Gone are the days when Sheila Danzig would complain about having to change the clocks every six months. Now it’s every eight months. For Danzig, the twice-yearly ritual of Daylight Saving Time, which begins Sunday, leaves her feeling disoriented for days afterward. Plus, it’s annoying to have to figure out how to […]

By Andrew Griffin The year is set to close with the biggest moon that most people alive will ever have seen. The satellite is set to get closer – an so brighter and bigger – than it has for almost 70 years on 14 November. A supermoon happens because of the strange, egg-shaped orbit of the […]

By Caroline Linton and Lauren Cook for AM New York There’s no question about it, New York City’s iconic skyline has been undergoing a transformation over the last few years. With supertall buildings — both residential and commercial — sprouting up like cement weeds all over the city, street artists will soon have to do […]

By Brian Truitt , USA TODAY It takes a true Sorcerer Supreme to turn the streets of Manhattan into a grand magic show. It’s a frigid early April Sunday morning, and six blocks of Madison Avenue have been cordoned off for the last day of filming Doctor Strange (in theaters Nov. 4), Marvel Studios’ latest superhero […]

From The History Channel.com  Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, […]

By Ed Mazza for The Huffington Post A Tennessee man died last month shortly after riding the Star Tours attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida. Ralph Lyles, 67, had a pre-existing heart condition, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The incident took place on Sept. 18, but was not revealed publicly until […]

By Jennifer Nalewicki SMITHSONIAN.COM The heart of New York City may be Times Square, but its lifeblood is its subways. Comprised of more than 600 miles worth of mainline track, New York’s intricate transportation system whisks an estimated 5.6 million commuters across the five boroughs every weekday. The iconic subway wasn’t always the mammoth operation […]