At NPSC we know that one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is to learn new things. Unfortunately, with all of the information available to us, it can feel almost impossible to find the time to sift through the web to find the gems.

So, we’ve decided to do it for you! Every Friday, you can find five new articles or videos from the week that will stretch your mind, fuel your spirit, and feed your brain.

“CAN HAIR STYLISTS SAVE THEIR CLIENTS LIVES? THIS NURSE THINKS SO.” by Cathy Free, washingtonpost.com

“Alten is spearheading an online campaign that trains hairdressers to spot potentially cancerous moles on their clients’ heads.”

“HOW SYNDICATED COLUMNS, COMICS AND STORIES FOREVER CHANGED THE NEWS MEDIA” by Julia Guarneri, smithsonianmag.com

“For many Americans, their ‘local’ paper would soon look much like the paper read halfway across the country.”

“WHAT’S THE ORIGIN OF JACK-O-LANTERNS?” by Matt Soniak, mentalfloss.com

There’s a fun legend involved…

“WHY IRELAND’S PUB OWNERS HAVE LONG MOONLIGHTED AS UNDERTAKERS” by Jessica Gingrich, atlasobscura.com

“It helps to have cold storage and room to hold a wake.”

“THE SCIENCE BEHIND HOLLYWOOD’S MOVIE MONSTERS” by Jeanne Dorin McDowell, smithsonianmag.com

“Massive hits at the time, the films that brought Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy and more to life also tapped into societal fears and traumas.”

At NPSC we know that one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is to learn new things. Unfortunately, with all of the information available to us, it can feel almost impossible to find the time to sift through the web to find the gems.

So, we’ve decided to do it for you! Every Friday, you can find five new articles or videos from the week that will stretch your mind, fuel your spirit, and feed your brain.

“THE UNPRECEDENTED EFFORT TO PRESERVE A MILLION LETTERS WRITTEN BY U.S. SOLDIERS DURING WARTIME” by April White, smithsonianmag.com

“A tragedy at home led one intrepid historian to find and catalog precious correspondence for future generations to study.”

“WHY DO WE WEAR COSTUMES ON HALLOWEEN?” by Hannah McDonald, mentalfloss.com

“There’s no one explanation for how Halloween costumes originated. Much like the holiday itself, the practice of dressing up is the result of a hodgepodge of traditions from around the world.”

“12 HEROES MAKING RUNNING SAFER” by Cindy Kuzma, runnersworld.com

“How these men and women are taking a stand against harassment.”

“DE NIRO AND PACINO HAVE ALWAYS CONNECTED. JUST RARELY ONSCREEN.” by Dave Itszkoff, nytimes.com

“‘The Irishman’ is officially only the third time they’ve collaborated, but over the years they often turned to one another. Who else could understand?”

“ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER MEDIEVAL WOMAN AND CHILD’S SKELETONS AT THE TOWER OF LONDON” by Brigit Katz, smithsonianmag.com

“The remains shine a light on the ordinary people who lived and worked in one of England’s most notorious historic sites.”

At NPSC we know that one of the best ways to keep your brain healthy is to learn new things. Unfortunately, with all of the information available to us, it can feel almost impossible to find the time to sift through the web to find the gems.

So, we’ve decided to do it for you! Every Friday, you can find five new articles or videos from the week that will stretch your mind, fuel your spirit, and feed your brain.

“THE FEMINIST HISTORY OF ‘TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME'” by Anna Laymon, smithsonianmag.com

“Trixie Friganza, an actress and suffragist, inspired the popular song of the seventh inning stretch.”

“TREE SCIENTIST INSPIRES NEXT GENERATION THROUGH…BARBIE” by Maddie About Science, npr.org

This is a great video about an inspiring woman.

“KENYAN RUNNER ELIUD KIPCHOGE FINISHED A MARATHON IN UNDER 2 HOURS, SPRINTING AT A 4:34-MILE PACE. HERE’S WHY HIS RECORD DOESN’T COUNT.” by Aylin Woodward, businessinsider.com

It amazing, but it’s not a world record. Why?

“WHAT A WARRIOR’S LOST TOOLKIT SAYS ABOUT THE OLDEST KNOWN BATTLE IN EUROPE” by Megan Gannon, smithsonianmag.com

“More than 3,000 years ago, soldiers appear to have traveled hundreds of miles from southern Europe to fight in what is now northern Germany.”

“FINDING A WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD ON A BASKETBALL COURT” by Reginald Dwayne Betts, lithub.com

Excerpted from Bodies Built for Game: The Prairie Schooner Anthology of Contemporary Sports Writing