The Index logo
Trivia, History & Games

How a costume maker convinced Hersheypark to ‘chocolatize’ their old‑timey theme park

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article A theme park has to have an identity. If you want to know the two things that Hersheypark does especially well, just approach the entrance. There you will meet a friendly candy mascot – perhaps a Hershey bar, Reese’s […]
An engraving of the surrender of British forces to George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Michael Lee/Moment via Getty Images via The Conversation

What happened at the end of the Revolutionary War? Here’s how Americans set up a brand-new country once the fighting ended

The United States came out of the Revolutionary War victorious. But building a new nation was very different from fighting a war.

_E. coli_ uses memories of the past to inform its present behavior.

Learning without a brain – how bacteria store memories and remember the past like artificial neural networks

Bacteria use strategies similar to artificial neural networks to use the past to adapt to the future.
Very interesting
Artists Andy Warhol, left, and Jean-Michel Basquiat collaborated on over 100 works between 1983 and 1985.
AI may quickly generate ideas, but working with people leads to more creative ones
A recent experiment found that people working with ChatGPT generated fewer unique ideas than those who collaborated with other humans.
If you're going with a lower-cost health insurance plan, make sure to read the fine print.
Some options that might look like health insurance actually aren’t – and they may leave you stranded with large, unexpected medical expenses.
The Crossword Puzzle

Loading crossword puzzle. One moment please.

Latino voters disapprove of Trump’s presidency: Will that decide the midterms?

The Economic Hardship Reporting Project and Capital and Main report Latino voters disapprove of Trump, showing a significant decline in support ahead of the 2026 midterms, raising concerns for the GOP.

More members and money, and more fractures: The uncertain future of Erika Kirk’s Turning Point USA

The 19th reports on the challenges facing Erika Kirk's Turning Point USA post her husband's assassination, amid rising tensions and changing dynamics among young conservatives.

The costume maker who convinced Hersheypark to embrace candy mascots and ‘chocolatize’ their old-timey theme park

The park, with its name originally two words, Hershey Park, opened in the early 1900s when Milton Hershey built it for his chocolate factory workers and their families.

Hersheypark underwent a total transformation in the 1970s, when candy mascots and thrill rides replaced barn animals and old-timey recreations of Tudor England.

A special Los Angeles preview event for the movie 'Ramayana' on March 30, 2026.

There is no single way to tell the story of the ‘Ramayana.’ People from different religious traditions and cultural backgrounds have reimagined the epic in countless ways.
The Declaration of Independence did more than assert the Colonies' independence from Britain.
1776’s Declaration of Independence inspired Washington’s troops to fight against the odds – and also helped bring in powerful allies
The Declaration of Independence isn’t just a philosophical breakup letter. It was a strategic move to secure vital support for America after its first declaration of war.
In this illustration, _Spinosaurus mirabilis_ fight over a carcass some 95 million years ago in what is now the Sahara Desert in Niger. Dani Navarro
Paleontologists uncover a new ‘Spinosaurus’ species by following a clue from a decades-old book into the Sahara Desert
The hunt for a mythicized fossil hot spot took a team of researchers on a journey through the Sahara Desert.
Michelangelo's 16th-century fresco 'The Last Judgment.' Sistine Chapel collection via Wikimedia Commons
Why Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment’ endures
The artist used daring imagery that sparked controversy from the moment it was unveiled.
As part of the Artemis II mission, humans will fly around the Moon for the first time in decades.
NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon shows how US space strategy has changed since Apollo – and contrasts with China’s closed program
Today, there aren’t just two countries competing to get to the Moon. More countries have space programs, and private industry plays a larger role.
Your shoes might not necessarily free your mind.
Can shoes alter your mind? What neuroscience says about foot sensation and focus
Your feet can send a lot of sensory information to your brain. But whether you believe that your footwear is affecting your cognition may matter more than what shoes you wear.
© Copyright 2026 The Index
Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions