# data[].attributes.body
https://www.vox.com/culture/2022/10/21/23416464/taylor-swift-midnights-lyrics-explained-anti-hero-video?scrlybrkr=61b97230

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Every song on Taylor Swift’s Midnights, explained

# data[].attributes.body
https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-taylor-swifts-speak-now/

# data[].attributes.body
https://redpandanetwork.org/post/24-red-panda-facts-for-the-new-year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn more about the adorable red panda with these 24 fascinating facts! These red panda facts highlight how unique this endangered species is.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here's Why Taylor Swift Is Re-Releasing Her Old Albums

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Why is Taylor Swift re-recording her old albums, including Fearless? It's all about business.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Does Taylor’s Version Mean? All Your Questions Answered

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Why Taylor Swift is rerecording her first 6 albums Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, so you’ve probably heard a lot about her even if you aren’t a Swiftie. Over the last few years, Swift has been rereleasing new…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Taylor Swift's fanbase, "T.V." does not stand for television-instead, it stands for "Taylor's Version," meaning that she owns the song being played. These words-"Taylor's Version''-can now be found in parenthesis next to titles from four of Swift's albums: Fearless, Red, Speak Now , and most recently, . Thoughtful listeners should choose to listen to the "Taylor's Version" of her songs instead of listening to the older versions. This is not simply to support Swift herself, but rather to support artists' rights everywhere.

Swift's fight to own her music has been a long and maddening one. Beginning her career at just 14 years old, Swift was taken advantage of by many figures in the music industry, one of which being Scott Borchetta. The two met in 2005 when he discovered Swift in Tennessee's BlueBird Cafe and subsequently signed her to Big Machine Records, Borchetta's new label. Under Big Machine Records, Swift's career skyrocketed, earning her ten Grammys and a worldwide fanbase. Her contract with Big Machine Records expired in 2018, after which she switched labels to Republic Records.

Although Swift owned her lyrics and music, Big Machine Records still owned the master recordings of her first six albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 , and Reputation . Owning master recordings of music means having total control over licensing; if anyone wanted to play a certain song in a show, movie, or ad, he or she would have to ask for the owner's permission and pay in kind. This loss was especially devastating once Big Machine Records sold Swift's masters to Scooter Braun, manager of famous artists such as Kanye West and Justin Bieber, for a price of $300,000,000. With this sale, Braun stood to profit off Swift's songs and hard work, all because of a sale that she did not approve of. In the article "Taylor Swift Speaks Out About Sale of Her Masters" on the CNN Entertainment website (cnn.com), Swift reported her attempts to negotiate with Braun and regain her masters; yet, he and his team would not agree unless she signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that forbade her from speaking about him in any way other than positive.

Refusing to be strong-armed into this deal, Swift decided to re-record her first six albums, confident that her loyal fans would support her and her fight for artists' rights. Senior Mary Costello praised Swift: "Swift is taking back her own power. Her re-recordings show strength and how she was able to persevere despite the sale of her music."

The "Taylor's Version" album releases have been a hit. They are highly anticipated by her adoring fans as each one has its own "vault tracks," referring to never-before-released tracks that were written at the time of the album. Sophomore Tal Moskowitz said, "My favorite re-recording is Speak Now (Taylor's Version) . I liked how it kept the same feel as the original , while still adding small, new changes." To demonstrate her firm stance on the subject, Swift explained in a magazine Instagram post from 2021 that "artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work."

When listening to a "Taylor's Version" song, whether it be the fan-favorite "All Too Well" from Red (Taylor's Version) or the classic "Shake It Off" from 1989 (Taylor's Version) , it directly supports the artist and creator of a song, rather than an uninvolved entrepreneur like Braun. "Swift is taking control of her own career-it's amazing," said senior Peyton Keller.

The next time you are listening to Swift, know that picking "Taylor's Version" supports the artist's rights, provides a chance to hear subtle musical twists on old songs, and includes new bonus "vault tracks" to enjoy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is So Special About "Taylor's Version?"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Taylor Swift's fanbase, "T.V." does not stand for television-instead, it stands for "Taylor's Version," meaning that she owns the song being played. These words-"Taylor's Version''-can now be found in parenthesis next to titles from four of Swift's albums: Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and most recently, 1989.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Taylor Swift is dominating the year with not only the wildly successful " Eras Tour" and "Eras Tour" movie, but also her rolling out of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)," which dropped Oct. 27.

"1989" is the fourth album Swift has rerecorded from her discography. The "Taylor's Version" edition of the album featured updated vocals on hits like "Blank Space" and "Style" as well as tracks that didn't make it on the initial album. These songs are dubbed "From the Vault," otherwise known as her "vault tracks."

Now, fans are trying to figure out the singer's next move as she resumes the "Eras Tour" in Argentina - reportedly to be joined by her rumored boyfriend Travis Kelce.

Some fans thought Swift would pull a fast one and release a "double album" with her "1989 (Taylor's Version)" launch. Others are convinced her rerecording of 2017's "Reputation" is imminent, as fans have already heard snippets of two "Taylor's Version" songs from the album.

But what exactly does "Taylor's Version" mean in a title, and why is she rerecording her old albums?

Here's everything you need to know about what "Taylor's Version" means and why it's so important to her and her fans.

Swift began her music career at Big Machine Records

In 2005 at only 15 years old, Swift signed a record deal with Big Machine Records, owned by music executive Scott Borchetta, and stayed with the group for over 10 years. The deal gave Big Machine Records ownership over Swift's master recordings. In other words, Big Machine Records owned the original recordings of each song or performance.

The following year, Swift released her first single "Tim McGraw." And, well, her career exploded.

In total, Swift recorded six albums with Big Machine Records: "Taylor Swift" (2006), "Fearless" (2008), "Speak Now" (2010), "Red" (2012), "1989" (2014) and "Reputation" (2017).

All about Swift's feuds with Kanye West and Scooter Braun

In 2009, Kanye West infamously grabbed the mic out of a 19-year-old Swift's hands during her MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech and declared that Beyoncé should have won the award.

Swift and West appeared to make up later on, but the rift reopened when West made sexual references to Swift in a song.

"I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex," he rapped on his 2016 track "Famous." "I made that b---- famous, I made that b---- famous."

He later released a music video for "Famous" that featured a naked mannequin made to look like Swift in bed with West.

The lyrics and video sparked immediate backlash, though West insisted that he had cleared the lyrics with Swift beforehand.

Further fanning the flames of the drama, West and now ex-wife Kim Kardashian leaked a Snapchat video recording in which Swift could allegedly be heard on the phone approving lyrics.

West's manager at the time of all this was Scooter Braun, who Swift would later accuse of collaborating with West and another client of his, Justin Bieber, to bully her on social media. She highlighted this Instagram posted by Bieber of the men listed on a FaceTime call. Bieber initially called her out in the caption that has since been deleted.

In 2020, an extended clip of the video was leaked that revealed Swift was not informed about the lyric "I made that b---- famous," nor was she told about the music video content.

After the extended video was released, Kardashian tweeted the following: "To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that 'Kanye never called to ask for permission...' They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word 'b----' was used without her permission."

Scooter Braun purchases Big Machine Records in 2019

Swift reacted strongly when she found out that Braun purchased Big Machine Records, thus owning her master recordings of her first six albums as a result, through his company, Ithaca Holdings.

She posted a lengthy message on her Tumblr account in June 2019 about the acquisition.

"For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work," she said. "Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and 'earn' one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in. I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past. Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums."

She revealed that she had learned about her catalog's sale to Braun when it was made public.

"All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years," she said. "Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it. Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked. Now Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it."

She went on to describe the sale as her "worst case scenario," and accused Borchetta of selling the label to Braun despite knowing she opposed it.

"He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn't want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever," she said.

After she spoke out against the sale, fellow singer Kelly Clarkson offered Swift some advice:

"just a thought, U should go in & re-record all the songs that U don't own the masters on exactly how U did them but put brand new art & some kind of incentive so fans will no longer buy the old versions. I'd buy all of the new versions just to prove a point," Clarkson said on Twitter, now known as X, in July 2019.

In November 2019, Swift tweeted that Borchetta and Braun had blocked her from performing a medley of her hits at the American Music Awards, where she would be honored with the Artist of the Decade award.

"I feel very strongly that sharing what is happening to me could change the awareness level for other artists and potentially help them avoid a similar fate," she said.

She asked fans to continue spreading her message, and to reach out to Borchetta and Braun.

Swift also referenced her situation with Braun and the "toxic male privilege" of the music industry in her Woman of the Year speech in December 2019.

Braun spoke to Variety in 2021 at length about the experience, saying he was confused by how things played out.

"I regret and it makes me sad that Taylor had that reaction to the deal. ... All of what happened has been very confusing and not based on anything factual," he said.

"I don't know what story she was told. I asked for her to sit down with me several times, but she refused. I offered to sell her the catalog back and went under NDA, but her team refused. It all seems very unfortunate. Open communication is important and can lead to understanding. She and I only met briefly three or four times in the past, and all our interactions were really friendly and kind. I find her to be an incredibly talented artist and wish her nothing but the best."

As for Bieber, he posted a lengthy Instagram responding to her statement about the acquisition.

"Hey Taylor. First of all i would like to apologize for posting that hurtful instagram post, at the time i thought it was funny but looking back it was distasteful and insensitive," it reads.

"Scooter has had your back since the days you graciously let me open up for you.! As the years have passed we haven't crossed paths and gotten to communicate our differences, hurts or frustrations. So for you to take it to social media and get people to hate on scooter isn't fair. What were you trying to accomplish by posting that blog? seems to me like it was to get sympathy u also knew that in posting that your fans would go and bully scooter. Anyway, One thing i know is both scooter and i love you," it continues.

Swift begins again in 2020 with Taylor's Version

Braun sold the master recordings to a private equity company in 2020. In a statement published on Twitter on Nov. 16, 2020, Swift opened up about her music catalog's second sale and her plans to rerecord her albums.

Addressing her fans, Swift confirmed that she would be rerecording her previous albums.

"I have recently begun re-recording my older music and it has already proven to be both exciting and creatively fulfilling," she said in the statement. "I have plenty of surprises in store. I want to thank you guys for supporting me through this ongoing saga, and I can't wait for you to hear what I've been dreaming up."

In summary, to regain control of the rights to her older music without purchasing the original master recordings, Swift has to rerecord her first six albums.

She retained the rights to her more recent albums, including "Lover" (2019), "Folklore" (2020), "Evermore" (2020), and "Midnights" (2022), which were recorded under her record deal with Republic Records and Universal Music Group.

In February 2021, Swift announced in an Instagram post that she would soon release the rerecorded version of her album "Fearless."

"This process has been more fulfilling and emotional than I could've imagined and has made me even more determined to re-record all of my music," Swift wrote in the post. "I hope you'll like this first outing as much as I liked traveling back in time to recreate it."

"Fearless (Taylor's Version)" was released on April 9, 2021.

Swift released her next rerecorded album, "Red (Taylor's Version)" on Nov. 12, 2021. "Red (Taylor's Version)" also included six previously-unreleased bonus tracks.

In between releasing her "Taylor's Version" albums, Swift came out with "Midnights" in 2022, which featured new material.

She released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" on July 7, 2023.

Swift's "Taylor's Version" albums have received a warm welcome both from her fans and from the music charts. All of Swift's rerecorded albums so far - as well as "Midnights" - have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Swift became the first living artist in 60 years to have four albums simultaneously rank in Billboard's Top Ten.

Swift announced over the summer at her final show in the first leg of her "Eras Tour" that "1989 (Taylor's Version)" was on the way.

Swift's official social media accounts shared the news a few minutes later.

"The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways, and it fills me with such excitement to announce that my version of it will be out October 27," she posted. "To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I've ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can't believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!"

Swift released "1989 (Taylor's Version)" Oct. 27. The the vault song s on that album are:

"Slut!"

"Is It Over Now?"

"Now That We Don't Talk"

"Say Don't Go"

"Suburban Legends"

Swift now only has two albums left to rerecord: "Reputation" and her debut album, "Taylor Swift."

After the release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)," Clarkson shared that Swift sent her flowers, years after the "Since U Been Gone" singer first suggested that Swift rerecord her discography - though Clarkson said the pop superstar likely would have come up with that solution, anyway.

"She's a very smart businesswoman," Clarkson told "E! News." "So, she would have thought of that. But it just sucks when you see artists that you admire and you respect really wanting something and it's special to them. You know if they're going to find a loophole, you find a loophole. And she did it and literally is, like, the best-selling artist I feel like of all-time now."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taylor Swift is cleaning up with the record-setting "Eras Tour" and her rerecording of her albums - including "1989 (Taylor's Version)." Fans think "Reputation" is next.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sometimes people call red pandas "lesser pandas" or "firefoxes". But red pandas are actually not closely related to giant pandas, foxes, or even raccoons. Instead, the red panda, with its distinctive round face, red and black fur, and bushy ringed tail, is in a family of its own, Ailuridae.

When red pandas were discovered in 1825 by French zoologist Frédéric Cuvier, he gave them the name Ailurus fulgens, which means fire-colored, or shining, cat. And with their cinnamon-red and black markings, "fire-colored" is an apt description. Red pandas are about the size of a house cat, with bodies about 56-63cm (22-25 in.) in length and tails about 37-47cm (15-19 in) in length.

Fossils found in North America show that red pandas once lived there five million years ago. But today, their range is limited to the mountain forests of Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. The word "panda" is thought to come from the Nepali word, "ponya", which means bamboo eater or bamboo-footed.

Red pandas are one of the few animals that consume bamboo as their main source of nutrition, and they have a few special adaptations for this specialized diet. (Other bamboo eaters include giant pandas, bamboo lemurs and bamboo rats.)

Similar to the giant panda, the red panda has a protruding wrist bone that acts like a thumb. This false thumb helps the red panda grip bamboo stalks and tree branches. Red pandas also have powerful molars to gnaw on the tough, fibrous bamboo.

A red panda must eat 1-2 kg (2-4 lb.) of bamboo per day in order to get enough nutrition. Unlike the giant panda, red pandas prefer nibbling on bamboo leaves and fresh shoots as opposed to the stalks. A female red panda was once recorded as having eaten 20,000 bamboo leaves in one day! Red pandas need to eat so much bamboo because they can only digest about 24% of it.

Though their diet is made up of mostly bamboo, red pandas sometimes also eat grass, fruit, eggs, insects and small animals. Interestingly, they are classified as carnivores (meat eaters), even though they mainly eat plants.

Red pandas spend most of the day resting or sleeping. They are crepuscular, meaning they are most active in the early morning and late afternoon. When it's cold, red pandas wrap themselves up in their bushy tail and go into a deep sleep called torpor. In torpor, their body temperature lowers and their respiration rate goes down. This helps them conserve energy.

Red pandas are arboreal, meaning they spend most of their time in trees. They have certain physical characteristics that make them well-suited for this environment. Sharp, retractable claws allow them to grip branches and climb down tree trunks head first. Long tails help them keep their balance.

Their red coats blend in well with the reddish moss that grows on the tree trunks in their habitat, while their black undersides make it difficult to see them from below. This camouflage helps protect them from predators such as snow leopards and dholes (Asian canids related to dogs and foxes).

The soles of their feet do not have paw pads and instead are covered in fur. This keeps their feet insulated in the cold weather and covers the scent glands in their paws, which they use to mark their territory. Like raccoons, red pandas use their paws to scoop up water to drink. Like cats, they wash themselves by licking their paws and then wiping their faces and bodies.

Red pandas have a few ways of communicating. When threatened, they stare, bob their heads, arch their tails and stand up on their hind legs. They can also scratch and release a foul odor from scent glands at the base of their tail. Though usually quiet, they can produce a range of sounds including "huff-quacks", warning whistles, bleats, and high pitch twitters.

Family Life

Though normally solitary animals, red pandas pair up during the breeding season from January to April. A female red panda is only fertile for 1-2 days a year. Once pregnant, it takes three months for her to give birth to a litter of cubs. Litters generally consist of 2 cubs, but their size can range anywhere from 1-4.

A few days before she gives birth, a red panda creates a nest out of twigs, leaves, moss and grass in a tree hollow, rock crevice or under a stump. Cubs are born with thick gray fur. Their eyes and ears are shut. To ensure their safety, their mother moves them around to different dens, carrying them in her mouth.

After about 2-3 weeks, the cubs open their eyes and ears. They nurse for about 3-5 months, and then start eating solid food. At this time, their gray fur changes to red. The cubs fully mature and leave the den after about 18-20 months.

In the wild, red pandas live around 8-10 years.

Conservation Status

According to the IUCN Red List, the red panda is considered endangered, and their population is fragmented and decreasing. Threats to the red panda include habitat loss and poaching.

How You Can Help

You can help red pandas by donating to organizations like WWF and Red Panda Network, which work with local communities to protect red panda habitat and ban the hunting and poaching of red pandas. You can also participate in eco tourism.

Red Panda Range

Red Panda Resources

Blog Posts about the Red Panda

About the Author

Abi Cushman is a contributing editor of Animal Fact Guide and My House Rabbit. When she's not writing about weird animal facts, Abi writes and illustrates funny books for kids. Her picture books, and Animals Go Vroom!, are available now from Viking Children's Books.

To learn more and to download free activity sheets, visit www.abicushman.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AbiCushman and on Instagram at @Abi.Cushman.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Did you know red pandas can eat 20,000 bamboo leaves per day? Learn more red panda facts and see cute red panda photos at Animal Fact Guide!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I'm not inventing the wheel here, painting rocks is probably as old as paint, but it doesn't make it any less fun. Here is a project where kids can wear their creative hats and paint their own Tic Tac Toe pieces on rocks.

This post contains affiliate links.

