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I recently joined a tour of Sicily’s Mount Etna that was supposed to include a hike on the Italian volcano’s upper slope following a roughly 9,500-foot ascent in a 4×4 vehicle. Unfortunately for my fellow adventurers and me , rather than witnessing spectacular lava flows, we ran into a bout of bad weather. As we stood amid the coal-black volcanic landscape snapping photos and watching lightning flash in the distance, several women’s long hair suddenly began to stand on end, reminding me of those mad-scientist Van de Graaff electrostatic generators that always got laughs in high school physics class. This was Mother Nature’s not-so-amusing way of warning us of the very real danger that lightning could strike nearby . Our guide rushed us back into the truck for safety, and we descended the volcano as the storm rolled through. The experience really got me wondering: If our truck could shield us from dangerous lightning on the surface of a volcano, just how saf...

What do you get the country that has everything for its milestone birthday? We certainly didn’t want to show up to this party empty-handed, so we decided on the ultimate Reader’s Digest gift. We’ve curated fascinating and quirky facts about U.S. history that you never knew, odes to all the things we love about America and the most delicious, most interesting, most fun reasons to visit each and every state. Yes, it’s as fun as it sounds, and don’t worry—we won’t keep it a surprise. Read on to find out exactly what’s in our party package, and celebrate all the wonderful things our nation is and can be. Happy 250th, America! Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more fun facts, holidays, history, humor, cleaning, travel and tech all week long. America: Then and Now Here’s What Life Was Like in 1776 vs. Today 12 Totally American Foods That Didn’t Originate Here—And 8 That Did Not in a Celebra...

The big weekend is finally here! No, I do not mean the nation’s 250th birthday , though that’s also exciting. Of course, I am talking about another milestone national event, one that celebrates two of our country’s major exports: entertainment and sports. Yes, it’s the long-anticipated Taylor Swift–Travis Kelce wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Excuse me, the rumored wedding. Speculation has been high for months, but it appears that these two crazy kids will cap off their three-year love story by finally saying yes at the most famous venue for both of their chosen professions. The Garden—booked for two events on July 2 and 3—is buzzing with activity this week, and permits have been filed to close off the streets. Now, it’s entirely possible this is all subterfuge—for all we know, they are already married (Rhode Island was bandied about) and this is just a giant party. But as the clock counts down to the big day, on...

If your idea of a good shopping trip includes name brands for wayyyy less and that little thrill of scoring something chic without the designer price tag … well, same. (I mean, who doesn’t love a good deal?) Luckily for us, one of America’s favorite off-price department stores is getting even bigger, with 12 new locations on the way—some of which could be popping up surprisingly close to you. And if you’re anything like me, the thought of a brand-new store packed with fresh inventory is reason enough to get excited. Fun fact: This retailer welcomes hundreds of millions of shoppers every year, making it one of the biggest names in off-price shopping . So if you’ve been hoping one would open a little closer to home or you’re just curious to see where it’s expanding next, you’ll definitely want to know if your area made the list. Read on to find out whether a new bargain-hunting destination is headed your way. Get  Reader’...

If you ask me what I think of as “ so American ,” my brain short-circuits a little bit. Visions of flags, fireworks and all things red, white and blue on the 4th of July immediately pop into my head. But beyond that, I draw a blank. Everything else is pretty universal, as far as I can tell. Well, my friends who live overseas would like a word. They remind me quite how American something like football is. Not soccer —American football, which you don’t actually use your feet for. OK, I’ll give them that one. But then there are things like prom, homecoming and red Solo cups. Wide, open highways and cross-country road trips. Greasy-spoon diners, county fairs and trick-or-treating. And let’s not forget malls, where I spent the better part of my very ordinary and apparently very American teenage years. While we know that life is different elsewhere, we don’t quite realize it until someone looks at us like we’re nuts and we have to explain why Bl...

It’s all over the news: The president stands accused of raiding federal funds for personal projects. Members of Congress are caught paying and accepting bribes. Rival parties divide voters, then submit multiple conflicting sets of election results from the same state. Florida, predictably, is at the center of the mess. There are riots. The whole dispute ultimately gets handed to a special commission to sort out, and the country doesn’t have a new president for months after the election. Sound familiar? This tale of electoral chaos isn’t from 2020. Brace yourself: We’re talking about 1876 . “It is unquestionably the most corrupt presidential election we have ever had,” says historian Greg Jackson, an associate history professor at Utah Valley University and the host of the wildly popular podcast History That Doesn’t Suck . “And by a margin that makes everything else pale.” Jackson would know. He spent three years deep-diving into Am...