Festivals
Chhath Puja: The Story Behind the Festival of the Setting Sun
A fact-based look at Chhath Puja: Surya worship, Chhathi Maiya, regional traditions, Arghya, thekua and the real history behind this…
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Every story we’ve uncovered so far, newest first.
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Festivals
The Story Behind Halloween: From Samhain to Trick-or-Treat
How a Celtic festival of the turning year evolved into the Halloween we know today through Christianization, migration and American…
Festivals
The Story Behind Diwali: Why We Light Diyas and What the Five Days Mean
Why do we light diyas on Diwali? The real story behind the five-day festival of lights, from Rama's return to the night Mahavira attained…
History & Origins
The Story Behind Social Security Numbers: From a Depression-Era Ledger to a De Facto ID
How a Depression-era payroll ledger became America's de facto national ID. The real history, from the Townsend Plan to Frances Perkins and…
Festivals
Navratri and Dussehra: The Story Behind the Nine Nights and the Tenth Day
Navratri's nine nights and Dussehra's tenth day hold two tales, Durga's war on Mahishasura, and Rama's victory over Ravana. Here is what the…
History & Origins
Why Do We Call Computer Errors "Bugs"? The Story Behind the Word
The 1947 Harvard moth story is true, but "bug" was already engineering slang when Edison used the word in an 1878 letter. Here is the real,…
Festivals
Why Is It Called "Oktoberfest"? The Story Behind the World's Biggest Party
Oktoberfest is a festival held in September, named after October, and beer wasn't even the point. It started as a horse race at a royal…
Music
Wake Me Up When September Ends: The Story Behind the Song
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" is Green Day's grief song, written about the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father in September 1982, when…
Music
Jolene: The Story Behind the Song
Dolly Parton wrote "Jolene" after a red-haired bank teller flirted with her husband; the name came from an 8-year-old fan. It topped the…
Music
I Will Always Love You: The Story Behind the Song
Dolly Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" as a 1973 goodbye to Porter Wagoner. Whitney Houston's cover made it a global hit, now a…
Music
Dama Dam Mast Qalandar: The Story Behind the Sufi Anthem
Dama Dam Mast Qalandar is the Sufi qawwali sung for Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. Who the saint was, who really wrote the song, and the composer…
History & Origins
The Story Behind "Sigma" and "6-7" - The Wild Origin of Gen Alpha Slang
Sigma and 6-7 are two of the most searched bits of Gen Alpha slang, and both have surprising backstories, one rooted in a discredited wolf…