Better Than a Pet Rock - DIY Tic Tac Toe

Once they have their own rock creations, they can make a tic tac toe board outside using sidewalk chalk. Tic Tac Toe is a great game that not only teaches sportsmanship but also strategy to young minds. Plus there's the added bonus of rocks, sidewalk chalk and painting, so basically everyone wins. Materials: Make sure you wash the rocks if they're covered in dirt as it will make it harder for the paint to adhere to. Each player's 5 rocks should be painted the same, specially for very young children to eliminate confusion. Acrylic paint dries fast so no need to paint them hours before the fun. You are only limited by your imagination- think critters (ladybugs, bees, spiders, snakes), superhero symbols, rainbows, patterns, animal faces, princess' crowns... or if you're a traditionalist x's and o's.

Make a DIY Tic Tac Toe Game

1. Have each child think of a design for their 5 rocks.

2. Have them paint it or paint it for them depending on age.

3. Draw a tic tac toe board with sidewalk chalk outside.

4. Write the players names on corners of the board to keep score.

Above we have a game for baseball lovers (any sport or a mixture of sports also works great) where Sam is the baseball glove and Jason is the baseball. Remember to write their name in chalk (or have them write it depending on the age) to keep score. A little math never hurt anyone ( I hypocritically say after years of coming home from school declaring a war on math when I was a kid). Critters and animals are always perfect when a mixture of boys and girls will be playing. While they're painting you can even teach them fun facts about bees, ladybugs, snakes etc. Have a garden tea party and invite your friends- stuffed and imaginary are always welcome. Paint the invited guests name on one of their five rocks and use it as their place setting. Perfect for kid friendly baby showers. If painting names sounds like a challenge paint pens are your friend. Here's a lovely garden tea party serving a game of Tic Tac Toe. No one said the Tic Tac Toe board had to be 4 simple lines. When you're done you can either set the rocks free back in nature or if you keep everything your little Picasso makes store the rocks inside clear vases or scatter them on shelves amongst books, toys and knickknacks. You might even make them your pet...
More Rock Crafts

Did your kids enjoy this fun craft? Let us know in the comments below, we'd love to hear! Also, be sure to join us over on our Facebook page.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Better Than a Pet Rock - DIY Tic Tac Toe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This simple DIY tic tac toe can be fun for the whole family. It uses pet rocks and a chalk grid drawn in the garden.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Type

Collectible toy

Inventor(s)

Gary Dahl

Country

USA

Availability

1975-February 1976

Pet Rock is a collectible toy made in 1975 by advertising executive Gary Dahl. They were rocks packaged in custom cardboard boxes complete with ventilation holes and straw bedding imitating a pet carrier. The fad lasted about six months, ending after a short increase in sales during the Christmas season of December 1975. Although by February 1976 they were discounted due to lower sales, Dahl sold over 1 million Pet Rocks for $4 each, and became a millionaire.

With his money, Dahl opened a bar named "Carry Nations" in downtown Los Gatos, California, a reference to Caroline Amelia Nation, often referred to as Carrie, Carry Nation, Carrie A. Nation, or Hatchet Granny, a radical member of the temperance movement). Dahl continued to work in advertising; however, he avoided interviews for years. He has said this was because "a bunch of wackos" harassed him with lawsuits and threats. Neville said in 1999, "Sometimes I look back and wonder if my life would have been simpler if I made the rock edible."

Development

Gary Dahl came up with the idea in a bar while listening to his friends complain about their pets; this gave him the idea for the perfect "pet": a rock. A rock would not need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed, and it would not die, become sick, or be disobedient. Dahl said that they were to be the perfect pets and joked about it with his friends. Dahl took his "pet" idea seriously, however, and drafted an instruction manual for a pet rock. The manual was full of puns and gags that referred to the rock as an actual pet.

Dahl's biggest expense was the die-cutting and manufacture of the boxes. The rocks cost only one cent each, and the straw was nearly free. For the initial run of booklets, Dahl had a printing job for a client, and "tacked" the pet rock booklet onto the main job. This resulted in a batch requiring only a cut and trim, at almost no cost to him.

Training manual

A 32-page official training manual titled The Care and Training of Your Pet Rock was included, with instructions on how to properly raise and care for one's new Pet Rock (notably lacking instructions for feeding, bathing, changing, and so on). The instruction manual contained gags, puns and jokes, and listed several commands that could be taught to the new pet. While "sit" and "stay" were effortless to accomplish, "roll over" usually required a little extra help from the trainer. "Come," "stand" and "shake hands" were found to be near-impossible to teach; however, "attack" was fairly simple (with some help from the owner's force).

In Spanish: Pet Rock para niños

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's time for the lowdown on one of our planet's cutest critters! Ready? Then check out our adorable hedgehog facts ...

Fast hedgehog facts

Scientific name: Erinaceus
Family name: Erinaceidae
Classification: Mammal
IUCN status: Least concern
Lifespan (in wild): Around seven years
Weight: Up to 1.1kg
Body length: 14cm - 30cm
Top speed: 9.5km/h bursts
Diet: Carnivore
Habitat: Grassland, hedgerows, woodland and meadows
Range:

Hedgehogs are famous for their prickly spines, which they have everywhere except on their face, legs and bellies. These cute critters depend on their spines for defense, both while they sleep and when they face enemies. By curling into a tight ball and tucking in their heads, tail and legs, they protect vulnerable parts of their body.

The body of adult hedgehogs ranges from 14 to 30 centimetres long, and their tail can add one to six centimetres. When they are born (there can be up to seven in a litter) their spines are soft and short. But soon after birth, their spines harden, becoming stiffer, sharper and longer. Babies stay in the nest until they"re about three weeks old. By that time, their eyes are open, their spines are effective and they can safely follow their mother outside the nest as she looks for food.

Top on the hedgehog"s menu are insects, followed by small mice, snails, lizards, frogs, eggs and even snakes. Mostly nocturnal creatures, they head out at night in search of food - but they are sometimes active during the day, too, particularly after it rains.

Hedgehogs have a trick up their, errr, "sleeve" to give themselves extra protection - " self anointing." These amazing animals are immune to certain poisonous plants, which they eat before making a frothy saliva in their mouth. The hedgehogs then lick their spines, spreading the saliva with the plant"s poison all over the spikes. Scientists believe this may help hedgehogs hide their scent from predators, or give them a nasty shock shock should they attack!

There are 15 different species of hedgehog, found across Europe, Asia and Africa. Whilst these cool creatures mainly stay on the ground, they are quite good swimmers and can climb trees, too!

Picture credits
Hedgehog on tree stump: Zorandim, Dreamstime. Hedgehog on grass: Creativenature1, Dreamstime. Hedgehog on black background: Eastmanphoto, Dreamstime. Map of hedgehog distribution: National Geographic Maps.

What do you make of our hedgehog facts? Leave a comment below and let us know!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hedgehog Facts! - National Geographic Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hedgehog facts for kids: learn all about these adorable mammals, with facts about the hedgehog's habitat, diet, defence mechanisms, size and behaviour.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tayler swift - Kiddle - visual search engine for kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tayler swift - Kiddle - visual search engine for kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Easy and fun collection of STEM projects and lessons for elementary and middle school. Made for teachers, science fairs, and weekend activities.

Find more ideas on our website STEM Inventions! You can also find lesson plans, project sheets, and more resources as well.
These project-based lessons focus on basic principles of physics, structural, and mechanical engineering. All projects in the collection use the same set of materials, so it's easy and cheap to buy in bulk and create many of these...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 Kid-Tested STEM Projects Made With Simple Materials

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
25 Kid-Tested STEM Projects Made With Simple Materials: Easy and fun collection of STEM projects and lessons for elementary and middle school. Made for teachers, science fairs, and weekend activities. Find more ideas on our website STEM Inventions! You can also find lesson plans, project sheets, and more...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sumatran tigers are the smallest surviving tiger subspecies. The greatest threats to this critically endangered animal, are poaching, deforestation and human-tiger conflict. Learn more about what WWF is doing to protect its future, and how you can help.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE INTERNET.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Screens May Affect Your Child's Brain Development _ Better _ NBC News.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Most Skillful Players in Football 2023_24.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greatest Footballers of All Time - Messi, Ronaldo, Maradona & Pele.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top 20 Best Football Players of All Time.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top 10 Reasons Why Cats are Better than Dogs.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Christian the Lion: Original Viral Video.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Living With Tigers_ Family Share Home With Pet Tigers.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Messi The Puma is a Big Ol’ House Cat.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Habitats for Kids _ Learn all about deserts, forests, grasslands, mountains, and more.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Arctic Fox Facts & Characteristics of These Frosty Foxes.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Gadgets That Are Changing the World for People with Disabilities.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pixar’s Secret Formula For Making Perfect Films _ The Art Of Film.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 Pixar Story Rules That Make Characters Memorable.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Here Is Who Every Taylor Swift Song Is About _ A Complete Guide - by Billboard via SPIN.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Taylor Swift Comforts a Bullied Fan on Instagram.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How To Paint Monet's Water Lilies In Watercolor.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Paint Monet's Water Lilies with Acrylic Paint Step by Step _ Art Journal Thursday Ep. 26.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Red Panda's Secret Life_ Tree Climbing, Scent Marking, and More!.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cristiano Ronaldo _ The Life of a Football Legend _ The Dr Binocs Show _ Peekaboo Kidz.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ENCHANTED - TAYLOR SWIFT (versão português) _ Fagner Matos [Cover-Letra].mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dogs of War - The Hero Canines of WW2.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Volcanoes for Kids _ A fun and engaging introduction to volcanoes for children.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tiger Cub Meets Her Father for the First Time _ 4K UHD _ Dynasties _ BBC Earth.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tiger Teaches Her Cubs to Hunt _ David Attenborough _ Tiger _ Spy in the Jungle _ BBC Earth.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's time for the lowdown on one of nature's gentle giants! Check out our ten facts about the beautiful giraffe ...

Giraffe facts

1) Giraffes are found in the dry savannahs of Africa, where they roam among the open plains and woodlands.

2) Well known for their long necks, these gentle giants are the world's tallest living land animals. An adult male can grow to around 5.5m - that's taller than three adult humans!

(AD)

3) A giraffe's height is helpful for keeping a look out for predators, such as lions and hyenas. Their excellent eyesight allows them to spot hungry beasts from far away, too.

4) Herbivores, giraffes only eat plants. Their favourite grub is the acacia tree, and they use their long necks to reach the leaves and buds in the treetops. Their long tongues (which grow to a whopping 53cm!) also help them pull down leaves growing way up high.

5) And boy do these guys have an appetite! They spend most of their time eating, and can guzzle up to 45kg of leaves and twigs a day!

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable giraffe primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

6) Whilst they may eat a lot, giraffes don't drink much water. This is because they get most of their water from their leafy meals, and only need to drink once every few days.

7) Giraffes are very social animals and roam around in groups. These groups, called towers, typically have around 15 members led by an adult male. The other members are females and young males.

8) To see who is stronger, males (called bulls) fight by butting their long necks and heads. This is known as " necking ". These fights aren't usually dangerous, and end when one bull admits defeat and walks away.

9) Female giraffes give birth standing up. The result? Newborns are welcomed to the world with a 1.5m drop to the ground! Ouch! But these infants are quick to get on their feet - within 30 minutes they are standing, and only hours later they"re able to run with their mothers.

10) In the wild these beautiful creatures live for around 25 years. In captivity they live longer, and have been known to reach 40 years old.

Images ⓒ Getty Images: Giraffe and babies, (10014200). Picture of giraffe with baby: Photograph by Roman Murushkin, Dreamstime. Picture of a baby giraffe: Photograph by Lukas Blazek, Dreamstime. Picture of giraffes eating from trees: Photograph by Warrengoldswain, Dreamstime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 giraffe facts! - National Geographic Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ten facts about giraffes for kids. Learn where giraffes live, what they eat, how tall they grow and more here at National Geographic Kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Tiger facts

1) Tigers are the largest wild cats in the world.

Adults can weigh up to 363kg (that's about the same as ten ten year olds!) and measure up to 3.3m!

2) Tigers are carnivores, eating only meat.

They mainly feed on large mammals such as deer, wild pigs, antelope and buffalo.

(AD)

3) Tigers are solitary hunters, and generally search for food alone at night.

They quietly stalk their prey until they are close enough to pounce - then they kill their victim with a bite to the neck or back of the head. Ouch!

4) Tigers are good swimmers!

Unlike most members of the cat family, they like water and often cool off in pools or streams.

5) A tiger's roar can be heard as far as three kilometres away.

SO when they want to be heard, you'll know about it, gang!

6) At full speed, tigers can reach up to 65km/h.

That's right - they may be big and heavy, but tigers are by no means slow movers!

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable tiger primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

7) These fierce felines have walked the earth for a long time.

Fossil remains of tigers found in parts of China are believed to be 2 million years old. Yikes!

8) No two tigers have the same stripes.

Since every tiger has their own pattern on their fur, they are all unique!

9) Today, there are five subspecies of tiger.

These subspecies are the Bengal tiger, South China tiger, Indochinese tiger, Sumatran tiger and Amur tiger (also known as Siberian tiger). Sadly, three subspecies of tiger have become extinct - the Caspian, Bali and Javan.

10) Less than 100 years ago, tigers could be found throughout Asia.

Sadly, hunting and habitat loss have put populations at risk, and today their range has been reduced to around 7% of its former size. That's why we need to do all we can to protect these beautiful beasts!

Discover more roar-some big cats! Visit our lion facts, leopard facts, cheetah facts, jaguar facts or lynx facts articles to find out about these cool creatures.

Love our tiger facts? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Adults can weigh up to 363kg (that's about the same as ten ten year olds!) and measure up to 3.3m! They mainly feed on large mammals such as deer, wild pigs, antelope and buffalo. (AD) They quietly stalk their prey until they are close enough to pounce - then they kill their victim with a bite to the neck or back of the head.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Raising Arctic Fox Cubs _ Animal Super Parents _ BBC Earth.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
All About Foxes for Kids Facts II About Arctic Foxes and Their Characteristics.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pros & cons of kids using digital technology.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How The Internet Works_ _ What Is Internet_ _ Dr Binocs Show _ Kids Learning Video _ Peekaboo Kidz.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Arctic foxes have several adaptations that allow them to survive. Their round, compact bodies minimize surface area that is exposed to the cold air. Their muzzle, ears, and legs are short, which also conserves heat. Of course, the defining feature of the Arctic fox is their deep, thick fur which allows them to maintain a consistent body temperature. Arctic foxes also have thick fur on their paws, which allows them to walk on both snow and ice.

Named for the San Joaquin Valley in California where they live, San Joaquin kit foxes are small and secretive. They have big ears, long bushy tails and furry toes that help to keep them cool in the hot and dry Central Valley environment.

The swift fox is an indicator species - it can tell us a lot about the health of its grassland ecosystem. Swift foxes need large, unbroken expanses of short-grass prairie and healthy populations of prey to survive.

Defenders is working to prevent the loss of our most vulnerable wildlife species, particularly in the Arctic, where the effects of climate change are most evident. We are advocating for no drilling on the Arctic Refuge, the protection of habitat corridors that allow wildlife to move between the refuge and Canada, and funding for on-the-ground research to better understand how warmer temperatures are affecting wildlife.

Defenders of Wildlife's California office works tirelessly to save San Joaquin kit fox habitat and helps to protect native grasslands in one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Defenders' alliance with the California Cattlemen's Association and its California Rangeland Conservation Coalition is working to restore 13 million acres of rangelands in the Central Valley-1 million acres that are vital kit fox habitat.

The Blackfeet Indian Nation and Defenders of Wildlife were the first to attempt a swift fox reintroduction effort in the United States. From 1998 to 2002, the Blackfeet Fish and Wildlife Department and Defenders of Wildlife reintroduced 123 captive-reared swift fox to the 1.5 million-acre Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana. The effort was a success: swift foxes are now well established in this part of the Montana prairie. The Assiniboine and Sioux tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in eastern Montana began reintroducing swift fox in 2006.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Arctic foxes have several adaptations that allow them to survive. Their round, compact bodies minimize surface area that is exposed to the cold air. Their muzzle, ears, and legs are short, which also conserves heat. Of course, the defining feature of the Arctic fox is their deep, thick fur which allows them to maintain a consistent body temperature.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Consequences for kids' of endless screen time.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
THE BEST SOCCER PLAYERS In The World ⚽️.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Soccer (Football)

The sport of soccer (called football in most of the world) is considered to be the world's most popular sport. In soccer there are two teams of eleven players. Soccer is played on a large grass field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to get the soccer ball into the opposing team's goal. The key to soccer is that, with the exception of the goalie, players cannot touch the ball with their hands, they can only kick, knee, or head the ball to advance it or score a goal.

Soccer is played at all levels throughout the world from small kids leagues to professional and international teams. Perhaps the most famous soccer tournament is the World Cup. Held every four years, the World Cup is a soccer competition among countries and is one of the most watched events in the world.

One of the reasons soccer is so popular is that it really only takes a ball and a flat open area to play. Kids throughout the world will make up fields and goals just about anywhere and start playing the game. The game is also fun and competitive.

Soccer is a great form of exercise as there is lots of running for good distances. The sport is also a good test of dexterity and a great way to learn balance.

Many people consider soccer at its highest level to be so beautiful as to be practically an art form. The skill at which great players and great soccer teams work the ball, strategize, and flow as one can be an awesome thing to watch.

