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A pitched sea battle during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
restaurants

The Warlike Origins of 'Going Dutch'

The term for splitting the bill has its roots in a bitter international rivalry.
Anne Ewbank September 25, 2018
Mad Alice Lane.
York, England

The Snickelways of York

This network of narrow, medieval passages has the most delightful name.
Video • AO Docs

Hawaiʻi’s Native-Language Newspaper Archive

3:35
language

Raise a Glass to Our Readers' Favorite Drinking Toasts

“The rest in your hair!” and other perfect sayings, cheers, and salutes.
Eric Grundhauser July 25, 2018
A deaf girl using Nicaraguan Sign Language at the Esquelitas de Bluefields, Managua, Nicaragua, 1999.
language

How Deaf Children in Nicaragua Created a New Language

It happened on the playground.
Shoshi Parks July 13, 2018
Uppland Runic Inscription 53
Stockholm, Sweden

Uppland Runic Inscription 53

An ancient Viking runestone hidden in plain view in Stockholm's old town.
Women of Jad tribe spinning wool in Dunda village, Uttarakhand, India.*
language

How to Count Every Language in India

There are at least 780.
Sunaina Kumar June 22, 2018
Jagannath Temple.
Puri, India

Jagannath Temple

This 11th-century temple gave rise to the word "juggernaut," as well as some mysteries that defy scientific explanation.
Trevin Garcia analyzes an interview.
immigration

A New Accent Is Developing in Southwest Kansas

The diverse young people of the town of Liberal are coming up with their own way to talk.
Cara Giaimo June 15, 2018
Soda jerks served sundaes and malts in white caps and jackets.
food

The Lost Lingo of New York City’s Soda Jerks

Anyone for a "glob"?
Natasha Frost June 1, 2018
Permanently Closed
Twentynine Palms, California

The Love Signs of Twentynine Palms

In California, colorful roadside signs remind us all that love transcends borders.
The cover of the Voyager Golden Record. Two of these are currently hurtling through space aboard probes, ready to be found by aliens.
space exploration

Aliens Might Never Appreciate How Cool Voyager's Golden Record Is

If they find it, they may just be confused.
Cara Giaimo June 1, 2018
Inscription above the entrance to the courthouse.
Somerset, Ohio

Old Perry County Courthouse

The nearly 200-year-old building displays a perplexing grammatical error.
Istanbul, Turkey

Viking Runes at Hagia Sophia

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.
Chinese Community Bulletin Board
Seattle, Washington

Chinese Community Bulletin Board

In the absence of a Chinese-language newspaper, for years the community posted daily updates on this simple bulletin board.
Allen Ginsberg chants in London. Although his reading displays many of the technical attributes of "Poet Voice," it generally doesn't come across that way to listeners.
sounds

An Algorithmic Investigation of the Highfalutin 'Poet Voice'

New research suggests that the affected reading style consists of a particular set of attributes.
Cara Giaimo May 1, 2018
music

A Reprise for a 19th-Century Language Based on Music

A French music teacher spent more than three decades creating Solresol. After he died in 1862, it was largely forgotten.
Jacquelyn Thayer April 12, 2018
Thomas Edison and his early phonograph, circa 1877.
science

Thomas Edison Was an Early Adopter of the Word ‘Bug’

In an 1878 letter, he uses the term to refer to a technological glitch.
Sarah Laskow March 16, 2018