Motown turns 50, but the party's far from over
On Jan. 12, 1959, a 29-year-old ssembly line worker and songwriter named Berry Gordy Jr. used an $800 family loan to start a record company in Detroit. Fifty years later, Motown Records Corp. and its stable of largely black artists have become synonymous with the musical, social and cultural fabric of America. This interactive celebrates 50 years of Motown records. (Updated: 09/08/09 9:32 PM )
Madoff's Ponzi scheme affects investors worldwide
The Securities and Exchange Commission's internal watchdog, fresh off issuing a blistering report on how the agency bungled its handling of the Bernard Madoff case, has offered a series of recommendations to fix the problems that contributed to the failure to stop the disgraced financier's infamous Ponzi scheme. This interactive lists Madoff victims and features an animated video explainer of Ponzi schemes. (Updated: 09/11/09 12:34 AM )
Remembering the AFL: Short-lived league, long legacy
Scorned and made fun of in the beginning, the American Football League would do nothing less than alter sports history and make almost everything better for just about everybody connected with the game. Buffalo fans eagerly awaiting T.O.'s first catch should pause and give thanks. Without the AFL, the NFL would almost certainly not be what it is has become. Here's an interactive timeline of the short-lived league with a long legacy. (Updated: 08/27/09 7:30 PM )
A look at three generations of the Kennedy family
With Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's death, only one of the nine children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy -- Jean Kennedy Smith -- survives. Members of the family's next generation have fallen short of the iconic stature of their uncles, but continue to make their mark in public and private life. This interactive details the Kennedy family. (Updated: 08/26/09 2:59 PM )
A timeline of the life of Sen. Ted Kennedy
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the last surviving brother in an enduring
political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in history, died Tuesday night at his home on Cape Cod after a yearlong struggle with brain cancer. Here are some key dates in his life. (Updated: 08/26/09 10:31 AM )
Michael Jackson: A life, and death, mired in scandals
The Los Angeles County coroner's finding that the death of Michael Jackson was a homicide could mean criminal charges for his doctor, who told investigators he administered a mix of powerful drugs to treat the pop star's insomnia hours before his death June 25 in a rented Los Angeles mansion. This timeline details the pop star's life and the aftermath of his death. (Updated: 08/25/09 9:49 PM )
New Orleans, four years after Katrina
Some parts of New Orleans look nearly normal. Other sections still resemble ghost towns. Tourism has yet to fully come back, and everywhere there are reminders of the devastating Hurricane Katrina. This interactive looks at New Orleans four years after the deadly storm struck the sea-level city. (Updated: 08/26/09 7:02 PM )
Tribune Co. unloads the Cubs in $845 million deal
A billionaire brokerage family will attempt what a newspaper publisher and a chewing-gum dynasty failed to do: Break baseball's longest World Series drought. The Rickettses, longtime Cubs fans whose wealth comes from family-owned Ameritrade, signed an agreement Friday to buy a 95 percent stake of the team and its Wrigley Field home from
Tribune Co. in an $845 million deal. Here's a timeline of the Cubs in the Tribune era. (Updated: 08/22/09 5:27 PM )
Gettting away from it all: postcards from presidential vacations
Early presidents went home to their farms. Later ones scattered to the seashore. Presidents have been bailing out of Washington's steamy summers ever since Thomas Jefferson gazed out the White House windows and watched a white fog roll in, widely believed to be toxic. This postcard-themed interactive looks at how some of our presidents spent their vacations. (Updated: 08/19/09 6:55 PM )
Wildfires: the ecological cycle of destruction, renewal
Strong winds have spread wildfires across parched parts of California as officials worry the gusts could ignite more blazes in the hot weeks ahead. But while California has received the most attention, wildfires also have struck recently in Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Texas. This interactive features a live wildfire tracker and a look at the ecological role wildfires play. (Updated: 08/18/09 5:42 PM )
ACT scores hold steady as test-taking pool expands
Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam held steady for the high school class of 2009, a sign of modest progress
considering the pool of students taking the test continues to expand. This interactive highlights ACT test results from each state. (Updated: 08/19/09 7:10 PM )
A timeline of Brett Favre's Hall of Fame career
With a full head of gray hair and a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, even Brett Favre says he probably is not the player he once was. The three-time MVP's arrival in Minnesota has been greeted by Vikings fans as the missing link between their franchise and Super Bowl glory. But Favre hasn't won an MVP award in 12 years and turns 40 in October. Here's a timeline of his illustrious career. (Updated: 08/19/09 6:35 PM )
The path of destruction: 150 years of hurricanes
Hurricanes are ranked by wind speed on a scale of 1 to 5. This interactive has an animation that shows the typical damage caused at each category of storm and also tracks the costliest and deadliest hurricanes to hit the United States in the past 150 years. (Updated: 06/19/09 2:45 PM )
Check out this back-to-school checklist
It's still the middle of summer, but that doesn't mean it's too soon to begin thinking about the new school year. This interactive checklist for back-to-school planning, with a downloadable pdf, will help parents keep track of their preparations over the summer. (Updated: 07/20/09 1:41 PM )
PGA Championship preview: A hole-by-hole look at Hazeltine
CHASKA, Minn. — Hazeltine National Golf Club, the host of this week's PGA Championship, will play as the longest course in major championship history at 7,674 yards. Take a hole-by-hole look at Hazeltine to see what the pros will be facing. (Updated: 08/12/09 12:13 PM )