Soccer Games

Crazy Freekick
Funny Soccer
Flicking Soccer

More Soccer Links:

Back to Soccer

Back to Sports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Soccer: Learn all about the sport of Soccer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Soccer (Football) The sport of soccer (called football in most of the world) is considered to be the world's most popular sport. In soccer there are two teams of eleven players. Soccer is played on a large grass field with a goal at each end.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Read The Best Soccer Players of All Time on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read The Best Soccer Players of All Time on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Instantly access The Best Soccer Players of All Time plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Read National Geographic Kids Everything Soccer on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read National Geographic Kids Everything Soccer on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
National Geographic Kids Everything Soccer kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
outdoor ball and goal game, also called association football or simply football. The first recorded game probably was that on a Shrove Tuesday in Derby, England, part of a festival to celebrate a victory over a contingent of Roman troops (AD 217). By

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) made its debut in 2001. Eight teams participated, and Brandi Chastain's Bay Area CyberRays won the inaugural league championship over Atlanta. The league disbanded in 2003.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cats Vs Dogs_ Which Makes a Better Pet_.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A cat walked hundreds of miles to find its way home in Hibbing, Minnesota.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cats for Kids: Learn about the house cat or domesticated cat

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about all sorts of cats including lions and tigers to the house or domesticated cat. Why do cats make good pets?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cats are one of the most beloved animals in the world. They are graceful, agile and playful, and they make wonderful companions. There are also many intriguing facts about cats that you might not know! From their amazing sense of smell to their extraordinary jumping abilities, here are the Top 10 Facts about cats.

1. Cats can jump up to 6 times their height.

That's right!

Cats are really good jumpers and can jump really high.

You can often see them on the top of a garden fence or on a really high wall!

They have very strong muscles in their legs which catapults them into the air

Embed from Getty Images

2. They have a total of 18 toes.

That's a lot of toes!

Cats have 5 toes on each of their front paws.

They then have four toes on their back paws.

Embed from Getty Images

3. There are over 500 million pet cats!

There are lots of cats across the world as they are one of the most popular pets to have.

According to PDSA, in the UK, 51% of adults own a cat!

4. Cats sleep for around 13 to 16 hours a day (70% of their life).

Have you ever noticed that cats are always sleeping?

They do this to save their energy.

In the wild they would be saving their energy to go and hunt for their food.

House cats obviously don't need to do this but it just comes naturally to them.

Embed from Getty Images

5. 1 year of a cats life equals to 15 years of a humans live.

Cats age much faster than humans and live for a shorter amount of time.

This means that when a cat is 1 year old, that actually equals to 15 human years!

Check out these cute cats.

6. One of the largest domestic cat breeds is a Maine Coon.

The Maine Coon is one of the largest domestic cat breeds there is.

In fact, the Guinness World Records gave Barivel, a Maine Coon, the award for being the longest domestic cat ever!

Barivel is 120cm long and lives in Italy.

Embed from Getty Images

7. The smallest cat breed is a Singapura.

The smallest cat breed is the Singapura.

It originates from Singapore.

They are around half the size of a normal house cat.

Look at these funny pictures of cats sitting on dogs!

Embed from Getty Images

8. Purring means a cat is content.

Most of the time a cat will purr when it is happy and content.

This is mostly when it is getting a nice stroke from it's owner.

They use their purr as a way of communication.

9. A cat can run up to 30mph.

Cats are very speedy.

They can run up to 30mph.

That's about as fast as a car will travel on a typical road!

Embed from Getty Images

10. The oldest cat was 38 years old.

The oldest recorded living cat lived up to 38 years old.

He was called Creme Puff!

Most domestic cats live for around 16 - 17 years.

More things about Cats to read!

Send us your favourite facts!

Is there something we've missed? Got a fact you're dying to tell us? Submit it below and we could use it on a future Top 10 Facts page!

Remember to always ask an adult before filling out forms online.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top 10 Facts About Cats! - Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Cats are one of the most beloved animals in the world. They are graceful, agile and playful, and they make wonderful companions. There are also many intriguing facts about cats more "

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The domestic cat, or house cat, is a small mammal that has lived among people for thousands of years. People have kept cats as pets, used them as hunters, and even worshipped…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Unsung Heroes of the Arctic - Ep. 3 _ Wildlife_ The Big Freeze.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Anuj Tiwari

While we continue to live in a world that has yet to make its corners more accessible to specially-abled and the elderly. There are people all over the world who are trying to bridge the gap using technology. From an off-road wheelchair to a swimming ramp for physically impaired people, here are some of the most brilliant accessibility inventions:

Zack Nelson designed an off-road wheelchair so that his wife can go places she never imagined, It's now up for mass-production.

This Rubik's cube is specially designed in braille, for the visually impaired.

The carousel in Hong Kong has sea turtles mounted on the ground for physically impaired children.

The toilet meant for differently-abled, in Berlin Airport, there is an emergency alarm line on the toilet floor, in case someone falls to the ground or needs assistance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
inventions designed for people with disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
18 Brilliant Inventions That Make Life Easier For People With Disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
While we continue to live in a world that has yet to make its corners more accessible to specially-abled and the elderly. There are people all over the world who are trying to bridge the gap using technology.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There's something called the "Curb-Cut Effect." Research institute PolicyLink describes it as "a vibrant illustration of how laws and programs designed to benefit vulnerable groups, such as the disabled or people of color, often end up benefiting all."

We live in a world that's largely made for people who can see, hear, walk and talk with little or no difficulty. However, we also live in a world where 1 billion people have some form of disability, and one-fifth of those (110 to 190 million) have significant disabilities, according to the World Bank. Many times, these people need special adaptations in order to thrive in the world. But the cool thing is that often the products or adaptations invented for people with disabilities end up being used and enjoyed by people of all abilities.

In case you're wondering what a curb cut is, you'll find out as it's one of the items on our following list of eight. Some of these you encounter almost every day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Everyday Items Originally Invented for People With Disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There's something called the "Curb-Cut Effect." Research institute PolicyLink describes it as "a vibrant illustration of how laws and programs designed to benefit vulnerable groups, such as the disabled or people of color, often end up benefiting all." We live in a world that's largely made for people who can see, hear, walk and talk with little or no difficulty.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Having a disability is tiring. Every day you have to plan for things that other people just don't have to. Yet, most "disability awareness" content, for Disability Pride Month and other occasions, tends to emphasize disabled peoples' capabilities and resilience, while avoiding anything that might suggest pity or inherent hardship.

There are solid reasons for this. It's important to counteract the low expectations for disabled people that drive much of disability discrimination. Many disabled people want very much to project positivity, to the broader community and to themselves and each other as well. And it's hard to figure out how to talk about the real barriers disabled people face, without sounding self-pitying or pleading.

But it's worth revisiting now and then exactly what makes everyday life different for people with disabilities. The point isn't to generate pity, or even empathy exactly. The goal is to foster practical knowledge of disabled life, so disabled people's needs might be better anticipated, and so their requests for accommodation are more readily accepted and met, rather than doubted, picked apart, and denied.

Every disabled person's disabilities, experiences, and needs are different. And disabled and non-disabled people are still more alike than they are different. But here are seven things disabled people have to think about everyday - things that most non-disabled people simply don't:

1. How far will I have to wheel, walk, or navigate?

When you go shopping, you have to be able to get from your car, (or subway, bus, taxi, or a friend's car), into the grocery store, and of course back with your purchases. When you have an errand to run - like a doctor visit, business meeting, or benefits appointment - you often have to get yourself from the office you thought you were supposed to visit to the office they say you're supposed to go to. These kinds of appointments rarely go as planned, and when you have a disability, you have to plan for that too.

Wheelchair users have to worry whether the terrain will be level and smooth, or if there are stairs in the way, with or without safely constructed ramps. A lot of people with mobility disabilities do walk, but still have similar concerns about pathways, along with distance. Meanwhile, people who are blind or visually impaired need to think about navigation - how to get from place to place in unfamiliar environments that may be complex and full of unexpected barriers.

Everyday "walking around" and "taking care of business" that most people do almost without thinking takes a lot of planning and care for people with disabilities. This can be as cognitively taxing and emotionally stressful, if not more, than it is physically taxing.

2. Is there accessible, timely, reliable transportation?

Many disabled people drive and have their own accessible vehicles. But many disabled people don't. They must depend on public transportation, taxis and services like Uber and Lyft, or rides from family or friends.

When you have a disability that affects mobility, every task outside your home involves more than not just your own capabilities. It forces you to ask whether transportation provided by other people is going to be available where you are going, whether or not it's going to be on time, and if it's genuinely accessible. Despite your own best efforts, the tiniest failures by other people and transportation systems can throw all of your plans into chaos.

As a result, when you have disabilities, the smallest errands in your own town can be as complicated and exhausting as a day of air travel in crowded airports.

3. Will there be a place to sit down?

It's not so bad tiring yourself out to get somewhere if there's a place to sit and rest when you arrive. But disabled people can never be quite sure there will be a chair, a bench, or even a wall to lean against. This is an especially urgent concern for outdoor events, farmer's markets and amusement parks, as well as large, unfamiliar buildings like hospitals, government buildings, schools, and shopping malls.

Being confident ahead of time that there will be a place to rest can make a whole outing better and more feasible. Not knowing, or knowing there won't be suitable places to rest, can easily prompt a disabled person to curb their plans, or abruptly cut an outing short.

4. Will I be able to go to the restroom?

This is a big one, especially for wheelchair users, or anyone who needs extra space and accessibility to use the toilet in a safe and dignified way.

On the plus side, it's one of the accessibility concerns that is itself most accessible to non-disabled people. It's easy to understand. The importance is obvious. What's probably less well known is the decision-making process in which most wheelchair users have to weigh the pain and even risk of "holding it" if there isn't an accessible restroom, versus simply not going, not participating in whatever the thing is. Lack of an accessible restroom really can prevent some disabled people from eating at a restaurant, attending a meeting, voting at a polling site, or attending a family reunion.

It's also important to note that restroom accessibility is difficult to test beforehand. Wheelchair users are often told in good faith that a restaurant or event will have an accessible restroom. Only later do they find that it's improperly designed, or not accessible enough to be usable by them, with their particular disabilities. The "accessible" restroom that isn't accessible is a particularly frustrating, limiting and humiliating "bait and switch" that people with disabilities know all too well.

5. Will the place be crowded, noisy, and chaotic?

Anyone with difficulty walking, wheeling, or balancing has to be concerned and vigilant about the size and mood of anticipated crowds.

The worry isn't so much deliberate violence or calculated chaos. The greatest risk is the careless, inattentive, random, (or drunken), moving about of people who take for granted a certain level of physical confidence and stability. It's people who are mostly unaware of how precarious it can be for people with disabilities to simply be safe in a confined space with a lot of other people.

This isn't just a concern for people who use wheelchairs, canes, crutches, or walkers. Deaf and hard of hearing people have to worry about excessive noise, and sight lines to see printed instructions or Sign Language interpreting, (if it's even provided). Blind and visually impaired people have to think about navigating crowded spaces safely too. And people with sensory issues, including many people with autism, can have widely varying tolerances for noisy crowds.

Most disabled people want to socialize. But they have a lot of extra things to think about and try to plan for when crowds are involved.

6. Will I earn or save a little too much money this month?

Not all of disabled people's worries are so physical and immediate. Some of the worst problems are bureaucratic. They are more abstract, technical, and arbitrary. But they can do far worse than ruin a disabled person's day. They can upend a disabled person's whole life and independence.

For instance, disabled people who depend on government benefits and healthcare, but want to work and save, have to worry about accidentally losing eligibility for support. It's the classic disability conundrum. Not working, or working less, can be more financially stable, if not more lucrative, than trying to work and develop some degree of financial independence.

In the U.S. there are rules designed to allow a gradual transition from benefits to full self-sufficiency. But a few more hours of work, a few more dollars earned or saved per month can still mean losing Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, or other benefits like Food Stamps or heating assistance - while the disabled person's earnings aren't nearly enough to make up for the loss. And even if benefits aren't fully lost, there is still the risk of overpayments, which can set up staggering, demoralizing debts that take years to pay off. It all complicates and even sometimes turns upside down the calculations most people make about earning a living, living by a work ethic, and pursuing a satisfying career.

Earning and saving too much money is a backwards problem that millions of disabled people don't just know firsthand, but have no choice but to obsess over.

7. Will I encounter someone who stares, makes ableist comments, or refuses to deal with me at all?

As many disabled people will readily admit, today's world is mostly a friendlier place for people with disabilities than it used to be. Interpersonal ableism - like insensitive comments, rude staring, or outright discrimination - is much less common, or at least much different, than it was for disabled people 50 years ago.

But most disabled people also know that they can run into ableism any day, any time, in any situation. This can be anything from merely annoying to devastating and emotionally traumatizing interactions with people who, out of the blue, turn out to still have gut-level problems dealing with disabled people politely and appropriately.

Any fully accessible appointment, errand, or event can be ruined by an awkward or insulting encounter. Other people's ableism is never far from disabled people's minds.

One of the best ways to be helpful to people with disabilities is to do whatever is in your power to whittle away at this list of worries. And the first step is knowing about them. It helps just to remember that whatever level of success a disabled person might show on the surface, there's a ton of extra planning and strategizing behind it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Things Disabled People Have To Think About Every Day

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here are seven things disabled people have to think about everyday - things that most non-disabled people simply don't.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Read Inventions in Communication on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Inventions in Communication on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inventions in Communication kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inventions and Inventors kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Read Tremendous Technology Inventions on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

Get Started

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Tremendous Technology Inventions on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tremendous Technology Inventions kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Read Everyday Inventions Inspired by Nature on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Everyday Inventions Inspired by Nature on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Instantly access Everyday Inventions Inspired by Nature plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cite

Adrenaline:

(isolation of) John Jacob Abel, U.S., 1897.

Aerosol can:

Erik Rotheim, Norway, 1926.

Air brake:

George Westinghouse, U.S., 1868.

Air conditioning:

Willis Carrier, U.S., 1911.

Airship:

(non-rigid) Henri Giffard, France, 1852; (rigid) Ferdinand von Zeppelin, Germany, 1900.

Aluminum manufacture:

(by electrolytic action) Charles M. Hall, U.S., 1866.

Anatomy, human:

(De fabrica corporis humani, an illustrated systematic study of the human body) Andreas Vesalius, Belgium, 1543; (comparative: parts of an organism are correlated to the functioning whole) Georges Cuvier, France, 1799-1805.

Anesthetic:

(first use of anesthetic-ether-on humans) Crawford W. Long, U.S., 1842.

Antibiotics:

Antiseptic:

(surgery) Joseph Lister, England, 1867.

Antitoxin, diphtheria:

Emil von Behring, Germany, 1890.

Appliances, electric:

(fan) Schuyler Wheeler, U.S., 1882; (flatiron) Henry W. Seely, U.S., 1882; (stove) Hadaway, U.S., 1896; (washing machine) Alva Fisher, U.S., 1906.

Aqualung:

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Emile Gagnan, France, 1943.

Aspirin:

Dr. Felix Hoffman, Germany, 1899.

Astronomical calculator:

The Antikythera device, Greece, first century B.C.. Found off island of Antikythera in 1900.

Atom:

(nuclear model of) Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911.

Atomic structure:

(formulated nuclear model of atom, Rutherford model) Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911; (proposed current concept of atomic structure, the Bohr model) Niels Bohr, Denmark, 1913.

Atomic theory:

(ancient) Leucippus, Democritus, Greece, c. 500 B.C.; Lucretius, Rome c.100 B.C.; (modern) John Dalton, England, 1808.

Automobile:

Autopilot:

(for aircraft) Elmer A. Sperry, U.S., c.1910, first successful test, 1912, in a Curtiss flying boat.

Avogadro's law:

(equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal number of molecules) Amedeo Avogadro, Italy, 1811.

Bacteria:

Anton van Leeuwenhoek, The Netherlands, 1683.

Balloon, hot-air:

Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier, France, 1783.

Barbed wire:

(most popular) Joseph E. Glidden, U.S., 1873.

Bar codes (computer-scanned binary signal code):

(retail trade use) Monarch Marking, U.S. 1970; (industrial use) Plessey Telecommunications, England, 1970.

Barometer:

Evangelista Torricelli, Italy, 1643.

Bicycle:

Karl D. von Sauerbronn, Germany, 1816; (first modern model) James Starley, England, 1884.

Big Bang theory:

Blood, circulation of:

William Harvey, England, 1628.

Boyle's law:

(relation between pressure and volume in gases) Robert Boyle, Ireland, 1662.

Braille:

Louis Braille, France, 1829.

Bridges:

(suspension, iron chains) James Finley, Pa., 1800; (wire suspension) Marc Seguin, Lyons, 1825; (truss) Ithiel Town, U.S., 1820.

Bullet:

(conical) Claude Minié, France, 1849.

Calculating machine:

(logarithms: made multiplying easier and thus calculators practical) John Napier, Scotland, 1614; (slide rule) William Oughtred, England, 1632; (digital calculator) Blaise Pascal, 1642; (multiplication machine) Gottfried Leibniz, Germany, 1671; (important 19th-century contributors to modern machine) Frank S. Baldwin, Jay R. Monroe, Dorr E. Felt, W. T. Ohdner, William Burroughs, all U.S.; ("analytical engine" design, included concepts of programming, taping) Charles Babbage, England, 1835.

Calculus:

Isaac Newton, England, 1669; (differential calculus) Gottfried Leibniz, Germany, 1684.

Camera:

(hand-held) George Eastman, U.S., 1888; (Polaroid Land) Edwin Land, U.S., 1948.

"Canals" of Mars:

Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italy, 1877.

Carpet sweeper:

Melville R. Bissell, U.S., 1876.

Car radio:

William Lear, Elmer Wavering, U.S., 1929, manufactured by Galvin Manufacturing Co., "Motorola."

Cells:

Cement, Portland:

Joseph Aspdin, England, 1824.

