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We’ve all heard of Cleopatra, but how many people know she had a little sister — and a pretty remarkable one at that? Arsinoe IV was...

When most of us think of suffragettes (a.k.a. women who fought for the right to vote), we think of Susan B. Anthony or Emmeline...

“18th-century heiress-turned-pirate” may sound like the tagline of a cheesy romance novel, but remarkably, it’s a fairly accurate...

If you’re an Anglophile (lover of the English) like me, you’ve probably heard of Boudica, the warrior queen who took on the Romans. But...

I don’t remember the first time I heard the word “kudos,” but I distinctly remember thinking that it was 1970’s slang. How wrong I was! I...

Amid the recent inauguration news, I kept hearing the word “rostrum.” “As he approaches the rostrum tomorrow…”“Donald Trump began his...

With colleges dropping the SAT left and right — and the recent announcement that they’re dropping the essay and subject tests — it’s...

Imagine not knowing how to say you’re tired. It wouldn’t make sense, right? And yet there’s an emotion that most of us experience all the...

You may already know that what we in the U.S. call “soccer,” most of the rest of the world refers to as “football.” But do you know why...

If you’re a fan of Greek history, you’re probably familiar with the story of Theseus and the minotaur. But did you know that the word...

The WORD, get it? Haha, wordplay. You tend to hear the word “anecdote” in two contexts these days. Either it’s a fancy stand-in for...

Blatherskite – “A person who talks at great length without saying much of sense.” Basically, a blatherer. What a great word. Definitely...

“Mary had a little lamb…” Be honest. Did you mentally go, “little lamb” after you read that? Those five words are so catchy, they were...

Have you ever looked at a calendar and thought, "Well that makes no sense"? October starts with “oct,” but it’s not the 8th month....

I’ve been scouring the latest college admissions research lately (so you don’t have to!), and holy moly, did I find a gem. Buried...

With college admissions season in full swing, it’s time to talk about one of the most important components of the application: your...

We’ve talked ideas , outlines , writing tips , and more in this writing series . But amid the technical tips, one very important...

While exciting, I’ll be the first to admit that writing is also uniquely daunting. It’s one thing to have an outline; it’s another thing...

Psst… you can read the new vocabulary-boosting short story I mention in the podcast here! As we wrap up our writing mini-series, I have...

The most important piece of creative writing advice you’ll ever receive? Show. Don’t. Tell. You might have heard it before, but it...