1

Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina

Image: Alano Oliveira

The largest collection of figurative American sculpture in the world –over 2,000 works– can be seen at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina.

Everything is displayed outdoors, in gardens laid out in 1931 in the shape of a butterfly by the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband, rail magnate Archer Milton Huntington. The gardens are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2

Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis

Image: Nathaniel Shuman

With 105 acres and over 70 works, Laumeier is one of the largest urban sculpture parks in the nation . It has some really big pieces, including works by Alexander Liberman, Tony Tasset, Jonathan Borofsky, Odili Donald Odita, and more.

3

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis

Image: Meizhi Lang

The massive sculpture of a cherry atop a huge spoon prompts visitors to photograph it using perspective tricks to make it look like they’re eating the cherry. As spectacular as this artwork is, the garden has many more world-class sculptures, including important pieces by Alexander Calder, George Segal, Judith Shea, and Roy Lichtenstein.

4

Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas

Image: Zalfa Imani

Taking a walk through the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas feels like being inside a prestigious world-class museum, but outdoors . Works by Rodin, Picasso, Brancusi, Koons, Calder, de Kooning, Giacometti, Matisse, Serra, and other masters can be found on the premises.

These grounds offer an uncrowded, intimate experience in which the sculptures feel like they're in conversation with one another.

5

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.

Image: Andriy Oliynyk

If you happen to visit the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. in the winter months, you will find a skating rink along with Louise Bourgeois' Spider with a light dusting of snow, a Chagall mosaic, a variation by Robert Indiana on his famous LOVE statue , and 17 other important works of modern art. The garden is one of the most serene places in the city.

6

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City

Image: Omar KH

Being at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, in Kansas City, feels a bit like walking through a land of giants, amidst their huge everyday objects . Visitors will find mammoth shuttlecocks, amongst other monumental works of art.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum's outdoor sculpture park was originally named after Henry Moore because it contains a large number of bulbous works by that artist. His pieces eventually were joined by a fanciful glass labyrinth by Robert Morris, as were sculptures by Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, and others.

7

Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Image: Elham Abdi

The Olympic Sculpture Park treats its visitors with sweeping views over Elliott Bay . The monumental sculptures complement the view in both directions. And, if you stand in just the right spot, Alexander Calder’s Eagle frames the Space Needle perfectly.

The park also features notable works by Louise Nevelson, Roxy Paine, Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois, Mark di Suvero, and Beverly Pepper.

8

Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, New York

Image: Mike Hindle

With 500 acres, Storm King is the largest sculpture park in the United States , offering its visitors several distinct ecosystems —woodlands, meadows, and lakes among them.

The park boasts works by numerous 20th-century art stars, including Maya Lin, Isamu Noguchi, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, Andy Goldsworthy, Anthony Caro, Louise Bourgeois, Sol LeWitt, and David Smith.

9

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Michigan

Image: Albert Dehon

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, boasts Victorian gardens with pieces by famed artists Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin , a collection of carnivorous plants, sweeping outdoor gardens (which include a 1930s-era farm garden), a Japanese garden, and a large outdoor amphitheater that hosts famed musicians every summer.

10

The Stuart Collection, California

Image: Is@ Chessyca

The Stuart Collection is an amazing grouping of artworks by world-famed artists like Michael Asher, John Baldessari, Mark Bradford, Jackie Ferrara, Do Ho Suh, and more. One of the collection’s goals is to reexamine conventional views of public art in playful and thought-provoking ways as it showcases experimental art to the public and the community.

1

Prank calls

Image: Happysurd Photography

With smartphones taking over, the classic prank call is slowly fading away. Back in the day, dialing a random number to play a harmless joke and share a laugh with friends was a common pastime. Today, with caller ID and mobile phones everywhere, executing those little tricks has become more complicated.

