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More than 85 million bottles of water are sold every day in the United States. Freshwater expert Peter Gleick explains what's in them — and why we drink them — in the book Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water.

English rose from humble beginnings to become a language that's spoken by people from every corner of the Earth. In Globish, Robert McCrum tells the story of how a mongrel language slowly took the world by storm.

In his long career as a sports columnist, Rick Reilly has covered the biggest games, including the Super Bowl and World Series. But for his new book, Sports from Hell, Reilly sought out the championships of decidedly less conventional sports, such as bull poker, chess boxing and jarts.

The photographer captured some of the most enduring images of the Great Depression. Linda Gordon, author of Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits, says Lange had the power to draw people out, but she herself was very private.

Once the Apple of its day, Polaroid has fallen by the wayside, thanks to digital photography. Now, with a revamped image and an alliance with self-marketing dynamo Lady Gaga, it's trying to be the oldest new trend.

It's Megan Rapinoe's last World Cup, and it could be Marta's, too. From winter weather to new faces to watch, here's what to know about this year's tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

As Mother's Day approaches, food writer Monica Bhide recalls the ups and downs of her young son's adventuresome tastes. As he got older, he shied away from dishes that his peers deemed "weird." But a kids cooking class showed him he wasn't alone — and led to renewed requests for Mom's signature shrimp curry.

The device famous for making human voices sound robotic did not originate in the recording studio. As music journalist Dave Tompkins writes in How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder From World War II to Hip-Hop, it began as a speech-encoding machine during World War II. Read an excerpt from Tompkins' book about the vocoder and its unexpected history here.

Biden administration rules have one main legal pathway to seek asylum for migrants already at the border: a mobile app called CBP One. Immigrant advocates and immigration hardliners have objections.

In 2006, voters angry about Iraq and frustrated with President George W. Bush sent a new class of senators to Washington. In The Upper House, Terence Samuel profiles these legislators as they come to terms with the grunt work and gridlock of their new jobs.