The first thing I did on my 21st birthday was go play a few hands of blackjack, and I’ve been playing ever since. I’m no high roller, but I know my way around a casino. If you’re not sure where to begin, let me help. You’re finally in a twinkly, noisy casino. You’ve filled up at the buffet and you’re itching to roll the dice and see if lady luck is on your side. Well hold on there buckaroo. You may have big dreams of hitting the jackpot and retiring on your own private island, but that’s not

Fair rides or “mobile rides,” the simple kind that travel from town to town, have a reputation for being a little sketchy. But are they really any more dangerous than the rides you’d find in a year-round amusement park? Last week, a ride called “Fire Ball” malfunctioned, killing one and injuring seven at the Ohio State Fair. Ride inspectors said nothing looked out of the ordinary during inspections, making the event a cause for concern. This isn’t the first time something like this has happen

Today is Bastille Day in France, and President Trump is there to celebrate it. But why? And what exactly is the holiday all about? What we call “Bastille Day” is actually known as la Fête nationale, or French National Day, in France. Every July 14 there’s a national celebration to commemorate the famous “Storming of the Bastille” in 1789, which is oft cited as the turning point of the French Revolution (here’s a great CrashCourse video on the subject). The Bastille, located in Paris, France,

There’s been a lot of disdain aimed toward airline companies lately, and for good reason. United Airlines literally dragged a man off of a plane because they “needed” his seat for an employee, and kicked off some girls because they were wearing leggings. Delta booted a family of four because their youngest son was using a seat that had been assigned to their oldest son. Spirit Airlines canceled a ton of flights over labor disputes, stranding tons of passengers. Then United was in the news again

Plane travel is incredibly safe—your odds of dying on a commercial flight are about one in 11 million—but accidents still happen and travelers sometimes make it to a different kind of final destination. Many past fatalities may, however, have been avoidable. Here’s the safety info you should be up on in case you go down. Before we get too far into this, you should know that no two airplane accidents are the same and incidents can vary wildly. There is no consistent way to avoid a plane crash, a