Chewing gum:

(spruce-based) John Curtis, U.S., 1848; (chicle-based) Thomas Adams, U.S., 1870.

Cholera bacterium:

Robert Koch, Germany, 1883.

Circuit, integrated:

(theoretical) G.W.A. Dummer, England, 1952; (phase-shift oscillator) Jack S. Kilby, Texas Instruments, U.S., 1959.

Classification of plants:

(first modern, based on comparative study of forms) Andrea Cesalpino, Italy, 1583; (classification of plants and animals by genera and species) Carolus Linnaeus, Sweden, 1737-1753.

Clock, pendulum:

Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1656.

Coca-Cola:

John Pemberton, U.S., 1886.

Combustion:

(nature of) Antoine Lavoisier, France, 1777.

Compact disk:

RCA, U.S., 1972.

Computers:

(first design of analytical engine) Charles Babbage, 1830s; (ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator, first all-electronic, completed) John Presper Eckert, Jr., John Mauchly, U.S., 1945; (dedicated at University of Pennsylvania) 1946; (UNIVAC, Universal Automatic Computer, handled both numeric and alphabetic data) 1951; (personal computer) Steve Wozniak, U.S., 1976.

Concrete:

(reinforced) Joseph Monier, France, 1877.

Condensed milk:

Gail Borden, U.S., 1853.

Conditioned reflex:

Ivan Pavlov, Russia, c.1910.

Conservation of electric charge:

(the total electric charge of the universe or any closed system is constant) Benjamin Franklin, U.S., 1751-1754.

Contagion theory:

(infectious diseases caused by living agent transmitted from person to person) Girolamo Fracastoro, Italy, 1546.

Continental drift theory:

(geographer who pieced together continents into a single landmass on maps) Antonio Snider-Pellegrini, France, 1858; (first proposed in lecture) Frank Taylor, U.S. 1912; (first comprehensive detailed theory) Alfred Wegener, Germany, 1912.

Contraceptive, oral:

Gregory Pincus, Min Chuch Chang, John Rock, Carl Djerassi, U.S., 1951.

Converter, Bessemer:

William Kelly, U.S., 1851.

Cosmetics:

Egypt, c. 4000 B.C.

Cosmic string theory:

(first postulated) Thomas Kibble, UK, 1976.

Cotton gin:

Crossbow:

China, c. 300 B.C.

Cyclotron:

Ernest O. Lawrence, U.S., 1931.

Defibrillator:

Dr. William Bennett Kouwenhoven, U.S., 1932; (implantable) M. Stephen Heilman, MD, Dr. Alois Langer, Morton Mower, MD, Michel Mirowski, MD, 1980.

Deuterium:

(heavy hydrogen) Harold Urey, U.S., 1931.

Disease:

(chemicals in treatment of) crusaded by Philippus Paracelsus, 1527-1541; (germ theory) Louis Pasteur, France, 1862-1877.

DNA:

(deoxyribonucleic acid) Friedrich Meischer, Germany, 1869; (determination of double-helical structure) F. H. Crick, England and James D. Watson, U.S., 1953.

Dye:

(aniline, start of synthetic dye industry) William H. Perkin, England, 1856.

Dynamite:

Alfred Nobel, Sweden, 1867.

Electric cooking utensil:

(first) patented by St. George Lane-Fox, England, 1874.

Electric generator (dynamo):

Electric lamp:

(arc lamp) Sir Humphrey Davy, England, 1801; (fluorescent lamp) A.E. Becquerel, France, 1867; (incandescent lamp) Sir Joseph Swann, England, Thomas A. Edison, U.S., contemporaneously, 1870s; (carbon arc street lamp) Charles F. Brush, U.S., 1879; (first widely marketed incandescent lamp) Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1879; (mercury vapor lamp) Peter Cooper Hewitt, U.S., 1903; (neon lamp) Georges Claude, France, 1911; (tungsten filament) Irving Langmuir, U.S., 1915.

Electrocardiography:

Demonstrated by Augustus Waller, Switzerland, 1887; (first practical device for recording activity of heart) Willem Einthoven, 1903, Netherlands.

Electromagnet:

William Sturgeon, England, 1823.

Electron:

Sir Joseph J. Thompson, England, 1897.

Electronic mail:

Ray Tomlinson, U.S., 1972.

Elevator, passenger:

(safety device permitting use by passengers) Elisha G. Otis, U.S., 1852; (elevator utilizing safety device) 1857.

E = mc²:

(equivalence of mass and energy) Albert Einstein, Switzerland, 1907.

Engine, internal combustion:

Evolution:

(organic) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, France, 1809; (by natural selection) Charles Darwin, England, 1859.

Exclusion principle:

(no two electrons in an atom can occupy the same energy level) Wolfgang Pauli, Germany, 1925.

Expanding universe theory:

(first proposed) George LeMaitre, Belgium, 1927; (discovered first direct evidence that the universe is expanding) Edwin P. Hubble, U.S., 1929; (Hubble constant: a measure of the rate at which the universe is expanding) Edwin P. Hubble, U.S., 1929.

Falling bodies, law of:

Galileo Galilei, Italy, 1590.

Fermentation:

(microorganisms as cause of) Louis Pasteur, France, c.1860.

Fiber optics:

Narinder Kapany, England, 1955.

Fibers, man-made:

(nitrocellulose fibers treated to change flammable nitrocellulose to harmless cellulose, precursor of rayon) Sir Joseph Swann, England, 1883; (rayon) Count Hilaire de Chardonnet, France, 1889; (Celanese) Henry and Camille Dreyfuss, U.S., England, 1921; (research on polyesters and polyamides, basis for modern man-made fibers) U.S., England, Germany, 1930s; (nylon) Wallace H. Carothers, U.S., 1935.

Frozen food:

Clarence Birdseye, U.S., 1924.

Gene transfer:

(recombinant DNA organism) Herbert Boyer, Stanley Cohen, U.S., 1973; (human) Steven Rosenberg, R. Michael Blaese, W. French Anderson, U.S., 1989.

Geometry, elements of:

Euclid, Alexandria, Egypt, c. 300 B.C.; (analytic) René Descartes, France; and Pierre de Fermat, Switzerland, 1637.

Gravitation, law of:

Sir Isaac Newton, England, c.1665 (published 1687).

Gunpowder:

China, c.700.

Gyrocompass:

Elmer A. Sperry, U.S., 1905.

Gyroscope:

Jean Léon Foucault, France, 1852.

Halley's Comet:

Edmund Halley, England, 1705.

Heart implanted in human, permanent artificial:

Dr. Robert Jarvik, U.S., 1982.

Heart, temporary artificial:

Willem Kolff, Netherlands, U.S., 1957.

Helicopter:

(double rotor) Heinrich Focke, Germany, 1936; (single rotor) Igor Sikorsky, U.S., 1939.

Helium first observed on sun:

Sir Joseph Lockyer, England, 1868.

Heredity, laws of:

Gregor Mendel, Austria, 1865.

Holograph:

Dennis Gabor, England, 1947.

Home videotape systems (VCR):

(Betamax) Sony, Japan, 1975; (VHS) Matsushita, Japan, 1975.

Ice age theory:

Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American, 1840.

Induction, electric:

Joseph Henry, U.S., 1828.

Insulin:

Intelligence testing:

Alfred Binet, Theodore Simon, France, 1905.

Interferon:

Alick Isaacs, England, Jean Lindemann, Switzerland, 1957.

Isotopes:

(concept of) Frederick Soddy, England, 1912; (stable isotopes) J. J. Thompson, England, 1913; (existence demonstrated by mass spectrography) Francis W. Aston, England, 1919.

Jet propulsion:

(engine) Sir Frank Whittle, England, Hans von Ohain, Germany, 1936; (aircraft) Heinkel He 178, 1939.

Kinetic theory of gases:

(molecules of a gas are in a state of rapid motion) Daniel Bernoulli, Switzerland, 1738.

Laser:

(theoretical work on) Charles H. Townes, Arthur L. Schawlow, U.S., N. Basov, A. Prokhorov, U.S.S.R., 1958; (first working model) T. H. Maiman, U.S., 1960.

Lawn mower:

Edwin Budding, John Ferrabee, England, 1830-1831.

LCD (liquid crystal display):

Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland, 1970.

Lens, bifocal:

Benjamin Franklin, U.S., c.1760.

Leyden jar:

(prototype electrical condenser) Canon E. G. von Kleist of Kamin, Pomerania, 1745; independently evolved by Cunaeus and P. van Musschenbroek, University of Leyden, Holland, 1746, from where name originated.

Light, nature of:

(wave theory) Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1678; (electromagnetic theory) James Clerk Maxwell, England, 1873.

Light, speed of:

Lightning rod:

Benjamin Franklin, U.S., 1752.

Lock, cylinder:

Linus Yale, U.S., 1851.

Locomotive:

(steam powered) Richard Trevithick, England, 1804; (first practical, due to multiple-fire-tube boiler) George Stephenson, England, 1829; (largest steam-powered) Union Pacific's "Big Boy," U.S., 1941.

Loom:

(horizontal, two-beamed) Egypt, c. 4400 B.C.; (Jacquard drawloom, pattern controlled by punch cards) Jacques de Vaucanson, France, 1745, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, 1801; (flying shuttle) John Kay, England, 1733; (power-driven loom) Edmund Cartwright, England, 1785.

Machine gun:

(hand-cranked multibarrel) Richard J. Gatling, U.S., 1862; (practical single barrel, belt-fed) Hiram S. Maxim, Anglo-American, 1884.

Magnet, Earth is:

William Gilbert, England, 1600.

Match:

(phosphorus) François Derosne, France, 1816; (friction) Charles Sauria, France, 1831; (safety) J. E. Lundstrom, Sweden, 1855.

Measles vaccine:

John F. Enders, Thomas Peebles, U.S., 1953.

Metric system:

revolutionary government of France, 1790-1801.

Microphone:

Charles Wheatstone, England, 1827.

Microscope:

(compound) Zacharias Janssen, The Netherlands, 1590; (electron) Vladimir Zworykin et al., U.S., Canada, Germany, 1932-1939.

Microwave oven:

Percy Spencer, U.S., 1947.

Motion, laws of:

Isaac Newton, England, 1687.

Motion pictures:

Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1893.

Motion pictures, sound:

Product of various inventions. First picture with synchronized musical score: Don Juan, 1926; with spoken dialogue: The Jazz Singer, 1927; both Warner Bros.

Motor, electric:

Michael Faraday, England, 1822; (alternating-current) Nikola Tesla, U.S., 1892.

Motorcycle:

(motor tricycle) Edward Butler, England, 1884; (gasoline-engine motorcycle) Gottlieb Daimler, Germany, 1885.

Moving assembly line:

Henry Ford, U.S., 1913.

Neptune:

(discovery of) Johann Galle, Germany, 1846.

Neptunium:

(first transuranic element, synthesis of) Edward M. McMillan, Philip H. Abelson, U.S., 1940.

Neutron:

James Chadwick, England, 1932.

Neutron-induced radiation:

Enrico Fermi et al., Italy, 1934.

Nitroglycerin:

Ascanio Sobrero, Italy, 1846.

Nuclear fission:

Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, Germany, 1938.

Nuclear reactor:

Enrico Fermi, Italy, et al., 1942.

Ohm's law:

(relationship between strength of electric current, electromotive force, and circuit resistance) Georg S. Ohm, Germany, 1827.

Oil well:

Edwin L. Drake, U.S., 1859.

Oxygen:

(isolation of) Joseph Priestley, England, 1774; Karl Scheele, Sweden, 1773.

Ozone:

Christian Schönbein, Germany, 1839.

Pacemaker:

(internal) Clarence W. Lillehie, Earl Bakk, U.S., 1957.

Paper:

China, c.100 A.D.

Parachute:

Louis S. Lenormand, France, 1783.

Pen:

(fountain) Lewis E. Waterman, U.S., 1884; (ball-point, for marking on rough surfaces) John H. Loud, U.S., 1888; (ball-point, for handwriting) Lazlo Biro, Argentina, 1944.

Periodic law:

(that properties of elements are functions of their atomic weights) Dmitri Mendeleev, Russia, 1869.

Periodic table:

(arrangement of chemical elements based on periodic law) Dmitri Mendeleev, Russia, 1869.

Phonograph:

Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1877.

Photography:

(first paper negative, first photograph, on metal) Joseph Nicéphore Niepce, France, 1816-1827; (discovery of fixative powers of hyposulfite of soda) Sir John Herschel, England, 1819; (first direct positive image on silver plate, the daguerreotype) Louis Daguerre, based on work with Niepce, France, 1839; (first paper negative from which a number of positive prints could be made) William Talbot, England, 1841. Work of these four men, taken together, forms basis for all modern photography. (First color images) Alexandre Becquerel, Claude Niepce de Saint-Victor, France, 1848-1860; (commercial color film with three emulsion layers, Kodachrome) U.S., 1935.

Photovoltaic effect:

(light falling on certain materials can produce electricity) Edmund Becquerel, France, 1839.

Piano:

(Hammerklavier) Bartolommeo Cristofori, Italy, 1709; (pianoforte with sustaining and damper pedals) John Broadwood, England, 1873.

Planetary motion, laws of:

Johannes Kepler, Germany, 1609, 1619.

Plant respiration and photosynthesis:

Jan Ingenhousz, Holland, 1779.

Plastics:

Plate tectonics:

Alfred Wegener, Germany, 1912-1915.

Plow, forked:

Mesopotamia, before 3000 B.C.

Plutonium, synthesis of:

Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, Arthur C. Wahl, Joseph W. Kennedy, U.S., 1941.

Polio, vaccine:

(experimentally safe dead-virus vaccine) Jonas E. Salk, U.S., 1952; (effective large-scale field trials) 1954; (officially approved) 1955; (safe oral live-virus vaccine developed) Albert B. Sabin, U.S., 1954; (available in the U.S.) 1960.

Positron:

Carl D. Anderson, U.S., 1932.

Pressure cooker:

(early version) Denis Papin, France, 1679.

Printing:

(block) Japan, c.700; (movable type) Korea, c.1400, Johann Gutenberg, Germany, c.1450; (lithography, offset) Aloys Senefelder, Germany, 1796; (rotary press) Richard Hoe, U.S., 1844; (linotype) Ottmar Mergenthaler, U.S., 1884.

Probability theory:

René Descartes, France, and Pierre de Fermat, Switzerland, 1654.

Proton:

Ernest Rutherford, England, 1919.

Prozac:

(antidepressant fluoxetine) Bryan B. Malloy, Scotland, and Klaus K. Schmiegel, U.S., 1972; (released for use in U.S.) Eli Lilly & Company, 1987.

Psychoanalysis:

Sigmund Freud, Austria, c.1904.

Pulsars:

Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell Burnel, England, 1967.

Quantum theory:

Quarks:

Quasars:

Marten Schmidt, U.S., 1963.

Rabies immunization:

Louis Pasteur, France, 1885.

Radar:

(limited to one-mile range) Christian Hulsmeyer, Germany, 1904; (pulse modulation, used for measuring height of ionosphere) Gregory Breit, Merle Tuve, U.S., 1925; (first practical radar-radio detection and ranging) Sir Robert Watson-Watt, Scotland, 1934-1935.

Radio:

(electromagnetism, theory of) James Clerk Maxwell, England, 1873; (spark coil, generator of electromagnetic waves) Heinrich Hertz, Germany, 1886; (first practical system of wireless telegraphy) Guglielmo Marconi, Italy, 1895; (first long-distance telegraphic radio signal sent across the Atlantic) Marconi, 1901; (vacuum electron tube, basis for radio telephony) Sir John Fleming, England, 1904; (triode amplifying tube) Lee de Forest, U.S., 1906; (regenerative circuit, allowing long-distance sound reception) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S., 1912; (frequency modulation-FM) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S., 1933.

Radioactivity:

Radiocarbon dating, carbon-14 method:

(discovered) Willard F. Libby, U.S., 1947; (first demonstrated) U.S., 1950.

Radio signals, extraterrestrial:

first known radio noise signals were received by U.S. engineer, Karl Jansky, originating from the Galactic Center, 1931.

Radio waves:

(cosmic sources, led to radio astronomy) Karl Jansky, U.S., 1932.

Razor:

(safety, successfully marketed) King Gillette, U.S., 1901; (electric) Jacob Schick, U.S., 1928, 1931.

Reaper:

Cyrus McCormick, U.S., 1834.

Refrigerator:

Alexander Twining, U.S., James Harrison, Australia, 1850; (first with a compressor device) the Domelse, Chicago, U.S., 1913.

Refrigerator ship:

(first) the Frigorifique, cooling unit designed by Charles Teller, France, 1877.

Relativity:

(special and general theories of) Albert Einstein, Switzerland, Germany, U.S., 1905-1953.

Revolver:

Samuel Colt, U.S., 1835.

Richter scale:

Charles F. Richter, U.S., 1935.

Rifle:

(muzzle-loaded) Italy, Germany, c.1475; (breech-loaded) England, France, Germany, U.S., c.1866; (bolt-action) Paul von Mauser, Germany, 1889; (automatic) John Browning, U.S., 1918.

Rocket:

(liquid-fueled) Robert Goddard, U.S., 1926.

Roller bearing:

(wooden for cartwheel) Germany or France, c.100 B.C.

Rotation of Earth:

Jean Bernard Foucault, France, 1851.

Royal Observatory, Greenwich:

established in 1675 by Charles II of England; John Flamsteed first Astronomer Royal.

Rubber:

(vulcanization process) Charles Goodyear, U.S., 1839.

Saccharin:

Constantine Fuhlberg, Ira Remsen, U.S., 1879.

Safety pin:

Walter Hunt, U.S., 1849.

