Kathryn was a senior editor and writer with HowStuffWorks. She has written on a variety of topics, ranging from Oprah to squirrels to the winter solstice. She has also worked as a magazine editor, a radio reporter and an editorial supervisor at PR Newswire. She holds a communications degree from Cornell University and was born in Jamaica.
Recent Contributions
There's often a strong, quite pleasant, smell right after a rain shower. What accounts for petrichor, the 'smell of rain'?
For centuries, ancient cultures celebrated the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, as the "day the sun came back." Here are five enlightening facts about the winter solstice.
Voting on a Tuesday in November has been a U.S. tradition since the 1840s, but the timing makes it difficult for many people to exercise their right to vote. What are states doing about it?
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The autumnal equinox is the day Earth is perfectly angled to the sun, so the day and night are of equal length. Well, almost.
Surprisingly, the gentle, loafing moose could be more threatening than a grizzly bear. Find out what you should do if that looming moose barrels at you like a bull.
"Let's FaceTime" has become a common phrase, but what is FaceTime, exactly? Read on to explore how to use the Apple video chat app and the benefits surrounding its technology.
You may have noticed signs on the highway that warn "Bridge Ices Before Road." What causes this to happen?
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Ever seen a movie where the hero gets in an elevator, but the evil villain cuts the cables? Elevators in the real world have so many safety features, it's not as horrible a situation as the films make out.
Register for Toys for Tots, and make the holidays a time your children will never forget. We'll show you how to register for Toys for Tots.
We humans aren't complete slaves to time. We've devised ways to pack an extra hour of sunshine into our day, thanks to daylight saving time. But who came up with this idea and why do so many people loathe it?
Even though it's tiny compared to the rest of the universe, Earth is a complex planet that, so far, is the only one we know of that sustains life.
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Every Halloween, bags of triangle-shaped, yellow, orange and white candies fill trick-or-treat bags all over the U.S. But what exactly is candy corn?
The money tree has long been a symbol of good fortune in Asia. But how did the plant get its name?
How does 24-karat gold relate to a 1-carat diamond in an engagement ring? It turns out there's a difference between these identically sounding measurements.
Gliese 581c was one of the first "Earth-like" planets found, back in 2007. It generated a lot of excitement then but what about now?
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Exoplanets, planets beyond our solar system, have been found in their thousands in the last two decades. Before that, we barely knew about the variety in outer space.
Thousands of years ago, the Babylonians created the zodiac and dropped a constellation when it didn't quite fit into their schematic. Its name? Ophiuchus. Should it be part of our horoscope?
Why was a peanut butter sandwich originally a high-class meal? Do Americans prefer crunchy or smooth? Find out these and other tasty peanut butter facts.
Woodstock is possibly the most famous concert of all time and the capstone of an era. See our list of all 32 bands that performed, including Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and Sly and the Family Stone.
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Cinco de Mayo is more than margaritas. Learn how the first Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S. was in 1863, as a show of solidarity with Mexico against French rule.
You've prudently pinched pennies to build your nest egg. But with the recent failures of First Republic and Silicon Valley banks, should you worry about losing your money if your bank goes bust?
When did the Valentine's Day frenzy begin? Was there really a saint named "Valentine"? And why all the flowers and chocolate? Learn all about the origins and symbols of Valentine's Day.
Who invented the toilet? While we wish it were so, it wasn't Thomas Crapper. Surprisingly, toilet design hasn't changed much since the first "water closet" patent in the 1500s.
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Emancipate yourself from mental slavery by learning more about this reggae superstar.
If we took all the U.S. dollars, British pounds and every other currency out there and added them up, how much would it come to? Find out why it's so hard to figure out how much money there is in the world.