Melanie McManus
Melanie has worked as a radio station news reporter, as a press secretary in the Wisconsin State Legislature and as editor of two local publications. Since 1994, she has worked as a freelance writer and editor, specializing in travel and fitness.
She has won numerous awards for her writing, most notably prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold and Grand Awards for her travel journalism. Her first book, "Thousand-Miler" (Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2017), is a memoir about her record-setting thru-hike of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS
If the creator of the electric slide had his way, we'd all be sued for doing the dance wrong.
Melissa Moore struggles to reconcile the normal experiences of growing up with her father, Keith Hunter Jesperson, with the realization that he was also the Happy Face serial killer. And she wonders if being a psychopath could be hereditary.
Some scientists say it's possible we're all just part of a computer simulation controlled by a superior set of beings. But how would we know?
A small study found that just by eating breakfast later and dinner earlier, people could lose twice as much body fat as those who did not. But could they stick with this diet?
Germany's Adolph and Rudolph Dassler fell out so badly, they had to start two separate shoe companies.
Scotsman Gregor MacGregor was a world-class con man who convinced hundreds of people to invest in the mythical country of Poyais.
And that difference has a lot to do with dopamine — and how you respond to it.
When police in Victorian England arrested two popular male cross-dressers, it resulted in one of the more scandalous trials of the era.
There are 50 states in the U.S., but there have been many proposals over the years to add more.
While you may never encounter a moose on the road, just how stable would your car be in a sudden swerve emergency?
Ada Lovelace was the daughter of famed poet Lord Byron. But she moved out of her father's shadow to make a name in numbers, not words.
The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, which involved immigrants, anarchy and chaos, is one of the 20th century's most controversial and famous.
A new study shows that IQ levels have been falling since 1975, reversing a 20th-century trend.
Elizabeth Keckly, a former slave turned dress designer, was once the premiere dressmaker in Washington, D.C. She was also a close confidante of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
From its humble beginnings as an event for comic book nerds to its explosive impact on all forms of entertainment, some wonder if Comic-Con has gotten too big for its own good.
Hamstrings are a group of three muscles running down the back of the thigh, and they have a lot to do with your flexibility.
Rudeness is not just a personal annoyance. It can actually affect health and safety. Why is that? And why do we replay a rude interaction over and over in our heads?
Haute couture, or personalized clothing created by fashion houses, began in the mid-1800s by an Englishman named Charles Frederick Worth.
During the early 1960s, many songs featuring tragic teen deaths, usually in car crashes, became huge hits. What was behind this morbid craze?
Wayne Williams is serving a life sentence for killing dozens of black kids in Atlanta between 1979 and 1981. But some say he didn't do it and evidence of his innocence was covered up.