Saturn, ring around:

Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1659.

"Scotch" tape:

Richard Drew, U.S., 1929.

Screw propeller:

Sir Francis P. Smith, England, 1836; John Ericsson, England, worked independently of and simultaneously with Smith, 1837.

Seat belt:

(three point) Nils Bohlin, Sweden, 1962.

Seismograph:

(first accurate) John Milne, England, 1880.

Sewing machine:

Elias Howe, U.S., 1846; (continuous stitch) Isaac Singer, U.S., 1851.

Solar energy:

First realistic application of solar energy using parabolic solar reflector to drive caloric engine on steam boiler, John Ericsson, U.S., 1860s.

Solar system, universe:

Spectrum:

(heterogeneity of light) Sir Isaac Newton, England, 1665-1666.

Spectrum analysis:

Gustav Kirchhoff, Robert Bunsen, Germany, 1859.

Spermatozoa:

Anton van Leeuwenhoek, The Netherlands, 1683.

Spinning:

Star catalog:

(first modern) Tycho Brahe, Denmark, 1572.

Steam engine:

Steamship:

Stethoscope:

René Laënnec, France, 1819.

Sulfa drugs:

(parent compound, para-aminobenzenesulfanomide) Paul Gelmo, Austria, 1908; (antibacterial activity) Gerhard Domagk, Germany, 1935.

Superconductivity:

(theory) John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, John Scheiffer, U.S., 1957.

Symbolic logic:

George Boule, 1854; (modern) Bertrand Russell, Alfred North Whitehead, England, 1910-1913.

Tank, military:

Sir Ernest Swinton, England, 1914.

Tape recorder:

(magnetic steel tape) Valdemar Poulsen, Denmark, 1899.

Teflon:

DuPont, U.S., 1943.

Telegraph:

Telephone:

Alexander Graham Bell, U.S., 1876.

Telescope:

Hans Lippershey, The Netherlands, 1608; (astronomical) Galileo Galilei, Italy, 1609; (reflecting) Isaac Newton, England, 1668.

Television:

Thermodynamics:

Thermometer:

(open-column) Galileo Galilei, c.1593; (clinical) Santorio Santorio, Padua, c.1615; (mercury, also Fahrenheit scale) Gabriel D. Fahrenheit, Germany, 1714; (centigrade scale) Anders Celsius, Sweden, 1742; (absolute-temperature, or Kelvin, scale) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.

Tire, pneumatic:

Robert W. Thompson, England, 1845; (bicycle tire) John B. Dunlop, Northern Ireland, 1888.

Toilet, flush:

Product of Minoan civilization, Crete, c. 2000 B.C. Alleged invention by "Thomas Crapper" is untrue.

Tractor:

Benjamin Holt, U.S., 1900.

Transformer, electric:

William Stanley, U.S., 1885.

Transistor:

Tuberculosis bacterium:

Robert Koch, Germany, 1882.

Typewriter:

Uncertainty principle:

(that position and velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time) Werner Heisenberg, Germany, 1927.

Uranus:

(first planet discovered in recorded history) William Herschel, England, 1781.

Vaccination:

Edward Jenner, England, 1796.

Vacuum cleaner:

(manually operated) Ives W. McGaffey, U.S., 1869; (electric) Hubert C. Booth, England, 1901; (upright) J. Murray Spangler, U.S., 1907.

Van Allen (radiation) Belt:

(around Earth) James Van Allen, U.S., 1958.

Video disk:

Philips Co., The Netherlands, 1972.

Vitamins:

(hypothesis of disease deficiency) Sir F. G. Hopkins, Casimir Funk, England, 1912; (vitamin A) Elmer V. McCollum, M. Davis, U.S., 1912-1914; (vitamin B) McCollum, U.S., 1915-1916; (thiamin, B₁) Casimir Funk, England, 1912; (riboflavin, B₂) D. T. Smith, E. G. Hendrick, U.S., 1926; (niacin) Conrad Elvehjem, U.S., 1937; (B₆) Paul Gyorgy, U.S., 1934; (vitamin C) C. A. Hoist, T. Froelich, Norway, 1912; (vitamin D) McCollum, U.S., 1922; (folic acid) Lucy Wills, England, 1933.

Voltaic pile:

(forerunner of modern battery, first source of continuous electric current) Alessandro Volta, Italy, 1800.

Wallpaper:

Europe, 16th and 17th century.

Wassermann test:

(for syphilis) August von Wassermann, Germany, 1906.

Wheel:

(cart, solid wood) Mesopotamia, c.3800-3600 B.C.

Windmill:

Persia, c.600.

World Wide Web:

(developed while working at CERN) Tim Berners-Lee, England, 1989; (development of Mosaic browser makes WWW available for general use) Marc Andreeson, U.S., 1993.

Xerography:

Chester Carlson, U.S., 1938.

Yellow Fever:

(transmission of) Walter Reed, U.S., 1900.

Zero:

India, c. 600; (absolute zero temperature, cessation of all molecular energy) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.

Zipper:

W. L. Judson, U.S., 1891.

Adrenaline:

(isolation of) John Jacob Abel, U.S., 1897.

Aerosol can:

Erik Rotheim, Norway, 1926.

Air brake:

George Westinghouse, U.S., 1868.

Air conditioning:

Willis Carrier, U.S., 1911.

Airship:

(non-rigid) Henri Giffard, France, 1852; (rigid) Ferdinand von Zeppelin, Germany, 1900.

Aluminum manufacture:

(by electrolytic action) Charles M. Hall, U.S., 1866.

Anatomy, human:

(De fabrica corporis humani, an illustrated systematic study of the human body) Andreas Vesalius, Belgium, 1543; (comparative: parts of an organism are correlated to the functioning whole) Georges Cuvier, France, 1799-1805.

Anesthetic:

(first use of anesthetic-ether-on humans) Crawford W. Long, U.S., 1842.

Antibiotics:

Antiseptic:

(surgery) Joseph Lister, England, 1867.

Antitoxin, diphtheria:

Emil von Behring, Germany, 1890.

Appliances, electric:

(fan) Schuyler Wheeler, U.S., 1882; (flatiron) Henry W. Seely, U.S., 1882; (stove) Hadaway, U.S., 1896; (washing machine) Alva Fisher, U.S., 1906.

Aqualung:

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Emile Gagnan, France, 1943.

Aspirin:

Dr. Felix Hoffman, Germany, 1899.

Astronomical calculator:

The Antikythera device, Greece, first century B.C.. Found off island of Antikythera in 1900.

Atom:

(nuclear model of) Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911.

Atomic structure:

(formulated nuclear model of atom, Rutherford model) Ernest Rutherford, England, 1911; (proposed current concept of atomic structure, the Bohr model) Niels Bohr, Denmark, 1913.

Atomic theory:

(ancient) Leucippus, Democritus, Greece, c. 500 B.C.; Lucretius, Rome c.100 B.C.; (modern) John Dalton, England, 1808.

Automobile:

Autopilot:

(for aircraft) Elmer A. Sperry, U.S., c.1910, first successful test, 1912, in a Curtiss flying boat.

Avogadro's law:

(equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal number of molecules) Amedeo Avogadro, Italy, 1811.

Bacteria:

Anton van Leeuwenhoek, The Netherlands, 1683.

Balloon, hot-air:

Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier, France, 1783.

Barbed wire:

(most popular) Joseph E. Glidden, U.S., 1873.

Bar codes (computer-scanned binary signal code):

(retail trade use) Monarch Marking, U.S. 1970; (industrial use) Plessey Telecommunications, England, 1970.

Barometer:

Evangelista Torricelli, Italy, 1643.

Bicycle:

Karl D. von Sauerbronn, Germany, 1816; (first modern model) James Starley, England, 1884.

Big Bang theory:

Blood, circulation of:

William Harvey, England, 1628.

Boyle's law:

(relation between pressure and volume in gases) Robert Boyle, Ireland, 1662.

Braille:

Louis Braille, France, 1829.

Bridges:

(suspension, iron chains) James Finley, Pa., 1800; (wire suspension) Marc Seguin, Lyons, 1825; (truss) Ithiel Town, U.S., 1820.

Bullet:

(conical) Claude Minié, France, 1849.

Calculating machine:

(logarithms: made multiplying easier and thus calculators practical) John Napier, Scotland, 1614; (slide rule) William Oughtred, England, 1632; (digital calculator) Blaise Pascal, 1642; (multiplication machine) Gottfried Leibniz, Germany, 1671; (important 19th-century contributors to modern machine) Frank S. Baldwin, Jay R. Monroe, Dorr E. Felt, W. T. Ohdner, William Burroughs, all U.S.; ("analytical engine" design, included concepts of programming, taping) Charles Babbage, England, 1835.

Calculus:

Isaac Newton, England, 1669; (differential calculus) Gottfried Leibniz, Germany, 1684.

Camera:

(hand-held) George Eastman, U.S., 1888; (Polaroid Land) Edwin Land, U.S., 1948.

"Canals" of Mars:

Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italy, 1877.

Carpet sweeper:

Melville R. Bissell, U.S., 1876.

Car radio:

William Lear, Elmer Wavering, U.S., 1929, manufactured by Galvin Manufacturing Co., "Motorola."

Cells:

Cement, Portland:

Joseph Aspdin, England, 1824.

Chewing gum:

(spruce-based) John Curtis, U.S., 1848; (chicle-based) Thomas Adams, U.S., 1870.

Cholera bacterium:

Robert Koch, Germany, 1883.

Circuit, integrated:

(theoretical) G.W.A. Dummer, England, 1952; (phase-shift oscillator) Jack S. Kilby, Texas Instruments, U.S., 1959.

Classification of plants:

(first modern, based on comparative study of forms) Andrea Cesalpino, Italy, 1583; (classification of plants and animals by genera and species) Carolus Linnaeus, Sweden, 1737-1753.

Clock, pendulum:

Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1656.

Coca-Cola:

John Pemberton, U.S., 1886.

Combustion:

(nature of) Antoine Lavoisier, France, 1777.

Compact disk:

RCA, U.S., 1972.

Computers:

(first design of analytical engine) Charles Babbage, 1830s; (ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator, first all-electronic, completed) John Presper Eckert, Jr., John Mauchly, U.S., 1945; (dedicated at University of Pennsylvania) 1946; (UNIVAC, Universal Automatic Computer, handled both numeric and alphabetic data) 1951; (personal computer) Steve Wozniak, U.S., 1976.

Concrete:

(reinforced) Joseph Monier, France, 1877.

Condensed milk:

Gail Borden, U.S., 1853.

Conditioned reflex:

Ivan Pavlov, Russia, c.1910.

Conservation of electric charge:

(the total electric charge of the universe or any closed system is constant) Benjamin Franklin, U.S., 1751-1754.

Contagion theory:

(infectious diseases caused by living agent transmitted from person to person) Girolamo Fracastoro, Italy, 1546.

Continental drift theory:

(geographer who pieced together continents into a single landmass on maps) Antonio Snider-Pellegrini, France, 1858; (first proposed in lecture) Frank Taylor, U.S. 1912; (first comprehensive detailed theory) Alfred Wegener, Germany, 1912.

Contraceptive, oral:

Gregory Pincus, Min Chuch Chang, John Rock, Carl Djerassi, U.S., 1951.

Converter, Bessemer:

William Kelly, U.S., 1851.

Cosmetics:

Egypt, c. 4000 B.C.

Cosmic string theory:

(first postulated) Thomas Kibble, UK, 1976.

Cotton gin:

Crossbow:

China, c. 300 B.C.

Cyclotron:

Ernest O. Lawrence, U.S., 1931.

Defibrillator:

Dr. William Bennett Kouwenhoven, U.S., 1932; (implantable) M. Stephen Heilman, MD, Dr. Alois Langer, Morton Mower, MD, Michel Mirowski, MD, 1980.

Deuterium:

(heavy hydrogen) Harold Urey, U.S., 1931.

Disease:

(chemicals in treatment of) crusaded by Philippus Paracelsus, 1527-1541; (germ theory) Louis Pasteur, France, 1862-1877.

DNA:

(deoxyribonucleic acid) Friedrich Meischer, Germany, 1869; (determination of double-helical structure) F. H. Crick, England and James D. Watson, U.S., 1953.

Dye:

(aniline, start of synthetic dye industry) William H. Perkin, England, 1856.

Dynamite:

Alfred Nobel, Sweden, 1867.

Electric cooking utensil:

(first) patented by St. George Lane-Fox, England, 1874.

Electric generator (dynamo):

Electric lamp:

(arc lamp) Sir Humphrey Davy, England, 1801; (fluorescent lamp) A.E. Becquerel, France, 1867; (incandescent lamp) Sir Joseph Swann, England, Thomas A. Edison, U.S., contemporaneously, 1870s; (carbon arc street lamp) Charles F. Brush, U.S., 1879; (first widely marketed incandescent lamp) Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1879; (mercury vapor lamp) Peter Cooper Hewitt, U.S., 1903; (neon lamp) Georges Claude, France, 1911; (tungsten filament) Irving Langmuir, U.S., 1915.

Electrocardiography:

Demonstrated by Augustus Waller, Switzerland, 1887; (first practical device for recording activity of heart) Willem Einthoven, 1903, Netherlands.

Electromagnet:

William Sturgeon, England, 1823.

Electron:

Sir Joseph J. Thompson, England, 1897.

Electronic mail:

Ray Tomlinson, U.S., 1972.

Elevator, passenger:

(safety device permitting use by passengers) Elisha G. Otis, U.S., 1852; (elevator utilizing safety device) 1857.

E = mc²:

(equivalence of mass and energy) Albert Einstein, Switzerland, 1907.

Engine, internal combustion:

Evolution:

(organic) Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, France, 1809; (by natural selection) Charles Darwin, England, 1859.

Exclusion principle:

(no two electrons in an atom can occupy the same energy level) Wolfgang Pauli, Germany, 1925.

Expanding universe theory:

(first proposed) George LeMaitre, Belgium, 1927; (discovered first direct evidence that the universe is expanding) Edwin P. Hubble, U.S., 1929; (Hubble constant: a measure of the rate at which the universe is expanding) Edwin P. Hubble, U.S., 1929.

Falling bodies, law of:

Galileo Galilei, Italy, 1590.

Fermentation:

(microorganisms as cause of) Louis Pasteur, France, c.1860.

Fiber optics:

Narinder Kapany, England, 1955.

Fibers, man-made:

(nitrocellulose fibers treated to change flammable nitrocellulose to harmless cellulose, precursor of rayon) Sir Joseph Swann, England, 1883; (rayon) Count Hilaire de Chardonnet, France, 1889; (Celanese) Henry and Camille Dreyfuss, U.S., England, 1921; (research on polyesters and polyamides, basis for modern man-made fibers) U.S., England, Germany, 1930s; (nylon) Wallace H. Carothers, U.S., 1935.

Frozen food:

Clarence Birdseye, U.S., 1924.

Gene transfer:

(recombinant DNA organism) Herbert Boyer, Stanley Cohen, U.S., 1973; (human) Steven Rosenberg, R. Michael Blaese, W. French Anderson, U.S., 1989.

Geometry, elements of:

Euclid, Alexandria, Egypt, c. 300 B.C.; (analytic) René Descartes, France; and Pierre de Fermat, Switzerland, 1637.

Gravitation, law of:

Sir Isaac Newton, England, c.1665 (published 1687).

Gunpowder:

China, c.700.

Gyrocompass:

Elmer A. Sperry, U.S., 1905.

Gyroscope:

Jean Léon Foucault, France, 1852.

Halley's Comet:

Edmund Halley, England, 1705.

Heart implanted in human, permanent artificial:

Dr. Robert Jarvik, U.S., 1982.

Heart, temporary artificial:

Willem Kolff, Netherlands, U.S., 1957.

Helicopter:

(double rotor) Heinrich Focke, Germany, 1936; (single rotor) Igor Sikorsky, U.S., 1939.

Helium first observed on sun:

Sir Joseph Lockyer, England, 1868.

Heredity, laws of:

Gregor Mendel, Austria, 1865.

Holograph:

Dennis Gabor, England, 1947.

Home videotape systems (VCR):

(Betamax) Sony, Japan, 1975; (VHS) Matsushita, Japan, 1975.

Ice age theory:

Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American, 1840.

Induction, electric:

Joseph Henry, U.S., 1828.

Insulin:

Intelligence testing:

Alfred Binet, Theodore Simon, France, 1905.

Interferon:

Alick Isaacs, England, Jean Lindemann, Switzerland, 1957.

Isotopes:

(concept of) Frederick Soddy, England, 1912; (stable isotopes) J. J. Thompson, England, 1913; (existence demonstrated by mass spectrography) Francis W. Aston, England, 1919.

Jet propulsion:

(engine) Sir Frank Whittle, England, Hans von Ohain, Germany, 1936; (aircraft) Heinkel He 178, 1939.

Kinetic theory of gases:

(molecules of a gas are in a state of rapid motion) Daniel Bernoulli, Switzerland, 1738.

Laser:

(theoretical work on) Charles H. Townes, Arthur L. Schawlow, U.S., N. Basov, A. Prokhorov, U.S.S.R., 1958; (first working model) T. H. Maiman, U.S., 1960.

Lawn mower:

Edwin Budding, John Ferrabee, England, 1830-1831.

LCD (liquid crystal display):

Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland, 1970.

Lens, bifocal:

Benjamin Franklin, U.S., c.1760.

Leyden jar:

(prototype electrical condenser) Canon E. G. von Kleist of Kamin, Pomerania, 1745; independently evolved by Cunaeus and P. van Musschenbroek, University of Leyden, Holland, 1746, from where name originated.

Light, nature of:

(wave theory) Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1678; (electromagnetic theory) James Clerk Maxwell, England, 1873.

