US states with Democratic or Republican governor wins over last six elections: Washington all six Democratic, Texas all six Republican, Arizona even three each, plus regional trends and surprises like Kansas four Democratic.
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In 1910, Europe had the most extensive railway network it would ever see. Then came two world wars, redrawn borders, and the automobile. By 2000, the countries that pioneered railways were systematically tearing them up.
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Pull up Google Trends for holiday pie searches and you’ll see something unexpected: America’s pie map looks different than it did five years ago. The South’s pecan pie territory shrank dramatically. New England’s letting go of apple pie. And pumpkin? It’s taking over almost everywhere. What happened to our regional baking traditions?
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Dante wrote the Divine Comedy, but he also spent years documenting what he thought of Italian peoples region by region. Romans had ugly appearances and were “lurid.” Sardinians were “apes” who weren’t even Italian. Florentines were “spawn of Satan.” Sicilians were cruel and hypocritical. This map from his 1302-1305 treatise shows his stereotypes spread across medieval Italy.
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Most of the United States gets colder in winter than Victoria, British Columbia. This temperature comparison map shows exactly which American regions stay warmer than Canada’s mildest city.
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Water resources on our planet follow uneven paths. The Amazon River alone moves more water than the next seven largest rivers combined.
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Two climate projection maps show exactly where America’s rainfall patterns will change by mid-century. Most regions will get wetter, but some will get drier, and certain areas face storms that dump enormous amounts of water in dangerously short periods.
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Köppen-Geiger climate maps of Asia reveal major reorganization from 1930 to 2099. Arctic tundra retreats along Siberian coast, subarctic zones contract, subtropical expands north in China, Himalayan and Tibetan cold zones shrink, and desert boundaries shift under ssp2-4.5 scenario.
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Break down the United States state by state, compare each one with major European countries on human development, and something unexpected appears. The variation between American states turns out to be bigger than many realize.
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Just weeks after victory in Europe, Winston Churchill commissioned a secret military plan so audacious it earned the codename “Unthinkable.” The proposal called for Western forces to launch a surprise attack against their Soviet allies on July 1, 1945. What drove Churchill to contemplate such a drastic action, and why was the plan ultimately shelved?
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