2

Block parties

Image: Yifan Gu

We used to know all our neighbors, and that sense of community was deep. Today, things have changed. With growing cities and people moving more often, your neighbors might be gone before you even learn their names. On top of that, our lives are busier than ever, and closing off a street for a party isn’t as simple as it once was. With these new dynamics, the once-beloved block party has become a rare thing, mostly surviving in small towns or communities. Remember the last time you went to one?

3

Ding-dong ditch

Image: Waldemar Brandt

Remember when kids could safely roam the streets for hours? The good old days! Wandering around your neighborhood or even a different one, there was always someone who came up with the idea: ringing a doorbell and running away. It might have been a little annoying for the person who opened the door, but it was all in good fun.

4

Fruit baskets

Image: Nick Fewings

Our mothers and grandmothers knew that when it came to celebrations, anniversaries, holidays, or any special occasion, a beautifully arranged fruit basket was always a thoughtful gift. This simple gesture showed care and dedication, but today, it’s slowly disappearing. Why? The convenience of online shopping and the trend toward more personalized presents have made this classic gift increasingly rare.

5

Christmas cards

Image: Richard Bell

If you’re like us and just love greeting cards, you’ve probably noticed that fewer people are taking the time to go to the store, pick the perfect card, write a message, and send it off. While traditional greeting cards and Christmas cards are slowly being replaced by digital alternatives, there will always be those of us who appreciate this lovely ritual.

6

School reunions

Image: RUT MIIT

Reunions with former classmates tend to divide people: some look forward to them with excitement, while others would rather skip them altogether. We won’t ask which side you’re on, but there’s no denying that these gatherings are becoming rarer. While a few devoted groups still make an effort to keep it alive year after year, this custom doesn’t seem to be among the younger generations’ priorities.

7

Bake sales

Image: John Dancy

Whether at school, church, or in the neighborhood, who didn’t take part in a bake sale as a kid? However, in today’s fast-paced world, finding time to bake delicious cookies has become a rare treat. This classic way of raising money for a shared cause hasn’t vanished, but it’s definitely losing steam. With virtual wallets and social media, fundraising looks very different today.

8

Black Friday

Image: Markus Spiske

Black Friday, as we once knew it, is evolving into something new. Those endless lines outside stores are now much shorter, thanks to the rise of online shopping. In addition, with the increase in per capita consumption, Black Friday is no longer confined to the day after Thanksgiving; it now stretches across the entire week, and in many cases, the whole month.

9

Appointment TV

Image: Vitaly Gariev

We’ve all gotten used to on-demand content, which lets us watch, rewind, and replay whenever we like. While this convenience is great, it has slowly replaced the old habit of appointment TV, those moments when families or neighbors would gather in their living rooms at a set time to watch a big game, a premiere, or the season finale, sharing a sense of community that’s not so common today.

10

Private fireworks

Image: Leo Okuyama

As the years have passed, we’ve learned more about the risks of fireworks: How they can frighten pets, harm the environment, and cause serious injuries in both children and adults. We can’t deny that lighting fireworks in the backyard with the family is a magical moment, but these days, that tradition has mostly moved to large events in stadiums or music festivals, where trained professionals handle the show.

1

Frank Sinatra: "The Chairman of the Board"

Frank Sinatra had many nicknames (including "Ol’ Blue Eyes" and "The Voice"), but none more iconic than "The Chairman of the Board." Do you know where it comes from?

By 1960, Sinatra was tired of record executives telling him what to sing and how to sing it. So he did something unusual at the time: he founded his own label, Reprise Records, which made him not just a singer, but the man in charge. "The Chairman of the Board" was already around in the 1960s, but by the early 1970s, New York radio legend William B. Williams popularized it as a sobriquet that perfectly captured Sinatra’s power and influence in American entertainment. Ironically, despite how famous the title became, Sinatra himself reportedly hated it, according to his wife Barbara Sinatra.

2

Abraham Lincoln: "Honest Abe"

There may be many famous presidents in American history, but only one became forever linked with honesty itself: Abraham Lincoln. However, the nickname "Honest Abe" started long before he entered the White House.

