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Michelle Konstantinovsky
Michelle Konstantinovsky is a San Francisco-based journalist who's written on everything from the Beagle Brigade and border walls to cricket farms and TV scheduling for HowStuffWorks. She earned her master's degree from U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and she's written on health and wellness topics for outlets including Cosmopolitan, O: The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue and more. Michelle loves music, manatees and terrible teen movies from the early 2000s.
Recent Contributions
What Happened to 'Androgynous'?
It's one of those words that might remind you of certain gender-bending musicians from the '80s, but what does it mean today?
Turn Your Loved One Into a Tree With Bios Urn
With cemetery space at a premium and the increasingly evident environmental drawbacks to traditional burial, what better way to memorialize your beloved pet, or a beloved person, than to turn their remains into a tree?
5 Fascinating Egyptian Gods and Goddesses You Should Know
Prime god Ra died every night and was reborn every morning. The goddess Neith defied gender norms and stereotypes as a great warrior. These are just two of the fascinating stories from the pantheon of Egyptian gods and goddesses.
Why Are People With Trypophobia Horrified By Holes?
Trypophobia is the fear — or more like disgust — of closely packed holes. But is it a real phobia and how can it be treated?
Why You May Like Floating in a Sensory Deprivation Tank
Floating in a sensory deprivation tank is a form of restricted environmental stimulation therapy. Studies have shown it can be good for your mind and body.
How 1968's Poor People's Campaign Continues Today
What began in 1968 with a call for a "revolution of values" in America has continued as a modern-day movement taking on everything from systemic racism and poverty to ecological issues and the war economy.
The Druids: Philosophers, Politicians, Priests or Sorcerers?
The Druids were a class of Celtic-speaking purveyors of magical and religious practice who inhabited northwestern Europe around 2,000 years ago, but almost everything we know about them is from secondhand sources.
Beyond 'Braveheart': 5 Things We Get Wrong About William Wallace
The story of Scottish resistance hero William Wallace has morphed into fiction over time, but the truth is actually far more fascinating than the one we see in popular retellings.
The 'Petticoat Rulers' Ran a Wyoming Frontier Town in the 1920s
In 1920, a group of women established an all-female government in the town of Jackson, Wyoming. And it ran like a top.
5 Facts About Persephone, Queen of the Underworld
Persephone, the wife of Hades, lived one-third of the year in the Underworld with him and the other two-thirds of the year on Earth with her mother, Demeter. Pomegranate seed, anyone?
What Was So Lucky About Mafia Boss Charles 'Lucky' Luciano?
The gangster most known for facilitating the creation of the modern American Mafia was the head of organized crime in New York City in the 1930s. But the U.S. government asked for his help during World War II.
5 Things to Know About Native American Languages Spoken in the 21st Century
The majority of Native Americans speak the English language, so how many Native American languages are still in existence and being spoken today? It's a complicated question.
What Is a Shaman and Can Anyone Become One?
The practice of shamanism has mystical and spiritual connotations, but it's not tied to any specific religion or creed. So, what exactly is shamanism?
How Hollywood Screen Siren Hedy Lamarr Helped Pioneer WiFi and GPS
Hedy Lamarr's twin passions were acting and inventing. During World War II, she came up with a secret communication system that paved the way for technology like WiFi and GPS. But for decades, people thought this was an urban legend.
6 Things We Still Thank Teddy Roosevelt for Today
Among a long list of accomplishments, Teddy Roosevelt literally changed the American landscape, establishing the first wildlife refuge and the U.S. Forest Service, protecting the magnificent green spaces we cherish today.
How Sarah Forbes Bonetta Was 'Gifted' to Queen Victoria
Though the story has become a bit mischaracterized over the years, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a West African princess, was indeed liberated from slavery to become an intimate of Queen Victoria of England.
7 Reasons Catherine the Great Was So Great
Her legacy has been reduced to strange tales of horses and sordid affairs, but the real story of Russia's longest reigning female leader is truly fascinating.
9 Surprising Facts About Mexican Revolutionary Pancho Villa
Assassinated at the age of 45, Francisco 'Pancho' Villa was a general, a bandit, a politician and one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican Revolution.
10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Queen Victoria
The Victorian Age gets its reputation for uptight prudishness from her, but there was a lot more to Queen Victoria than you may know.
Frances Perkins: The Unsung Creator of U.S. Social Security
FDR's secretary of labor was responsible for the important social "safety net" programs that kept Americans afloat during the dark days of the Depression and that still serve as lifelines today.
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