After witnessing the atrocities of his fellow man in World War II, William Golding was losing his faith in humanity. Later, during the Cold War, as superpowers began threatening one another with nuclear annihilation, he was forced to interrogate the very roots of human nature and violence. These musings would inspire his first novel: "Lord of th...

An encounter with a man-eating giant. A sorceress who turns men into pigs. A long-lost king taking back his throne. On their own, any of these make great stories. But each is just one episode in the "Odyssey," a 12,000-line poem spanning years of ancient Greek history and legend. So how do we make sense of this massive text? Jill Dash shares eve...

The people of Palau -- a pristine ocean state made up of more than 300 islands in the western Pacific -- warmly welcome travelers to their home every year. But the guests don't always know how to protect the country's beautiful beaches and coral atolls. Enter the Palau Pledge: an environmental pledge that's now part of visitors' visas, where the...