Light, speed of:

Lightning rod:

Benjamin Franklin, U.S., 1752.

Lock, cylinder:

Linus Yale, U.S., 1851.

Locomotive:

(steam powered) Richard Trevithick, England, 1804; (first practical, due to multiple-fire-tube boiler) George Stephenson, England, 1829; (largest steam-powered) Union Pacific's "Big Boy," U.S., 1941.

Loom:

(horizontal, two-beamed) Egypt, c. 4400 B.C.; (Jacquard drawloom, pattern controlled by punch cards) Jacques de Vaucanson, France, 1745, Joseph-Marie Jacquard, 1801; (flying shuttle) John Kay, England, 1733; (power-driven loom) Edmund Cartwright, England, 1785.

Machine gun:

(hand-cranked multibarrel) Richard J. Gatling, U.S., 1862; (practical single barrel, belt-fed) Hiram S. Maxim, Anglo-American, 1884.

Magnet, Earth is:

William Gilbert, England, 1600.

Match:

(phosphorus) François Derosne, France, 1816; (friction) Charles Sauria, France, 1831; (safety) J. E. Lundstrom, Sweden, 1855.

Measles vaccine:

John F. Enders, Thomas Peebles, U.S., 1953.

Metric system:

revolutionary government of France, 1790-1801.

Microphone:

Charles Wheatstone, England, 1827.

Microscope:

(compound) Zacharias Janssen, The Netherlands, 1590; (electron) Vladimir Zworykin et al., U.S., Canada, Germany, 1932-1939.

Microwave oven:

Percy Spencer, U.S., 1947.

Motion, laws of:

Isaac Newton, England, 1687.

Motion pictures:

Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1893.

Motion pictures, sound:

Product of various inventions. First picture with synchronized musical score: Don Juan, 1926; with spoken dialogue: The Jazz Singer, 1927; both Warner Bros.

Motor, electric:

Michael Faraday, England, 1822; (alternating-current) Nikola Tesla, U.S., 1892.

Motorcycle:

(motor tricycle) Edward Butler, England, 1884; (gasoline-engine motorcycle) Gottlieb Daimler, Germany, 1885.

Moving assembly line:

Henry Ford, U.S., 1913.

Neptune:

(discovery of) Johann Galle, Germany, 1846.

Neptunium:

(first transuranic element, synthesis of) Edward M. McMillan, Philip H. Abelson, U.S., 1940.

Neutron:

James Chadwick, England, 1932.

Neutron-induced radiation:

Enrico Fermi et al., Italy, 1934.

Nitroglycerin:

Ascanio Sobrero, Italy, 1846.

Nuclear fission:

Otto Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, Germany, 1938.

Nuclear reactor:

Enrico Fermi, Italy, et al., 1942.

Ohm's law:

(relationship between strength of electric current, electromotive force, and circuit resistance) Georg S. Ohm, Germany, 1827.

Oil well:

Edwin L. Drake, U.S., 1859.

Oxygen:

(isolation of) Joseph Priestley, England, 1774; Karl Scheele, Sweden, 1773.

Ozone:

Christian Schönbein, Germany, 1839.

Pacemaker:

(internal) Clarence W. Lillehie, Earl Bakk, U.S., 1957.

Paper:

China, c.100 A.D.

Parachute:

Louis S. Lenormand, France, 1783.

Pen:

(fountain) Lewis E. Waterman, U.S., 1884; (ball-point, for marking on rough surfaces) John H. Loud, U.S., 1888; (ball-point, for handwriting) Lazlo Biro, Argentina, 1944.

Periodic law:

(that properties of elements are functions of their atomic weights) Dmitri Mendeleev, Russia, 1869.

Periodic table:

(arrangement of chemical elements based on periodic law) Dmitri Mendeleev, Russia, 1869.

Phonograph:

Thomas A. Edison, U.S., 1877.

Photography:

(first paper negative, first photograph, on metal) Joseph Nicéphore Niepce, France, 1816-1827; (discovery of fixative powers of hyposulfite of soda) Sir John Herschel, England, 1819; (first direct positive image on silver plate, the daguerreotype) Louis Daguerre, based on work with Niepce, France, 1839; (first paper negative from which a number of positive prints could be made) William Talbot, England, 1841. Work of these four men, taken together, forms basis for all modern photography. (First color images) Alexandre Becquerel, Claude Niepce de Saint-Victor, France, 1848-1860; (commercial color film with three emulsion layers, Kodachrome) U.S., 1935.

Photovoltaic effect:

(light falling on certain materials can produce electricity) Edmund Becquerel, France, 1839.

Piano:

(Hammerklavier) Bartolommeo Cristofori, Italy, 1709; (pianoforte with sustaining and damper pedals) John Broadwood, England, 1873.

Planetary motion, laws of:

Johannes Kepler, Germany, 1609, 1619.

Plant respiration and photosynthesis:

Jan Ingenhousz, Holland, 1779.

Plastics:

Plate tectonics:

Alfred Wegener, Germany, 1912-1915.

Plow, forked:

Mesopotamia, before 3000 B.C.

Plutonium, synthesis of:

Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, Arthur C. Wahl, Joseph W. Kennedy, U.S., 1941.

Polio, vaccine:

(experimentally safe dead-virus vaccine) Jonas E. Salk, U.S., 1952; (effective large-scale field trials) 1954; (officially approved) 1955; (safe oral live-virus vaccine developed) Albert B. Sabin, U.S., 1954; (available in the U.S.) 1960.

Positron:

Carl D. Anderson, U.S., 1932.

Pressure cooker:

(early version) Denis Papin, France, 1679.

Printing:

(block) Japan, c.700; (movable type) Korea, c.1400, Johann Gutenberg, Germany, c.1450; (lithography, offset) Aloys Senefelder, Germany, 1796; (rotary press) Richard Hoe, U.S., 1844; (linotype) Ottmar Mergenthaler, U.S., 1884.

Probability theory:

René Descartes, France, and Pierre de Fermat, Switzerland, 1654.

Proton:

Ernest Rutherford, England, 1919.

Prozac:

(antidepressant fluoxetine) Bryan B. Malloy, Scotland, and Klaus K. Schmiegel, U.S., 1972; (released for use in U.S.) Eli Lilly & Company, 1987.

Psychoanalysis:

Sigmund Freud, Austria, c.1904.

Pulsars:

Antony Hewish and Jocelyn Bell Burnel, England, 1967.

Quantum theory:

Quarks:

Quasars:

Marten Schmidt, U.S., 1963.

Rabies immunization:

Louis Pasteur, France, 1885.

Radar:

(limited to one-mile range) Christian Hulsmeyer, Germany, 1904; (pulse modulation, used for measuring height of ionosphere) Gregory Breit, Merle Tuve, U.S., 1925; (first practical radar-radio detection and ranging) Sir Robert Watson-Watt, Scotland, 1934-1935.

Radio:

(electromagnetism, theory of) James Clerk Maxwell, England, 1873; (spark coil, generator of electromagnetic waves) Heinrich Hertz, Germany, 1886; (first practical system of wireless telegraphy) Guglielmo Marconi, Italy, 1895; (first long-distance telegraphic radio signal sent across the Atlantic) Marconi, 1901; (vacuum electron tube, basis for radio telephony) Sir John Fleming, England, 1904; (triode amplifying tube) Lee de Forest, U.S., 1906; (regenerative circuit, allowing long-distance sound reception) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S., 1912; (frequency modulation-FM) Edwin H. Armstrong, U.S., 1933.

Radioactivity:

Radiocarbon dating, carbon-14 method:

(discovered) Willard F. Libby, U.S., 1947; (first demonstrated) U.S., 1950.

Radio signals, extraterrestrial:

first known radio noise signals were received by U.S. engineer, Karl Jansky, originating from the Galactic Center, 1931.

Radio waves:

(cosmic sources, led to radio astronomy) Karl Jansky, U.S., 1932.

Razor:

(safety, successfully marketed) King Gillette, U.S., 1901; (electric) Jacob Schick, U.S., 1928, 1931.

Reaper:

Cyrus McCormick, U.S., 1834.

Refrigerator:

Alexander Twining, U.S., James Harrison, Australia, 1850; (first with a compressor device) the Domelse, Chicago, U.S., 1913.

Refrigerator ship:

(first) the Frigorifique, cooling unit designed by Charles Teller, France, 1877.

Relativity:

(special and general theories of) Albert Einstein, Switzerland, Germany, U.S., 1905-1953.

Revolver:

Samuel Colt, U.S., 1835.

Richter scale:

Charles F. Richter, U.S., 1935.

Rifle:

(muzzle-loaded) Italy, Germany, c.1475; (breech-loaded) England, France, Germany, U.S., c.1866; (bolt-action) Paul von Mauser, Germany, 1889; (automatic) John Browning, U.S., 1918.

Rocket:

(liquid-fueled) Robert Goddard, U.S., 1926.

Roller bearing:

(wooden for cartwheel) Germany or France, c.100 B.C.

Rotation of Earth:

Jean Bernard Foucault, France, 1851.

Royal Observatory, Greenwich:

established in 1675 by Charles II of England; John Flamsteed first Astronomer Royal.

Rubber:

(vulcanization process) Charles Goodyear, U.S., 1839.

Saccharin:

Constantine Fuhlberg, Ira Remsen, U.S., 1879.

Safety pin:

Walter Hunt, U.S., 1849.

Saturn, ring around:

Christian Huygens, The Netherlands, 1659.

"Scotch" tape:

Richard Drew, U.S., 1929.

Screw propeller:

Sir Francis P. Smith, England, 1836; John Ericsson, England, worked independently of and simultaneously with Smith, 1837.

Seat belt:

(three point) Nils Bohlin, Sweden, 1962.

Seismograph:

(first accurate) John Milne, England, 1880.

Sewing machine:

Elias Howe, U.S., 1846; (continuous stitch) Isaac Singer, U.S., 1851.

Solar energy:

First realistic application of solar energy using parabolic solar reflector to drive caloric engine on steam boiler, John Ericsson, U.S., 1860s.

Solar system, universe:

Spectrum:

(heterogeneity of light) Sir Isaac Newton, England, 1665-1666.

Spectrum analysis:

Gustav Kirchhoff, Robert Bunsen, Germany, 1859.

Spermatozoa:

Anton van Leeuwenhoek, The Netherlands, 1683.

Spinning:

Star catalog:

(first modern) Tycho Brahe, Denmark, 1572.

Steam engine:

Steamship:

Stethoscope:

René Laënnec, France, 1819.

Sulfa drugs:

(parent compound, para-aminobenzenesulfanomide) Paul Gelmo, Austria, 1908; (antibacterial activity) Gerhard Domagk, Germany, 1935.

Superconductivity:

(theory) John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, John Scheiffer, U.S., 1957.

Symbolic logic:

George Boule, 1854; (modern) Bertrand Russell, Alfred North Whitehead, England, 1910-1913.

Tank, military:

Sir Ernest Swinton, England, 1914.

Tape recorder:

(magnetic steel tape) Valdemar Poulsen, Denmark, 1899.

Teflon:

DuPont, U.S., 1943.

Telegraph:

Telephone:

Alexander Graham Bell, U.S., 1876.

Telescope:

Hans Lippershey, The Netherlands, 1608; (astronomical) Galileo Galilei, Italy, 1609; (reflecting) Isaac Newton, England, 1668.

Television:

Thermodynamics:

Thermometer:

(open-column) Galileo Galilei, c.1593; (clinical) Santorio Santorio, Padua, c.1615; (mercury, also Fahrenheit scale) Gabriel D. Fahrenheit, Germany, 1714; (centigrade scale) Anders Celsius, Sweden, 1742; (absolute-temperature, or Kelvin, scale) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.

Tire, pneumatic:

Robert W. Thompson, England, 1845; (bicycle tire) John B. Dunlop, Northern Ireland, 1888.

Toilet, flush:

Product of Minoan civilization, Crete, c. 2000 B.C. Alleged invention by "Thomas Crapper" is untrue.

Tractor:

Benjamin Holt, U.S., 1900.

Transformer, electric:

William Stanley, U.S., 1885.

Transistor:

Tuberculosis bacterium:

Robert Koch, Germany, 1882.

Typewriter:

Uncertainty principle:

(that position and velocity of an object cannot both be measured exactly, at the same time) Werner Heisenberg, Germany, 1927.

Uranus:

(first planet discovered in recorded history) William Herschel, England, 1781.

Vaccination:

Edward Jenner, England, 1796.

Vacuum cleaner:

(manually operated) Ives W. McGaffey, U.S., 1869; (electric) Hubert C. Booth, England, 1901; (upright) J. Murray Spangler, U.S., 1907.

Van Allen (radiation) Belt:

(around Earth) James Van Allen, U.S., 1958.

Video disk:

Philips Co., The Netherlands, 1972.

Vitamins:

(hypothesis of disease deficiency) Sir F. G. Hopkins, Casimir Funk, England, 1912; (vitamin A) Elmer V. McCollum, M. Davis, U.S., 1912-1914; (vitamin B) McCollum, U.S., 1915-1916; (thiamin, B₁) Casimir Funk, England, 1912; (riboflavin, B₂) D. T. Smith, E. G. Hendrick, U.S., 1926; (niacin) Conrad Elvehjem, U.S., 1937; (B₆) Paul Gyorgy, U.S., 1934; (vitamin C) C. A. Hoist, T. Froelich, Norway, 1912; (vitamin D) McCollum, U.S., 1922; (folic acid) Lucy Wills, England, 1933.

Voltaic pile:

(forerunner of modern battery, first source of continuous electric current) Alessandro Volta, Italy, 1800.

Wallpaper:

Europe, 16th and 17th century.

Wassermann test:

(for syphilis) August von Wassermann, Germany, 1906.

Wheel:

(cart, solid wood) Mesopotamia, c.3800-3600 B.C.

Windmill:

Persia, c.600.

World Wide Web:

(developed while working at CERN) Tim Berners-Lee, England, 1989; (development of Mosaic browser makes WWW available for general use) Marc Andreeson, U.S., 1993.

Xerography:

Chester Carlson, U.S., 1938.

Yellow Fever:

(transmission of) Walter Reed, U.S., 1900.

Zero:

India, c. 600; (absolute zero temperature, cessation of all molecular energy) William Thompson, Lord Kelvin, England, 1848.

Zipper:

W. L. Judson, U.S., 1891.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Key inventions and discoveries, including inventors name, location, and dates

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From Buzz Lightyear to Bing Bong and back again — the 25 best Pixar characters of all time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 4’ Was Animated _ Movies Insider.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From Buzz Lightyear to Bing Bong and back again — the 25 best Pixar characters of all time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Pixar Animation Studios (Pixar) is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. Pixar is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
He MADE MILLION$ Selling Pet Rocks!_ (Genius Marketing Strategy).mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Pet Rock Fad - As Crazy as It Sounds_.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When it comes to today's most famous pop stars, there's perhaps no one as versatile - or ever-changing - as singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Since her debut into the music world 15 years ago, the American singer has had a stunning transformation from a 16-year-old country music sweetheart to a global music icon and pop phenomenon - and now, of course, she's also proven she can master the indie and alternative genre with her latest albums "Folklore" and "Evermore" (via NME).

Indeed, Swift has been an artist who has continually evolved with every new album - and each new era has not only marked a distinct change in her sound and genre, but also her style and aesthetics. In fact, ask any "Swiftie," and they'll probably have a favorite era - whether it's the nostalgic teenage years of "Fearless," or the dark and edgy comeback of the "Reputation" era. In honor of the pop star's constant evolution through the years, here's an in-depth look at every one of Taylor Swift's iconic eras - and all the fashion styles, aesthetics, and symbols that defined them.

Taylor's debut album introduced the world to a country music darling

Ah, the era that started it all! The year was 2006, and a young aspiring country star named Taylor Swift entered the world of music with nothing but a guitar (and a pair of cowboy boots). After years of performing in bars and venues in Nashville in hopes of getting a record deal, the singer-songwriter debuted her first and self-titled album, "Taylor Swift," at the mere age of 16 years old - and soon enough, the young singer was opening for famous country acts like Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill, all while having hits like "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Tim McGraw" topping the charts (via Billboard).

The success of her debut album, of course, had Swift emerging into the music world as a teenage country darling, instantly recognizable by her tight blond curls, floral sundresses, and signature cowboy boots - and all of it coming together to form a monumental breakout era defined by Swift's country-chic style and sweet girl-next-door status, as noted by Fashionista. And who could forget her adorable country twang?

The Fearless era was full of sequins and teenage romanticism

With the release of her highly successful sophomore album "Fearless," the year 2008 had Taylor Swift beginning to emerge as a household name, with now-classic hits like "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story" quickly establishing the singer as a teenage country-pop icon. In fact, Swift even earned her first Album of the Year Grammy win for "Fearless," making history as the youngest-ever artist to claim the category at age 20 (until 18-year-old Billie Eilish broke her record in 2020), per The Boot.

As for what the iconic "Fearless" era was defined by, early fans will nostalgically recall the singer's sparkly dresses and ball gowns, signature winged eyeliner, hand hearts, and - of course - Swift's lucky number 13, which the singer started donning on her hand for her performances during this era. "'Fearless' was an album full of magic and curiosity, the bliss and devastation of youth," Swift recalled in early 2021 (via Taste of Country). "It was the diary of the adventures and explorations of a teenage girl who was learning tiny lessons with every new crack in the facade of the fairy-tale ending she'd been shown in the movies."

Speak Now was Taylor's most magical and thSpeak Now was Taylor's most magical and theatrical era

Following the success of "Fearless," Swift set out to further prove herself as a rising star, and more specifically, as a talented songwriter. Her 2010 album "Speak Now" was her first (and only) self-written album, written entirely by herself without the help of co-writers - and, as noted by Pitchfork, it was a truly personal and confessional album that focused on that transitional period between "adolescence and adulthood, innocence and understanding, country and pop."

