November 4, 2025

Ancient Footprints

Today the long-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which broke ground 20 years ago, opens its doors to the public. The museum, built near the Great Pyramid and Great Sphinx of Giza, houses some 50,000 artifacts across a 120-acre (50-hectare) site, making it the world’s largest archaeological museum. Its centerpiece is the cache of items—some 5,000—discovered in the Tomb of King Tutankhamun.

Inside the Grand Egyptian Museum: The modern temple of pharaonic antiquities. GEM, Giza, Egypt. Grand Hall, statue of Ramses II, Tutankhamun Galleries, pharaoh, artifact, art, King Tut, Khufu Boat Museum, antiquities, art.

A Tour Through the Grand Egyptian Museum

Tutankhamen, gold funerary mask found in the King's tomb, 14th century BC; in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo

The Short Life and Long Legacy of King Tutankhamun

Demystified video on pyramids (Great Pyramids). What is inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu? Ancient Egypt.

What’s Inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu?

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Discover More

Meet the Major Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt

Were All the Pharaohs Buried in Pyramids?

News and Notes

An enormous acquisition joins two giants of household products, and Afghanistan suffers a powerful earthquake.

Kimberly-Clark doses out deal for Tylenol

Kimberly-Clark, maker of Huggies and Kleenex, plans to buy Kenvue, the Johnson & Johnson spin-off behind Tylenol, Band-Aid, and Neutrogena, in a $48.7 billion cash-and-stock deal, pending approvals from regulators and shareholders. The merger would unite household products that fill bathroom cabinets and nursery shelves worldwide and create a company with roughly $32 billion in annual revenue. It also caps a turbulent year for Kenvue, which was pulled into controversy after U.S. Pres. Donald Trump urged pregnant people to avoid Tylenol—a recommendation not supported by scientific evidence—and faced growing pressure from activist investors. The combined company would be based in Irving, Texas, where Kimberly-Clark is headquartered.

Earthquake in Afghanistan

A magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck in northern Afghanistan yesterday morning, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 600. The earthquake also caused minor damage to Afghanistan’s most treasured religious site, the Blue Mosque in Mazār-e Sharīf (pictured below), the reputed tomb of ʿAlī, son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and an early leader of Islam, over which a blue-tiled mosque and shrine were erected in the 15th century.

Shrine of Hazrat Ali also known as the blue mosque, located in Balkh province, is the one of most important monuments in Afghanistan. Mazar-e-sharif, Afghanistan, 22 February 2024. The Blue Mosque, Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. This mosque was built in the 15th century on what is believed by some to be the site of the tomb of the Caliph Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed.

New on Britannica

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups looks on before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Moda Center, Portland, Oregon, December 30, 2024. Philadelphia won the game, 125-103. basketball, nba, national basketball association, sports, athlete

NBA Betting and Gambling Scandal

A head coach and player were recently nabbed in an FBI investigation.

Georgia O'Keeffe, 'Jimson Weed' or 'White Flower No. 1' ca. 1932. Oil paint on canvas 48x40 inches. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas.

10 most expensive artworks by women

This ranking may soon have a new leader.

Multiple bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph, center, is escorted by law enforcement officials from the Cherokee County Courthouse and Jail in Murphy, N.C., June 2, 2003, to a Federal court hearing in Asheville, N.C. Heavy security was present after the arrest of long-time bombing suspect Eric Robert Rudolph earlier in the day. Rudolph, is a suspect in at least three bombings, including the 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta.

Eric Rudolph

The man responsible for the 1996 Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta eluded authorities for five years.

Bagworm moth larva (family Pyschidae) "wearing" a case built from silk and bits of leaves, twigs, and other debris. insect camouflage

Insects that wear things

Insects might be common, but their survival strategies are anything but ordinary.

Investing

Trading

Retirement

Household Finance

Finance & the Economy

Companies

A staged photograph of a U.S. Form 1040 individual income tax return with a calculator reading 15.3, a pen, and $100 bills.

2026 federal income tax brackets: Rates, standard deduction, and key limits

TKO Group Holdings

A hold handing cash and a hand holding a "Life Insurance Policy" on a yellow background.

