Jane McGrath

Classic American lore would have us believe that Betsy Ross made the first U.S. flag, but some historians dismiss this as just a tale. So, who's right? If not Betsy, then who made the first flag?

By Jane McGrath & Kathryn Whitbourne

June 6, 2022, marks the 78th anniversary of what some call one of the gutsiest battles in WWII history: D-Day, aka the Invasion of Normandy.

By Jane McGrath & Sarah Gleim

How do you slow down a fire? These six building materials are particularly resistant to fire and intense heat, reducing the possibility of fatalities.

By Jane McGrath & Talon Homer

You don't look fat in those pants. I didn't copy off his paper. I am not a crook. I never met her. Lots of us lie, but some lies are more detrimental than others. What are some of the biggest whoppers ever told?

By Alia Hoyt & Jane McGrath

The Victorians were many things, but simple and straightforward in their social dealings they were not. While their rules for behavior might strike us as overly rigid today, those rules formed the backbone of Victorian society.

By Jane McGrath

We see buildings pop up and get torn down all the time, but some structures (and the architects who designed them) were built to last. These 16 are some of the most famous.

By Jane McGrath & Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

You've prudently pinched pennies and cut corners to build your nest egg. But with the recent failure of IndyMac bank, should you worry about losing your money if your bank goes bust?

By Jane McGrath

Leave your house for five minutes or eight hours and your dog will probably have the same wiggly response to your return. Do dogs sense the passing of time?

By Jane McGrath

Music effects like Auto-Tune may have taken over the airwaves, but the talk box was one of the first devices to make musicians sound like robots. Do you feel like we do?

By Jane McGrath

Whether you call it an estate tax or a death tax likely depends on your point of view: Is it a tax that benefits society or penalizes the wealthy? Whatever your opinion, learn more about the evolution of this controversial tax.

By Jane McGrath

Despite assumptions to the contrary, members of the clergy don't have it easy when it comes to taxes. So what are the complex ins and outs of getting taxed as a religious leader?

By Jane McGrath

Have you ever heard a brand new song on the radio and realized that it sounds familiar? Chances are the producers sampled a drum break or a bass line from a classic song, reworking it into a completely new piece.

By Jane McGrath

The droopy-faced bloodhound. The prancing poodle. The small Maltese you could easily mistake for a mop. How can these impossibly different dogs compete for the same prize?

By Jane McGrath

Domesticated animals provide us with innumerable products, hours of labor and even loving companionship. Find out why the dog was so easily domesticated and why you'll never see someone riding a zebra.

By Jane McGrath

Many of the world's people regard the Bible as a sacred text that's integral to their daily lives. So what inspired a U.S. president to cut up a Bible and take out sections he disapproved of?

By Jane McGrath

Flat tax. FairTax. Bumper stickers and blogs tout them as solutions to income tax rates. But how could these plans change the way Americans are taxed on the money they earn?

By Jane McGrath

Americans didn't always pay income taxes. When did that start and what was behind the creation of the IRS?

By Dave Roos & Jane McGrath

Mary Mallon was an Irish immigrant working as a cook in New York. She was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever, but was she really a ruthless murderer?

By Jane McGrath

Maybe you've heard about drinking the Kool-Aid or listening to The Family Jams — but what do you really know about some of the world's most infamous cults?

By Jane McGrath

The millennial generation is steadily increasing in numbers. This group often gets a bad rap from older people, but what's the truth about millennials?

By Alia Hoyt & Jane McGrath

He was born exactly 300 years after Galileo died. He never won a Nobel Prize, although he was awarded a guest spot on “The Simpsons.” What else do you know (or not know) about this acclaimed physicist?

By Jane McGrath

Ever wonder why some birds end up following a mother of another species? It has a lot to do with who (or what) is around when they hatch. So maybe keep your distance the next time you spot a nest.

By Jane McGrath

Emily Post might've been born into high society, but it took years of ups and downs before she would emerge as America's preeminent — and surprisingly open-minded — etiquette expert.

By Jane McGrath

Hollywood's not always known for its historical accuracy, but every once in a while, art and accuracy coexist — and the results can be incredibly moving.

By Jane McGrath

Born to be a showman, P.T. Barnum overcame a number of obstacles (including numerous fires, the loss of several fortunes and one dead elephant) in order to make a buck. Who was this man who was so determined to create the greatest show on Earth?

By Jane McGrath