Much like the album itself (see: songs like "Enchanted," "Sparks Fly," and "Long Live"!), the "Speak Now" era was undoubtedly defined by its magical and theatrical aspects. Taylor Swift's ambitious Speak Now World Tour, in fact, was inspired by Broadway and was a truly wondrous spectacle filled with pyrotechnics, lighted trees, dancers and aerialists, and multiple costume and set changes (via Billboard). Ultimately, when you think "Speak Now," you'll probably think of Swift's sparkly dresses and looser curls, her "Wonderstruck" perfume line and her ethereal "fairy tale" aesthetic - not to mention, the color purple!

The Red era saw Taylor shifting into a more mature, experimental style

Think of the "Red" era, and you'll probably think of red lipstick and black fedoras - and of course, Taylor Swift's straight hair and blunt bangs. With the release of her 2012 album "Red," the singer debuted a new, edgier style, swapping out her usual glittery gowns for high-waisted shorts, striped shirts, and vintage dresses - and also famously ditching her signature bouncy curls for sleek, straight locks (via Billboard).

Swift's shift from her signature "princess fairy tale" aesthetics to a vintage, more mature style, of course, was also a reflection of her shift in sound (and themes) for her fourth album. According to NPR, "Red" in many ways represented a "turning point" in Swift's life and career while "on the precipice of adulthood," with the singer experimenting with different sounds beyond her previous country-pop style to touch on - and blend - new genres such as mainstream pop, rock, and even EDM and dubstep. "Musically and lyrically, Red resembled a heartbroken person," Swift reflected in 2021 (via NME). "It was all over the place, a fractured mosaic of feelings that somehow all fit together in the end. Happy, free, confused, lonely, devastated, euphoric, wild, and tortured by memories past."

The 1989 era established Taylor as a global pop phenomenon

Perhaps her most memorable and iconic era, "1989" marked Swift's first full-scale pop album - and, as noted by Vulture, had the singer taking over the music world as a worldwide mega-pop star, experiencing more commercial success than ever before. Few could escape the ubiquitous pop hits of "Shake It Off," "Blank Space," and "Style" in 2014 to 2015, and Swift's presence was felt pretty much everywhere: on the radio, at outings with her famous "BFF girl squad," and at countless award shows where she snagged the biggest awards of the night.

Mirroring her transition from country to pop, the "1989" era was also defined by other major changes for Taylor Swift: She moved to New York City, cut her hair into a short bob, and, of course, changed up her fashion style, opting for crop tops, skater skirts, and more form-fitting clothes that completed her transformation from a country sweetheart into a bombshell mega-pop star.

Reputation was Taylor's darkest and edgiest era yet

Following the peak of her career in the "1989" era, Taylor Swift found herself in the midst of bad press and negative public scrutiny - and it all started, of course, with her infamous feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. After months of disappearing from the public eye, Swift made an iconic comeback in 2017 with her sixth studio album, "Reputation" - and needless to say, it was quite a different feel from any of her previous eras. Declaring that "the old Taylor was dead" in her lead single "Look What You Made Me Do," the singer officially shed her "good girl" status and instead embraced the "snake" image put on her by the public (via Rolling Stone). "Yeah, this is the character you created for me, let me just hide behind it," Swift told Vogue of the persona she created.

Reflecting the darker aspects of her electro-pop album, Swift's style during the unforgettable "Reputation" era was also noticeably edgier and grungier: Her classic red lip became darker and she rocked oversized sweatshirts, sequined bodysuits, and lots of thigh-high boots (via Evie Magazine). And how could we forget "Bleachella," when she bleached her hair to an edgy platinum blond?

The Lover era was full of pretty pastels and bright, colorful optimism

Talk about a 180 from the "Reputation" era! Moving away from the dark and edgy style of her previous album, Swift ushered in her seventh era with the bright and cheery lead single "ME!," complete with a music video full of butterflies, rainbows, and colorful pastels (via Variety). The noticeable shift in aesthetics also reflected the bright optimism of "Lover," signaling that the "old Taylor" perhaps wasn't dead, after all. "I've decided that in this life, I want to be defined by the things I love - not the things I hate, the things I'm afraid of, or the things that haunt me in the middle of the night," Swift wrote in the album's foreword (via PopSugar). "Those things may be my struggles, but they're not my identity."

With this optimism of the "Lover" era came lots of brighter, more colorful looks in Taylor Swift's wardrobe - including lots of fringe, sparkles, pastel-colored menswear, and '70s-inspired clothes. There was also, of course an abundance of the color pink - including in her hair, when she dyed the ends of her locks a pretty pink (via Bustle).

Folklore and Evermore had Taylor embracing the cottagecore aesthetic

It's safe to say that fans did not see it coming when Taylor Swift surprise-released "Folklore," her eight studio album, in July 2020 - nor when she followed it up in December with yet another surprise "sister album," titled "Evermore." Written in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, the two surprise albums had Swift changing up her musical genre once again, departing from her mastered pop sound to delve into indie-folk and alternative rock, per NME.

Of course, with the whole new sounds of "Folklore" and "Evermore," the new era also had Swift embracing a new "cottagecore" aesthetic - perfectly encapsulated by the album art of Swift frolicking in the woods, donning cozy sweaters and prairie dresses, and wearing her hair in braided buns (via W Magazine). And if there's one "piece de resistance" that perfectly captures the cozy cottagecore vibes of the "folklore" and "evermore" era? The iconic cardigan, of course!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When it comes to today's most famous pop stars, there's perhaps no one as versatile - or ever-changing - as singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Let's Anazlye the Lyrics to Every Song on Taylor Swift's Lover

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From 'Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince' to 'I Forgot You Existed' we analyzed the lyrics to every song on Taylor Swift's Lover.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Taylor Swift is reentering her 1989 era with the release of her rerecorded version of the album.

Originally released on Oct. 27, 2014, Swift's fifth studio album was a major transitional moment in the singer's career. Inspired by her move to New York City and various relationships during that period in her life, the album also marked her first full-fledged pop album as she transitioned from country music.

"The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways," Swift wrote on Instagram as she announced 1989 (Taylor's Version). Additionally, she referred to the new album as her "most FAVORITE re-record" thanks to the "insane" five vault songs. "I can't believe they were ever left behind. But not for long!" she added.

Over the years, Swift has shared a few details about the inspirations behind her 1989 hits, from "shaking off" the naysayers to parodying the public's perception of her dating life.

From "Style" to "Bad Blood," here's everything Swift has said about the inspirations behind her 1989 songs.

"Welcome to New York"

After moving to New York City in early 2014, Swift was inspired to write a song about the Big Apple for her 1989 album. "I wanted to start the album with this song because New York has been an important landscape and location for the story of my life in the last couple of years," she told Good Morning America. "I dreamt about moving to New York. I obsessed about moving to New York and then I did it."

"The inspiration that I found in that city is kind of hard to describe and hard to compare to any other force of inspiration I've ever experienced in my life," she continued. "I approached moving there with such wide-eyed optimism and sort of saw it as a place of endless potential and possibilities. You can kind of hear that reflected in this music and this first song especially."

"Blank Space"

Swift's hit song "Blank Space" was written in response to media scrutiny surrounding her dating life at the time. "[From] 2012 to 2013, they thought I was dating too much because I dated two people in a year and a half, but whatever - we'll leave it there," Swift told NME. "'Oh, a serial dater. She only writes songs to get emotional revenge on guys. She's a man hater. Don't let her near your boyfriend.' It was just kind of excessive and, you know, at first it was hurtful and then I kind of found a little comedy in it."

Though Swift noted that the way "gossip websites" described her was "so opposite my actual life," she decided to lean into the character for the song's music video. "Half the people got the joke," she explained. "Half the people really think that I was really owning the act that I'm a psychopath, which is fine. Either one is fine as long as they know the semblance of the words, even if they're incorrect."

Swift's single "Style" is largely rumored to be about her relationship with Harry Styles. Not only does the song's title seemingly reference the singer's last name, but the lyrics appear to reference various One Direction projects such as their song "You & I," and their second studio album, Take Me Home.

During an appearance on On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Swift delved deeper into the song's inspiration, noting that it was about "one of those relationships that's always a bit off."

"The two people are trying to forget each other and they both [have] been out with other people and they both tried to forget the other," she explained. "And so it's like, 'Alright, I heard you went off with her and you came back and well, I've done that too.'"

When Seacrest tried to press further about how she heard about the romantic interest "being with someone else," Swift played coy, noting that if she answered that question, "we'll be talking about an individual person and people will write headlines about it."

She concluded, "This song is about my life ... but the song kind of speaks for itself."

"Out of the Woods"

In addition to "Style," Swift's song "Out of the Woods" is rumored to be about Styles and the headlines their relationship made at the time.

"It just kind of conjured up all these feelings of anxiety I had in a relationship where everybody was watching, everybody was commenting on it," Swift said of the inspiration behind "Out of the Woods."

"You're constantly just feeling like, 'Are we out of the woods yet? What's the next thing gonna be? What's the next hurdle we're gonna have to jump over? Are we gonna make it to next week?' It was interesting to write about a relationship where you're just honestly like, 'This is probably not gonna last, but how long is it gonna last?'"

Swift expanded on the song's meaning in a video shared on her YouTube channel, saying it was about a relationship where you "never feel like you're standing on solid ground." She added that the song is meant to capture "that frantic feeling of anxiety and questioning."

"All You Had to Do Was Stay"

Though Swift hasn't revealed who exactly the song is about, she confirmed it was inspired by a dream she had about an ex during an interview with GQ.

"I had a dream that my ex showed up at my door, knocked at my door, and I opened it up, and I was about ready to launch into the perfect thing to say," she explained of the song's inspiration.

"Instead, all that would come out of my mouth was that high-pitched chorus of people singing, 'Stay!'...and then you go to say something else, and it's just like 'Stay! Stay! Stay!' And I woke up, I was like 'Oh, that was mortifying. But that's kind of a cool vocal part.'"

"Shake It Off"

"Shake It Off" served as the first single from 1989, which Swift debuted during a Yahoo live stream. During a sitdown with ABC News, Swift noted that she wrote the song in response to the media scrutiny she received during her rise to fame.

"We don't live just in a celebrity takedown culture, we live in takedown culture," she said. "You have to not only live your life in spite of people who don't understand you, you have to have more fun than they do."

"I've had every part of my life dissected ... When you live your life under that kind of scrutiny, you can either let it break you, or you can get really good at dodging punches," she explained to Rolling Stone in another interview. "And when one lands, you know how to deal with it. And I guess the way that I deal with it is to shake it off."

"I Wish You Would"

In a video shared on her YouTube channel, Swift noted that "I Wish You Would" was the first song she ever wrote with Jack Antonoff and was meant to convey a "John Hughes movie visual" of two people pinning over each other but neither one confessing their feelings for each other.

"I had this happen in my life and so I kind of wanted to narrate it in a very cinematic way where it's like they're seeing two scenes play out." She added that the relationship portrayed is a "dramatic love that's never quite where it needs to be and that tension that that creates."

Fans have theorized that the song is also about Styles, because Swift previously compared the lyrics of "Style" to "I Wish You Would," telling Ryan Seacrest that they were both about relationships that were not "synced up."

During a cover story with Rolling Stone in 2014, Swift teased that the song was about a fellow female pop star who "tried to sabotage an entire arena tour" by hiring "a bunch of people out from under me."

At the time, fans quickly assumed Katy Perry was the inspiration (the two were touring around the same time, and several dancers had worked for both of them), and the "Hot N Cold" singer seemingly addressed the rumors when she tweeted, "Watch out for the Regina George in sheep's clothing" following the story's publication.

A year later, Swift reflected on the song's inspiration even further during a sitdown with Rolling Stone. "You sit there, and you know you're on good terms with your ex-boyfriend, and you don't want him - or his family - to think you're firing shots at him," she explained. "So you say, 'That was about losing a friend.' And that's basically all you say. But then people cryptically tweet about what you meant."

Their feud continued until May 2018, when the "Look What You Made Me Do" singer revealed that Perry had extended a literal olive branch along with a handwritten note. In June 2019, the two publicly made up as Perry posted a plate of cookies that read "Peace at last" written in frosting, tagging Swift in the post. The duo later shared a hug in Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video, quashing their beef, once and for all.

"Wildest Dreams"

There has been much speculation about the inspiration behind "Wildest Dreams," with names from Styles to Swift's The Giver costar Alexander Skarsgård being mentioned, however, she hasn't weighed in. Instead, she told NPR that the song reflected her new approach to writing about personal heartbreak.

"In the past, I've written mostly about heartbreak or pain that was caused by someone else and felt by me," she explained. "On this album, I'm writing about more complex relationships, where the blame is kind of split 50-50. I'm writing about looking back on a relationship and feeling a sense of pride even though it didn't work out, reminiscing on something that ended but you still feel good about it, falling in love with a city, falling in love with a feeling rather than a person."

"If I meet someone who I feel I have a connection with, the first thought I have is: 'When this ends, I hope it ends well. I hope you remember me well,'" she continued. "Which is not anything close to the way I used to think about relationships. It's that realization that it's the anomaly if something works out; it's not a given."

"How You Get the Girl"

While many of Swift's 1989 songs are about her own relationships, she previously insinuated that "How You Get the Girl" was inspired by a close friend's heartbreak. (Based on the timing of the song's release, fans have theorized the song could be about Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber's on-and-off-again relationship.)

"'How You Get the Girl' is a song that I wrote about how when we're young, which most of my friends and most of my peers are, a lot of the time, we take for granted a really good relationship and let go of it and go out into the world and then realize that you want it back," Swift said during her 1989 Secret Session with iHeartRadio.

"This song is kind of an instruction manual for a guy who has broken up with his girlfriend and lets six months go by and the lengths he will need to go to to get her back. It's not gonna be as simple as just sending a text message, it's like 'Sup? Miss you,' it's not gonna work. He will need to do all the things in this song."

Like many other songs on 1989, Swift explained that "This Love" is about a relationship where the timing isn't quite right. "It's about an experience I've had where, if you truly care about someone and you know they're not fully ready to be in a relationship, you will let them go," Swift said during her 1989 Secret Session with iHeartRadio.

She continued: "And it sucks to be the one who has to let something go and cut someone loose when you don't want to, but I think you have to be selfless in relationships when you know that that is not the right time. And if you make that decision and that person is supposed to be in your life, they'll come back. And this was the way that I felt when that came back around."

"I Know Places"

During a sitdown with Grammy Pro, Swift talked about her inspiration behind "I Know Places," noting that it was a similar love to the one featured in "Out of the Woods" (which is rumored to be about Styles).

"I had this idea of like, you know, when you're in love - along the lines of 'Out of the Woods' - it's very precious, it's fragile," she explained, per Billboard. "As soon as the world gets ahold of it, whether it's your friends or people around town hear about it ... it's kind of like the first thing people want to do when they hear that people are in love is just kind of try to ruin it, if they're not the greatest human beings."

"I kind of was in a place where I was like, 'No one is gonna sign up for [a relationship]. There are just too many cameras pointed at me. There are too many ridiculous elaborations on my life. It's just not ever gonna work'," she recalled. "But I decided to write a love song, just kind of like, 'What would I say if I met someone really awesome and they were like, hey, I'm worried about all this attention you get?' So I wrote this song called 'I Know Places' about, like, 'Hey, I know places we can hide. We could outrun them.'"

Speaking with Elle in 2015, Swift opened up about writing "Clean," noting it was one of the last songs she wrote for the album. "It shows you where I ended up mentally," she said of the track.

"'Clean' I wrote as I was walking out of Liberty in London," she continued. "Someone I used to date - it hit me that I'd been in the same city as him for two weeks and I hadn't thought about it. When it did hit me, it was like, Oh, I hope he's doing well. And nothing else."

She added that the song was meant to capture how, as time passes, your heartbreak slowly fades. "You get used to not calling someone at night to tell them how your day was," she said. "You replace these old habits with new habits, like texting your friends in a group chat all day and planning fun dinner parties and going out on adventures with your girlfriends, and then all of a sudden one day you're in London and you realize you've been in the same place as your ex for two weeks and you're fine. And you hope he's fine. The first thought that came to my mind was, I'm finally clean."

"Wonderland"

Swift hasn't said too much about the inspiration behind "Wonderland," which served as a bonus track on 1989. However, it's obvious that she was inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland books as she makes many literary references to it, comparing a whirlwind romance to falling down a rabbit hole.

"You Are in Love"

Swift's love song was inspired by her friend Lena Dunham's relationship at the time with Jack Antonoff (who produced 1989).

"I wrote that song about things that Lena has told me about her and Jack," Swift told Elle. "That's just basically stuff she's told me. And I think that that kind of relationship - God, it sounds like it would just be so beautiful - would also be hard. It would also be mundane at times."

"New Romantics"

Though the track was featured on the deluxe version of 1989, it has become a fan favorite among Swifties. Like the rest of the songs on the album, this track shows Swift's new approach to love as she sings about being more carefree with her romantic prospects with lyrics like, "Heartbreak is the national anthem / We sing it proudly."

Just as "Blank Space" plays into the narrative surrounding Swift's dating life, "Slut!" takes a similar approach by saying she'll accept the media's branding of her as long as she gets to be with the person she loves. Interestingly enough, in a voice recording shared by Tumblr Music, Swift revealed that when it came to deciding the final track list for 1989, she chose "Blank Space" over "Slut!"

