John is a freelance writer based in the suburbs of Atlanta. A longtime sports scribe with too much time covering college sports, the NFL, the NBA and Major League Baseball, he now writes on science, health, history, current events and whatever other weird non-sports stories that he and the editors at HowStuffWorks dream up. He has a journalism degree from Arizona State, a wife, a son, a dog that sheds too much and a bad case of eyestrain.
Recent Contributions
Mystical water witches are in high demand during these dry times. But are they better at finding groundwater than a science-driven geohydrologist?
By John Donovan
The Tokyo Olympics are happening a year late, but what was the delay like for the athletes who've trained their entire lives just to get there? For some, it was a huge physical and mental struggle. For others, it was just too much.
By John Donovan
Investigations into unruly-passenger incidents by the FAA have soared 168 percent through June over 2020's numbers. What's going on in the unfriendly skies? And what is the TSA doing to protect flight crews?
By John Donovan
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He is famous for assassinating Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. But what was his motive, other than to rid the world of the man who killed President John F. Kennedy days before?
By John Donovan
A new era of pet foods created in the lab, sustainably and with reduced environmental impact, is coming. But will pets — and their humans — like it?
By John Donovan
For the Polish military officers allowed to participate, the games were a celebration of humanity during a time of death and destruction. But these games demonstrate — to this day — the awesome healing power of sports.
By John Donovan
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has been around longer than basketball. Heck even light bulbs. For the first time, it won't have any human spectators and it will be held outside.
By John Donovan
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Some say his IQ was 50 to 100 points higher than Albert Einstein's. So why haven't you heard his name before? We'll tell you the sad tale of why this incredible genius flamed out.
By John Donovan
Israel's Iron Dome defense system is capable of intercepting — and destroying — thousands of incoming rockets targeting civilian areas. Here's how the sophisticated system works.
By John Donovan
Ed Gein was known as the "The Butcher of Plainfield" for killing two women in the late 1950s. But he was also the inspiration for iconic horror movie characters, including Psycho's Norman Bates and Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface.
By John Donovan
President Joe Biden has earmarked $80 billion of his infrastructure plan to go to the U.S. railway system, namely Amtrak. But the biggest hurdle is getting Congress — and passengers — on board.
By John Donovan
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When you think of the Secret Service, you probably think of the people in black guarding the president of the United States. But that's just a small part of the job. What else does this agency do?
By John Donovan
The Netflix documentary "This Is a Robbery" attempts to solve the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist. Today, the 13 stolen pieces of artwork are worth around $500 million. Have you seen any of them?
By John Donovan
The legal difference between murder and manslaughter is unmistakable, even if the final result of both of those crimes is the same. So what sets these charges apart in a court of law?
By John Donovan
Beulah Mae Donald's son Michael Donald (Michael left and Beulah right) was lynched by the Ku Klux Klan in Mobile, Alabama, in 1981. She fought back and took them down. Her story is now a four-part CNN Original Series.
By John Donovan
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The United States still has five permanently populated territories. The 3.5 million residents are denied many of the same rights as mainland U.S. citizens. They want this to change.
By John Donovan
Hugging is way more than just how we greet our family and friends. And when COVID-19 abruptly ended this natural human connection, many of us were lost. Here's why.
By John Donovan
The U.S. has been a nation in mourning for more than a year. But the normal rituals for mourning deceased loved ones have been anything but normal. How do we move on and when?
By John Donovan
Despite how hard investigators work, some crimes just baffle even the most gifted detectives. They go cold. That's where these nine cases stand. Will they ever be solved?
By John Donovan
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CBG, or cannabigerol, is the building block to all other cannabinoids. It's touted as being the cure-it-all cannabis product, but does it live up to that hype?
By John Donovan