Tornado ( from the latin word tornare-“to turn”) is the most violent storm nature produces. Essentially it’s a vortex of destructive whirling winds with uprushing currents of great lifting strength. The speed of a tornado can reach as high as 500 miles an hour. The dynamic force of these wind currents results in a partial […] Read more

Nothing Like It In the World is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad-the investors who risked their businesses and money; the enlightened politicians who understood its importance; the engineers and surveyors who risked, and lost, their lives; and the Irish, Chinese, defeated Confederate soldiers, and other laborers who did the backbreaking […] Read more

By 1929, patronage on the nation’s street railways was showing an alarming decline. True, part of this was due to both the automobile and the Depression, but a formidable factor was the trolley itself, by then considered old-fashioned. It was unattractive, it was noisy, it was slow. Many efforts were made to produce an ideal […] Read more

By 1929, patronage on the nation’s street railways was showing an alarming decline. True, part of this was due to both the automobile and the Depression, but a formidable factor was the trolley itself, by then considered old-fashioned. It was unattractive, it was noisy, it was slow. Many efforts were made to produce an ideal […] Read more

#1: During the breeding season, male wild turkeys gobble, strut, and preen their iridescent feathers, all to attract the attention of eligible mates. But apparently the single most attractive feature to females is not a male’s power suit or macho strut, but his snood–a fleshy appendage above his beak that can stretch to twice its […] Read more

During the breeding season, male wild turkeys gobble, strut, and preen their iridescent feathers, all to attract the attention of eligible mates. But apparently the single most attractive feature to females is not a male’s power suit or macho strut, but his snood–a fleshy appendage above his beak that can stretch to twice its ordinary […] Read more

We’re off to Turkey, where Europe meets Asia in a whirl of color, an unforgettable mix of old and new! This fabled gateway to the orient beguiles the traveler with an exotic blend of sites and sounds and smells and tastes. 3,000 years of history comes to life in Istanbul. The city was once the […] Read more

There are only five central Italian regions, but these are fittingly acknowledged to constitute the very heart of Italy – and they are all very different. Tuscany is the most famous, an ancient, mellow and harmonious landscape characterized by a graceful way of life. From Tuscany come the best bread and the purest extra virgin […] Read more

Tuscan cuisine has a centuries-old tradition to protect. Gourmets from every age have praised its specialties and appreciated their consistent excellence. In palace and farmhouse, in the hills and on the seashore, it was practically impossible to find a meal that was lacking in grace or was in some way defective […] Read more