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A Brief History of the Texas Railroads 

In 1853, a 20-mile rail line between Harrisburg and Stafford proved trains could conquer Texas terrain, and the state was never the same. Land grants fueled rapid expansion, cotton exports boomed, cities rose along the tracks, and Texas's population tripled in just three decades. This is how railroads built modern Texas.
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An old abandoned railroad track in rural Texas.

A Guide to Car Road Trip and Travel Photography

You don't need exotic destinations or expensive gear to become a great travel photographer, just curiosity and a willingness to practice. From building a versatile camera kit to mastering available light to developing a style that's truly yours, this guide covers everything beginners need to start capturing the world around them, one frame at a time.
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Shutterstock

A Brief Timeline of Aviation Transportation

Aviation's story spans centuries, from early balloons and gliders to the Wright brothers' first powered flight, the rise of jet propulsion, and the Concorde's supersonic legacy. Explore the milestones that transformed flight into a global transportation system.
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A Newcomer’s Guide to Texas Driving Terms

Check out the top terms used by Texas drivers to adapt to its unique mix of high-speed interstate and frontage road infrastructure.
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Downtown Houston's skyline glows above the highways at dusk.

Death by Instagram-Fueled Selfies: A Survey of 1,233 Instagram Users (2023)

Social media sites like Instagram are fundamentally altering the way we interact and engage with our world. We are more connected than ever, and the ability to share our lives can be great to keep in touch with friends and family. However, there is a darker side to social media. The way we interact with our digital spaces has come under scrutiny by many people who see dangerous trends becoming more and more common. For this study, we surveyed 1,233 active Instagram users located in the United States aged 18 to 40. The goal was to get insight into how users interact with social media and the connection between engagement and risky behaviors.
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Selfie at cliff in greece

The 50 Most (& Least) Deadly Travel Destinations

One crucial factor when planning an international trip is safety. From homicide rates to natural disaster risk, some countries pose a greater threat to safety than others. Our research team crunched numbers on seven safety risk factors for 50 of the most-visited countries to create our “Travel Safety Index”. We combined a total of seven ranking factors including homicide deaths, road traffic deaths, poisoning deaths, death from poor hygiene conditions, communicable disease life years lost, injury life years lost, and the natural disaster risk index. Use our index to help inform yourself on where are the safest and most deadly travel destinations.
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Street vendor in india

The 201 Most (& Least) Biodiverse Countries

Biodiversity is vital for our planet. However, over the past century the world has seen an unprecedented decline in biodiversity triggered by climate change, habitat loss, overexploitation, pollution, and pesticides. Consequently, we decided to take a deep dive look into how biodiversity compares around the globe in 2022. The results of our research are contained within this in-depth Global Biodiversity Index to shed light on where are the most & least biodiverse countries. We combined a total of six ranking factors including the number of bird, amphibian, fish, mammal, reptile, and plant species present in each country. Use our index to inform yourself on biodiversity across the world.
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Toucan in colombia

The 51 Most & Least Dog-Friendly Countries

The saying goes, "dogs are man's best friend." However, is this true internationally? The fact is, animal rights vary drastically around the world. In some countries, dogs are treated like family members. In others, they're still consumed as food. Consequently, we decided to take a deep dive into how canines are treated around the globe. The results of our research are contained within this in-depth Dog-Friendly Country Index to help you learn where is the best & worst country for owning or being a dog in 2022.
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Cavalier spaniel in spain

These 36 World Cities Will Be Underwater First

There is little doubt our oceans are rising and cities will go under. It is no longer an issue of if but when. No one can predict exactly when, however, based on simple elevation maps, we can predict which major world cities are most likely to be underwater first. We used Euromonitor to identify 36 of the most visited cities in the world that will be affected by sea-level rise. Using the maps generated for these cities, we identified the major tourist attractions at risk for being fully or partially submerged within the identified zones that will be affected by sea-level rise. We ranked these 36 cities by population in order to highlight the most at risk destinations that will have the highest displacement of life as we know it. As mentioned, in just these 36 cities, over 226 million will be directly impacted in the coming years.
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Polar bear floating on iceberg

The 150 Most Dog-Friendly U.S. Cities

Owning a dog comes with many rewards and challenges. Deciding which city is ideal for you and your pup can be tricky since it depends on so many factors. We’ve created the comprehensive Dog-Friendly Cities Index to help you determine which US city is best for owning a happy and healthy canine. To conduct this study, we first determined the cities to be included based on the availability of data for the top 50 cities in three size brackets. It’s important to capture a range of city sizes because ranking a smaller city (like Waco, TX) to a bigger city (for example, Chicago, IL) is like comparing apples to oranges. Each tier of city size will have vastly different access to amenities, exercise options, and costs (discussed below).
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Boy at dog park

67 Best & Worst Countries for Animal Rights

Animal rights laws vary greatly around the world. Animal rights activists argue that animals are sentient beings that deserve a life free from suffering. From recognition of animal sentience to fur-farming bans, many countries are taking a stand against animal cruelty any way they can. There are also other considerations that can impact animal health and welfare, such as pesticide use and meat consumption. We gathered statistics from key international data sources in order to create this comprehensive "Animal Rights Index" which helps identify which countries are the best and worst in terms of animal rights.
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Tiger in chains

Dog Bite Statistics: 38 Most Aggressive Breeds in 2025

Millions of dog bites occur every year in the United States and worldwide. A dog bite can range from a quick pinch to a severe injury requiring medical attention to even death in some instances. Thankfully, dog-bite-related fatalities are rare. We analyzed various studies and data to create a collection of dog bite statistics that covers a wide variety of topics related to dog bites. It includes an overview of the dog breeds that are most likely to bite or to cause a fatality, the most common demographics of dog bite victims, what dog has the strongest bite, how dog bite liability has grown over time, and tips on how to stop a dog from biting you to begin with.
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Dog bites crop

Global "Death by Selfie" Database & Statistics (2024)

Social media culture has permanently shaped how we all live and exist in the world. For some, social media has provided new opportunities, insights into new ways of living, and even new career paths. For others, it has created a culture of comparison, envy, and dangerous behavior. We initially became interested in the idea of risk aversion versus risk tolerance in regard to social media while studying the sharp uptick in selfie-related deaths being reported in the news. It seems like this is becoming a more and more common occurrence, but was it actually? What are the numbers behind the headlines? We compiled a database of 314 selfie-related incidents since March 2014 through June 2024. This database is a continuation of the Wikipedia selfie-related injuries and deaths database, which has largely stopped updating in the last couple of years.
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Selfie death crop

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