In the chorus, she echoes similar lyrics from "Style" - such as "good girl faith and a tight little skirt" - as she sings, "But if I'm all dressed up / They might as well be lookin' at us / And if they call me a slut / You know it might be worth it for once."

Just like the "crooked love" Swift sings about in "I Wish You Would," Swift continues that narrative by singing about a relationship that is filled with uncertainty at every turn. As she watches the relationship slowly fade, she pleads with her lover to say, "Don't go."

"Now That We Don't Talk"

Following an intense breakup, "Now That We Don't Talk" sees Swift document changes in her ex's life now that they don't talk anymore. Though it's one of Swift's shortest songs, she said on Tumblr Music that it's one of her favorite vault tracks from the album and "packs a punch." Like many of her songs, Swift hasn't delved into the inspiration too much, however, fans have clued in on various lyrics, namely, the second verse which calls out her ex's longer hair following their breakup, leading many to think the song is also about Styles.

"Suburban Legends"

From the lyrics to the production, many fans have compared "Suburban Legends" to Swift's Midnights track "Mastermind." In the 1989 vault track, Swift sings about two star-crossed lovers who just couldn't make things work in their relationship.

"Is It Over Now?"

In the final vault track of 1989, Swift reflects on a relationship coming to an end, as she constantly asks her lover, "Is it over now?" Swift told Tumblr Music that she always saw the track "as sort of a sister to 'Out of the Woods' and 'I Wish You Would,'" leading many to believe the track is about Styles.

The lyrics also make pointed references to their relationship in the second verse (Whеn you lost control/ Red blood, white snow/ Blue dress on a boat/ Your new girl is my clone), including the reported snowmobile accident referenced in "Out of the Woods," the infamous photo of her wearing a blue dress on a boat after their reported breakup and Styles' relationship with Kimberly Stewart, who bore a resemblance to Swift, shortly after the split.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who Are Taylor Swift's 1989 Songs About? What She Has Said About the Inspirations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taylor Swift has released 1989 (Taylor's Version) and it has fans reminiscing about the meaning behind the songs' lyrics. Here's everything the singer has shared about the inspirations behind her songs, including her new vault tracks "Is It Over Now?" and "Now That We Don't Talk."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There's no question that Taylor Swift is one of the most beloved pop icons of our time. So much so that in November 2022, when pre-sale tickets went live for her Eras tour, 2 million tickets were sold in a day - a historic number for Ticketmaster. The tsunami of sales that day ultimately led to the site crashing, and, later, Ticketmaster was forced to cancel the general sale that was planned for the following day. This all leaves us wondering - what is it about Swift and her music that creates such a loyal and passionate fan base?

The one key thing that Swift says sets her apart from other musicians is her storytelling. Fans connect to her songs because they see themselves in her lyrics. In her 2020 documentary, Miss Americana, Swift says that there's an element to her fan base "where we feel like we grew up together. I'll be going through something, write the album about it, and it'll come out, and sometimes it'll just coincide with what they're going through. Kind of like they're reading my diary." What's more is Swift frequently hides Easter eggs in her lyrics for fans to search for, which has led devoted Swifties to develop theories about the meaning behind her songs. Here are some of Swift's most popular songs that are believed to have a "hidden meaning" behind them.

'Anti-Hero' ('Midnights')

Anti-Hero is Swift's most recent hit single that's taken America by storm. It reigned at the top of Billboard's charts for eight weeks, partly for its catchy synthpop melody,and partly because the lyrics are frighteningly relatable to many fans. Anti-Hero mostly deals with Swift's struggle with, well, herself. Swift said that this track is her favorite on Midnights because it's "really honest." She also admits that it's a "guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves." On Instagram, she mentioned that it was inspired by her insecurities, as well as her feelings of self-hatred. In the song, she laments that she gets "older, but just never wiser," which could mean that although she's growing older, it doesn't mean that she's maturing or learning from her mistakes. She later sings about how "Midnights become my afternoons / When my depression works the graveyard shift, all of the people / I've ghosted stand there in the room. " Some say this is Swift confiding that she struggles with depression and, as a result, insomnia. In her most famous lyric, Swift introduces herself with, "It's me, hi / I'm the problem it's me."

'Shake It Off' ('1989')

Shake It Off is Swift's pop anthem about how she learned how to deal with the media and the public's perception of her. At the time, Swift was dealing with various public feuds - such as her disputes with Kanye West and Katy Perry - so she was constantly in the tabloids, dealing with swirling rumors and internet trolls. But in a chat with , Swift decided that instead of descending into "an endless sea of resentment and bitterness," she wanted to give people something joyful that they could dance to and Shake It Off.

'Blank Space' ('1989')

Blank Space also deals with Swift's relationship with the media and how she's been portrayed over the years, especially when it comes to her "long list of ex-lovers." She depicts herself as a crazed, love-hungry girl who's desperate for another suitor, which is how many in the media have often painted her. Some think that Swift is finally accepting her media-prescribed identity, but others see it as a satire of how crazy everyone thinks she is, especially when it comes to her search for love. In the song, she tells her new beau that he looks like "her next mistake," and she warns him that her ex-lovers will "tell you I'm insane," which feels like subtle digs at the tabloids over the years.

'Bad Blood' ('1989')

It's no secret that Bad Blood is about Swift's loss of friendship and resulting longtime feud with fellow popstar, Perry. Their friendship started way back in 2009 when Swift tweeted a compliment to Perry about her Waking Up in Vegas music video. But Swift said that things went south for the gal pals when the friend mentioned in the song, Bad Blood, "tried to sabotage an entire arena tour." Perry later admitted that what Swift is referring to is when Perry hired away a few of Swift's backup dancers. A few Easter eggs are littered throughout the song as well that allude to Perry. Swift sings about the subject of the song living "with ghosts," and she warns that "Band-Aids don't fix bullet holes." Swift is said to be referencing Perry's recent release of Ghosts and her country song, Bullet.

'Style' ('1989')

Style has one of the largest Easter eggs in Swift's catalogue. The title itself lends to the rumor that the song is about Swift's rollercoaster romance with Harry Styles. It speaks about a girl's longtime troubled relationship with a boy who resembles James Dean, a look that Harry Styles sported at the time they were together. Another subtle mention of Styles is in the bridge where Swift sings, "Take me home." Many have theorized that it's referencing the title of One Direction's second album Take Me Home.

'Betty' ('Folklore')

At first glance, Betty is about three teenagers caught up in their first love triangle: James cheats on the title character, Betty, with Inez. However, the song has drudged up a couple of rumors, one of which was confirmed by Swift and the other was denied. The first is that the three names refer to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's kids, James, Inez and Betty. At the time of the song's release, Lively was pregnant with their third child, so fans speculated that the song was breaking the news about the name of their third daughter. Swift later confirmed that she named all three characters after her friends' kids. The second rumor comes from the "Gaylors," or fans who wish to view Swift's music through a queer lens. Gaylors speculated that the song has a queer bent to it, but Swift maintains that the song is simply told from the perspective of a 17-year-old boy.

'Back To December' ('Speak Now')

Back To December is a fan favorite because it's another anthem about Swift's love life. The song speaks about Swift's 2009 romance with Taylor Lautner, and it details the timeline of their relationship. She sings about their "beautiful times" in the summer, how she realized that she loved him that fall and, then, how it all went wrong in December. The song is essentially an apology to Lautner, saying that "fear crept into [her] mind" and "all [she] gave him was goodbye." In 2016, Lautner admitted during a Facebook Live, that the song indeed was about him.

'The Story of Us' ('Speak Now')

T he Story of Us is another page taken directly out of Swift's diary; it details an awkward run-in with ex-boyfriend, John Mayer. The lyrics describe two people "in a crowded room... not speaking." Fans later deduced that the crowded room turned out to be the CMT Awards, where she ran into Mayer because the two were both performing there. The ex-couple avoided speaking to each other that night, and they both, as the song says, tried "to look busy."

'I Knew You Were Trouble' ('Red')

Swift spoke with I Knew You Were Trouble details another of the singer/songwriter's romances. At first, some theorized that it was about Mayer or Jake Gyllenhaal, but it's now rumored to be about Styles. Fans went wild when, after the BRIT Awards in 2013, The Sunday Times about her performance. She mentioned that you're supposed to "feel everything you're singing and show it on your face. Feel everything exactly as you felt it when you wrote the song. Well, it's not hard to access that emotion when the person the song is directed at is standing by the side of the stage watching." It's said that Styles was there that night, so fans suspected that the song was directed at him.

"'All Too Well' ('Red')

As any loyal Swiftie knows, All Too Well chronicles Swift's short-lived romance with Gyllenhaal in 2010. Although Gyllenhaal has denied that the song is about him, there are too many Easter eggs in the lyrics and the ten-minute long accompanying short film that point towards his relationship with Swift. First, the pair dated when Swift was 20 years old and Gyllenhaal was 29, and the song makes a reference to their age difference: "You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine." It also mentions she left a scarf at her boyfriend's sister's house when they traveled upstate to visit his family. Jake's sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, confirmed that Swift joined them for Thanksgiving in 2010, which coincides with the couple's relationship timeline since they started dating in October. The song also accuses the ex-boyfriend of keeping the scarf, and Gyllenhaal was spotted wearing Swift's scarf after their breakup.

'You Need to Calm Down' ('Lover')

At first, You Need to Calm Down is directed at all of Swift's haters, in general. But later on, the lyrics get more specific, and they directly address homophobes. In the first half of the song, she makes references to some of her critics, past and present. The first verse is all about internet trolls, who takes "shots at me like it's Patron" but they "say it in Tweets" instead of in person. Later, she mentions "snakes and stones never broke my bones," which fans think is a reference to Kim Kardashian's tweet that called Swift a snake in 2016. In the music video, Perry is also featured, which references their longtime public feud. (But it's clear by Perry's appearance in the video that they've now made up.) Later, the second verse very clearly takes a stand for LGBTQIA+ rights. The pronouns change from "I" to "we," and Swift accuses trolls of taking shots at her "friends like a missile." She also intentionally spells "glad" with two A's, or GLAAD, which is a reference to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. She also sings about "sunshine on the street at the parade" which alludes to gay pride parades. Her music video also features several LGBTQIA+ celebrities and activists, such as Billy Porter, Ellen DeGeneres and Laverne Cox.

The content is featured on https://www.directv.com/insider/ is editorial content brought to you by DIRECTV. While some of the programming discussed may now or in the future be available affiliates distribution services, the companies and persons discussed and depicted, and the authors and publishers of licensed content, are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. When you click on ads on this site you may be taken to DIRECTV marketing pages that display advertising content. Content sponsored or co-created by programmers is identified as "Sponsored Content" or "Promoted Content."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Hidden Meaning Behind Taylor Swift's Most Famous Lyrics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taylor Swift is a pop icon. And her lyrics have been heard all over the globe. Let's break down some of the hidden meanings behind our favorite songs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4 Life Lessons From Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” - So About What I Said

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, chances are you’ve heard Taylor Swift‘s “Shake It Off,” the unbelievably catchy first single from the singer’s upcoming fifth album. Maybe you’ve even seen the equally peppy and catchy video, in which Swift shimmies and, well, shakes through a fun array of scenarios. Shake […]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Taylor, 30, from Washington, D.C., said sharing the moniker has helped him

He said it acts as a great way to break the ice and to 'stand out'

But he admitted that he was the subject of mean jokes from his peers as a teen

A man who is named Taylor Swift has opened up about what it's really like to share a moniker with the pop sensation - from being bullied over it in high school to using it to boost his career as an adult.

Taylor, 30, from Washington, D.C., first heard of the singer, 34, at age 15 - and initially, he thought the fact that they had the same name wouldn't 'impact him' much since he was under the impression that she would fade out after a 'hit song or two.'

How wrong he was.

Instead, the Cruel Summer songstress went on to become one of the most popular superstars on the globe - and her soaring popularity has had an immense influence on Taylor's life.

He explained in a recent essay for Business Insider that having the same name as the musician has helped him exceedingly while working in the cut-throat world of politics - noting that is serves as a great way to break the ice when meeting new people and helps him to 'stand out' and be 'remembered' afterwards.

But the Washington, D.C.-based 30-year-old admitted that it hasn't always been easy for him, as he was often the subject of mean jokes from his peers when he was a teenager.

'I was just a kid trying to live my life, and I was now sharing a name with a big singer,' he recalled.

'Similar to most kids, I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be, but a couple of high school bullies and a choir teacher who would make jokes about my name didn't help.'

Taylor explained that he considered changing his name before heading to college, but he ultimately decided after 'a lot of self-realization' to 'embrace it.'

'I remember thinking, I was given this name for a reason, and I'm going to grow, and become who I'm meant to become with it,' he continued.

'Even though my name comes up in every social interaction, including in my political career, I've decided to have fun with it, and see it as an overall positive.

'I like my name and I think it has helped me more than it has hurt me, even at work.'

Taylor serves as the deputy director of governance and innovation for POPVOX Foundation, an organization that 'promotes engagement and empowers citizens to participate effectively in the democratic process.'

He told the publication that having the unique moniker is a plus because people never forget his name.

'As someone who works in the congressional advocacy space, where I help advocate for things like better wages, pay benefits, and technology, it helps to have a name like mine because people usually remember it,' he shared.

'When people remember my name they also remember the ball I'm trying to push forward, and that's what's important.'

While at first he was embarrassed, Taylor loves to be in on the jokes about his name now - in fact, he often encourages people to laugh about it and uses quotes from Taylor's songs.

He revealed: '[I tell people], "Please feel free to make jokes, I'll just shake it off, later," a Taylor Swift reference. Then everybody laughs and they become more comfortable.

'When at work, I'll use other song lyric references, like, "I know this project has been hard, but we're not out of the woods yet." and "I know, this mistake was my fault. I'm the problem. It's me."

'Political work can be stressful, so if making a joke about my name makes someone laugh, smile, or remember me, I do it.'

There are still a few downsides, however, like the 'disappointment' he has to endure whenever he makes dinner reservations under his name and they discover he's not the singer when he arrives.

He also often worries that people may confuse him with the singer when he does interviews or pushes a cause, so he often asks that press refer to him as Taylor J. Swift instead.

'This way, no one wonders why Taylor Swift [the singer] is speaking on congressional modernization and oversight,' he joked.

In the end, however, Taylor wouldn't have it any other way. He concluded, 'I now think that if my name is the biggest struggle I have in life, I'm doing OK. It feels trivial to believe otherwise.'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
My name is Taylor Swift - here's what it's like to share her moniker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taylor, 30, from Washington, D.C., explained that having the same name as the musician has helped him immensely - since it acts as a great way to break the ice and to 'stand out.'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As if her songs aren't inspiring enough, Taylor Swift recently took the time out of her jam-packed schedule to send a long, heartfelt Instagram message to a fan who was being bullied.

"It's okay to wonder how you could try so hard and still get stomped all over," the Grammy-winning star, 24, wrote in her message, which was shared by fans on Twitter. "Just don't let them change you or stop you from singing or dancing around to your favorite song."

The teen who wrote to Swift, 14-year-old Hannah Webster, said she was "super excited" to get the heartfelt message from the music star.

"I read it like five times," said Hannah, who described being bullied at her Lakeville, Massachusetts, high school at the time she wrote to Swift.

"All my friends were really leaving me and saying that that they hated me," Hannah told ABC News.

Swift, who has admitted that she was once bullied in junior high school because of her love for country music, spoke from experience to the teen, whom she called "Hannahhhh."

WATCH: Taylor Swift 'Shake It Off' Outtakes

Taylor Swift, Beyoncé , Miley Cyrus: Most Talked About Moments at VMAs

"I know why you're crying because I've been in your place," Swift wrote. "This isn't a high school thing or an age thing. It's a people thing. A life thing. It doesn't stop. It doesn't end or change. People cut other people down for entertainment, amusement, out of jealousy, because of something broken inside them. Or for no reason at all."

Swift's advice could have been straight out of her new No. 1 single, "Shake It Off." In other words, the "haters gonna hate" but you can't "stop moving." You've got to "shake it off."

According to Hannah, it was one very personal line at the end of Swift's Instagram message that she says she will take with her forever.

"The line I connected with the most was at the end when she said that when someone picks on her that she'll think of me, and that when someone picks on me I should think of her," Hannah said.

Read Swift's entire message below:

"Reading this made me so sad because I love seeing you in your videos and photos being so happy and wide eyed, like the world isn't as harsh and unfair as it actually is. I hate thinking about your pretty face covered in tears, but I know why you're crying because I've been in your place. This isn't a high school thing or an age thing. It's a people thing. A life thing. It doesn't stop. It doesn't end or change.

"People cut other people down for entertainment, amusement, out of jealousy, because of something broken inside them. Or for no reason at all. It's just what they do, and you're a target because you live your life loudly and boldly. You're bright and joyful and so many people are cynical. They won't understand you and they won't understand me.

"But the only way they win is if your tears turn to stone and make you bitter like them. It's okay to ask why. It's okay to wonder how you could try so hard and still get stomped all over. Just don't let them change you or stop you from singing or dancing around to your favorite song.

"You're going into high school this week and this is your chance to push the reset button on how much value you give the opinion of these kids, most of whom have NO idea who they are. I'm so proud of you and protective of you because you DO. If they don't like you for being yourself, be yourself even more.

"Every time someone picks on me, I'll think of you in the hopes that every time someone picks on you, you'll think of me... and how we have this thread that connects us. Let them keep living in the darkness and we'll keep walking in the sunlight.

"Forever on your side, Taylor."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
taylor swift instagram message to fan being bullied

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Taylor Swift's Message to Fan Being Bullied

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taylor Swift sent a heartfelt, inspiring message to a teen fan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
HD Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift VMA 2009.mp4

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
HD Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift VMA 2009.mp4