Kathryn Schulz: Prairie-dog homes are known as towns (and divided, like New Orleans, into wards), but could more aptly be called nations. In 1901, scientists found one such town in Texas that covered twenty-five thousand square miles and contained some four hundred million prairie dogs, making it, population-wise, almost twenty-five per cent larger than the United States.
Emily Badger: In 1960, 63 percent of American commuters got to work in a private car. Now, 85 percent of us do. And three-quarters of us are riding in that car alone. In 1960, 3.5 percent of U.S. households lived in a home where bedrooms outnumbered occupants. Today, 44 percent of households do.
Deepak Singh: Only in the United States have people offered thanks for coming to their homes or parties. Initially I was surprised when people thanked me for visiting their house when they were the ones who'd invited me, but then I learned that, "Thank you for coming to my home" actually meant, "It's time for you to get out of my house."
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