Inside the world of competitive fireworks.

Aum Shinrikyo was founded in 1984 as a yoga and meditation class, initially known as Oumu Shinsen no Kai (オウム神仙の会 "Aum Mountain Hermits’ Society"), by pharmacist Chizuo Matsumoto.

Later, Matsumoto changed his name to Shoko Asahara and masterminded the most deadly terrorist attack in Japanese history. Asahara was executed by hanging on July 6, 2018, at the Tokyo Detention House, 23 years after the sarin gas attack, along with six other cult members.

How the author of Friday Night Lights spent more than half a million dollars over three years on “eighty-one leather jackets, seventy-five pairs of boots, forty-one pairs of leather pants, thirty-two pairs of haute couture jeans, ten evening jackets, and 115 pairs of leather gloves.”

How an obsessive New Age hustler brought the sound of the ocean to millions of home stereos.

A history of the first African American White House—and of what came next.

The economics of Woonsocket, where one-third of residents rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The story of a lawyer-turned-money launderer, stolen evidence, and a bunch of comics selling at outrageously high prices at auction. And Mussolini.

On a local talk show, Ted Bundy’s mother speaks to the family of one of his victims.

Inside the paranoid world of Nike headquarters, where people are worried that Adidas might finally be capable of taking over the sneaker industry.

Uncovering the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.

A profile of Sabrina Harman, the soldier who took many of the notorious Abu Ghraib photographs.

Reporting on the “American Way of Life,” two years after the end of World War II.

Investigating the death of Rikers Island women’s jail inmate Jackie Caquias, and other abuses of women prisoners’ access to medical care.

A profile of Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson, published at the height of the controversy.

A profile of the radio legend who helped launch the career of Ira Glass and many more.

A 42,000-word, 3-continent spanning “hacker tourist” account of the laying of the (then) longest wire on earth.

With wildfires, heat waves, and rising sea levels, large tracts of the earth are at risk of becoming uninhabitable.

A profile of Harmony Korine, the creator of Kids, Spring Breakers, and The Beach Bum.

The untold story of Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s two visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

Hundreds of workers at a Tampa lead smelter have been exposed to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin. The consequences have been profound.

Hundreds of workers at a Tampa lead smelter have been exposed to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin. The consequences have been profound.

As the pandemic rages across the country, one team of fact-checkers contends with a post-truth dystopia.

The history of blue jeans, “America’s greatest contribution to the global closet.”

A portrait of the Somali capital.

Deep inside the world of Cartoon Network’s most popular show.