Since most Americans don’t think much about Lewis and Clark beyond elementary school, it often comes as a surprise to learn that Meriwether Lewis died by suicide in 1809. It was just three years after the end of the cross-country expedition to explore the lands of the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the nation. He was only 35 years old when he passed away, and the historical evidence shows that the cause of death was self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

When riding out a scandal, most celebrities tend to keep a low profile. Clearly, the Dixie Chicks aren't like most celebrities. In March 2003, during the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, the top-selling country-music group unleashed a controversy when lead singer Natalie Maines, standing alongside bandmates Martie Maguire and Emily Robison at a concert in London, said of then President George W. Bush, "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all.

If you eschew fast food but relish restaurants, you might think you’re doing your body a favor. But recent research published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that in a lot of ways, eating out is even worse than driving-thru. “People mainly focus on fast food and want to beat this animal to death,” study author Ruopeng An, assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign told TIME.

MUCH as they may criticize American food, manners or politics, Europeans have long held a grudging respect for U.S. management methods. So European companies tend to send their brightest executives to U.S. business schools; they are eager to hire Europeans who have worked for American firms. What they covet is a share of the American success that is so much in evidence. In Western Europe, U.S. corporations have built a direct investment stake with a market value of an estimated $75 billion—and ambitious Europeans are determined to beat back “the American challenge.

Are the days of pink slime, antibiotic-fed chicken and other fast food controversies over? On Tuesday, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut announced that they will begin to nix all artificial colors and ingredients from their food. The restaurants, both owned by Yum! Brands, are the latest in a string of fast food outlets shaking up their menus to prove to increasingly health-conscious customers that what they’re eating is, in fact, “real food.