Should you sell your life insurance policy? Understanding life settlements

Illustration of a house with a price tag showing dollar signs, being cut by green-handled scissors on a yellow background.

Real estate commissions and agent fees: What homebuyers and sellers should know

Featured Games

See All

Quordle

Can you solve four words at once?

Reunion - NEW

A daily word puzzle

Revealed

Uncover something interesting

Tightrope

A daily trivia game

Blossom

Pick the best words

Octordle

The party starts at eight

Pilfer

A delightful ruthless word game

The Missing Letter

A daily crossword with a twist

Games Newsletter

Get free tips, tricks, and teases in your inbox

Twofer Goofer

Think you know it, poet?

Victordle

Play head-to-head!

Sudoku

Your daily logic challenge

Trending Quizzes

See All Quizzes

Beautiful Image taken at Arches National Park in Utah

Where in America is That?

Crisscross the U.S. by placing these famous landmarks.

From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology

Do you know which hero took a dip in the River Styx? Or what mysteries lurk inside the Labyrinth?

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Ultimate Animals Quiz

What is a rattlesnake’s rattle made of? What animals can go over 180 miles an hour?

Guess the Language! Quiz

Can you recognize a language by its greeting?

Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies)

Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz

Take this quiz or you may regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (left of centre) and Malcolm X (right) waiting for a press conference, 1964.

American Civil Rights Movement Quiz

Test your knowledge of Americans’ tumultuous fight to end racial segregation and discrimination.

Name That Thing: Tools

A handy quiz to test your tool acumen.

Various retriever dog breeds sitting in a row. L-R: curly coated retriever, golden retriever, Labrador retriever, duck tolling retriever, flat coated retriever. hunting sporting dogs

The Dog Breed Quiz

Find out which breed can outrun a cheetah, which breed was created by monks, and much more.

Slices of lemon pie topped with meringue.

Baking and Baked Goods Quiz

You may have a sweet tooth, but how much do you know about baking and baked goods? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

(From left): First Ladies Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalynn Carter, Betty Ford, Pat Nixon, and Lady Bird Johnson at the Dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, California; November 4, 1991. (first lady)

First Ladies of the United States Quiz

They have been hostesses, helpers, advisers, gatekeepers, guardians, confidantes, and sometimes formidable powers behind...

Featured Videos

See All Videos

A dancer in a bright pink shawl with fringe, wearing traditional regalia adorned with blue and black accents, performs at an outdoor cultural event.

What is Native American Heritage Month?

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Britannica Premium Subscription

Unlock Exclusive Content!

Britannica's content is among the most trusted in the world. Subscribe to Britannica Premium and unlock our entire database of trusted content today.
Subscribe Now!

Explore Britannica

Calculators

Mortgage Payment Calculator

Estimate your monthly mortgage payments with our free mortgage calculator. Account for interest rates, compound frequency and pay back schedule.

Compound Interest Calculator

Compounding means getting returns on your previous returns plus your initial investment. Learn how to grow your savings with our compound interest calculator.

Percentage Increase Calculator

Calculate the increase from one value to another with our free percentage increase calculator. Evaluate population growth, inflation, stock values and more.

Retirement Income Calculator

Are you on track for retirement? Use our free retirement calculator to help determine how much you'll need to save each year to retire at your desired age.

Time Value of Money (TVM) Calculator

The time value of money (TVM) principle asserts that the same amount of money is worth more now than in the future. Use our TVM calculator to estimate future value, present value & more.

More From Britannica

ProCon

Award-winning ProCon promotes critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.

Britannica Money

Discover all you need to know about retirement, investing, and household finance, without the jargon or agenda. Get reliable guidance, insight, and easy-to-understand explanations, written, edited, and verified to Britannica’s exacting standards.

Advocacy for Animals

Presenting Advocacy for Animals, a blog focused primarily on animal rights, wildlife conservation, environmental health and safety, and the legal and cultural issues related to these topics. This blog is a source of information and a call to action. It is meant to be a provocation and a stimulus to thought regarding humanity’s relationship with nonhuman animals.

Alain Elkann Interviews

Alain has been writing a weekly interview column for the Italian newspaper La Stampa since 1989. His interviews celebrate some of the best known and successful personalities of the present day.