When Rachel Karlic and her sister, Rebecca Hinsdale, were students at Western Michigan University, they sometimes played pinball with their friend Kate Porter in a 24-hour video rental store near campus. The store was called Video Hits Plus, with the Plus maybe referring to the basement attractions, which, in addition to the pinball machines, included…
Although the celebration of Juneteenth, which commemorates June 19, 1865, as the end of slavery, has gained popularity in recent years, it’s long been a deeply personal holiday acknowledged by many African American families and communities. My family was one of them. Our house was decorated with portraits of my father’s hero, the abolitionist Frederick…
When the astronauts of Apollo 11 went to the moon in July 1969, NASA was worried about their safety during the complex flight. The agency was also worried about what the spacefarers might bring back with them. For years before Apollo 11, officials had been concerned that the moon might harbor microorganisms. What if moon…
Like Oscar Isaac, I occasionally use chopsticks to eat hot Cheetos, a technique that keeps their red dust from sticking to my fingers. It’s the neatest way to keep pace with a perfectly engineered snack, designed both to satisfy the desire for its prickly heat and violent crunch, its convincing tang and mellow sweetness, and to fuel an immediate…
It has been more than 25 years since Red Bull hit the market and introduced caffeinated energy drinks to the United States. While the company claimed its beverage would “give you wings,” it never said it was actually good for people. Yet as the energy drink market continues to grow rapidly, companies both new and…
On the dating app Bumble, Sofia Rose Gross was drawn to the profile of Michael Alexander Haft, a former Marine who, like her, is Jewish. She immediately reached out for two reasons: She was thinking about serving in the military and, she said, she found him “hot.” Their first date, in December 2019, was at…
Abigail Renée Barr and Jed Ronner Feiman are intensely supportive of each other in a funny sort of way. They’re both comedy writers. “That’s our relationship,” she said. “Building jokes.” That and their mutual love for TV and pop culture. When Ms. Barr first came across his Bumble profile in July 2016, she was delighted…
On Jan. 17, 2019, Nicholas James Wehby caught his first glimpse of Sydney Maree Lotuaco. But it wasn’t a real-life sighting. “Nick watched me on Season 23 of ‘The Bachelor,’” said Ms. Lotuaco, who willingly left the show in week six. Mr. Wehby had watched as a guilty pleasure with his roommate, Michael Perazzo. “He…
Mr. Dinner, 30, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Simsbury, Conn., is a senior associate at AllianceBernstein, an asset management firm based in Nashville. He holds a bachelor’s in finance from Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. On Nov. 20, 2021, Mr. Dinner rented out L.A. Jackson, a bar and restaurant on the rooftop…
I started to look for her every time I dropped off Jordan, wondering if she knew something. Maybe her child was born with a countdown — the soldier mother who knew just how much time she had, and that’s why she was sitting so intensely every morning, holding, cradling, praying, humming. She always took the…