The reputation began in the 1830s, when a young Lincoln worked as a store clerk in New Salem, Illinois. According to famous stories repeated for generations, he would walk miles just to return a few pennies to a customer he had accidentally overcharged. As a lawyer in the 1850s, he became known for refusing shady tactics and even encouraging clients to settle disputes instead of fighting. By the time Lincoln entered national politics, his honesty had become widely known, and even political rivals like Stephen A. Douglas openly recognized it.

3

Bruce Springsteen: "The Boss"

In the early 1970s, Bruce Springsteen was touring with the legendary E Street Band when he picked up the nickname that would stay with him forever: "The Boss." But the story behind it is better than most people think.

After playing bars and clubs, Springsteen was often the one collecting the band’s nightly pay from club owners, counting the money, and distributing it to each one of his colleagues. Before long, the band members jokingly started calling him "the boss." According to guitarist Steven Van Zandt, it began as an inside gag within the band, but the nickname fit Springsteen’s leadership style so perfectly that it soon spread far beyond the group.

4

Amelia Earhart: "Lady Lindy"

Amelia Earhart will always be remembered as the pioneering pilot who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932, breaking records and opening doors for women in aviation. But long before her mysterious disappearance in 1937, Americans already knew her by an iconic nickname: "Lady Lindy."

The nickname appeared in the late 1920s after the press noticed striking similarities between Earhart and famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, the first man to complete a solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1927. Reporters pointed not only to their groundbreaking flights, but also to their surprisingly similar appearance: both were tall, slim, and known for their windblown hair and calm public dispositions. Since Lindbergh was famously called "Lucky Lindy," newspapers soon began calling Earhart "Lady Lindy," and it quickly became popular.

5

George Herman Ruth: "Babe"

Babe Ruth became such a giant in American sports that many people forgot his real name was George Herman Ruth Jr. Did you know that he actually got the nickname "Babe" when he was still a teenager?

In 1914, the 19-year-old rookie signed with the then-minor league team, the Baltimore Orioles. Because he was so young, team owner Jack Dunn became his legal guardian while he traveled with the club. Teammates quickly started jokingly calling Ruth "Dunn’s baby" or simply "the Babe." What started as clubhouse teasing soon spread to sportswriters and fans, and before long, "Babe Ruth" became one of the most legendary names in sports history.

6

Eleanor Roosevelt: "First Lady of the World"

Eleanor Roosevelt became First Lady in 1933, but long before that, she had already set out on the path that would lead her to become known as "The First Lady of the World."

In the late 1920s, she became increasingly active in women’s rights and social reform, and by the time her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, entered the White House, she was already widely known. As First Lady from 1933 to 1945, she reshaped the role, holding press conferences, writing her "My Day" column, and visiting troops during WWII. After leaving the White House, she served as the first US delegate to the United Nations and helped write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the final act to secure her name as "The First Lady of the World."

7

William Cody: "Buffalo Bill"

William F. Cody, better known as "Buffalo Bill", became one of the most legendary icons of the American Old West, long before Hollywood ever existed.

In 1867–1868, Cody was hired to supply bison meat to workers building the Union Pacific Railroad, quickly earning a reputation as a skilled hunter. Reports from the time say he killed thousands of buffalo during this period, helping feed large crews across the frontier. In 1868, he also won a popular hunting contest against another famous hunter, Billy Comstock, reportedly killing 69 buffalo to Comstock’s 46. That fame on the frontier is what earned him the nickname "Buffalo Bill", a name that would later become world-famous when he reinvented himself as a showman.

8

Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Great Sphinx"

Franklin D. Roosevelt was known by those closest to him as a naturally reserved man, a trait that became even more pronounced after he was diagnosed with polio in 1921.

According to historians and biographers, Roosevelt revealed very little about his emotions, his health, or even his political intentions. That secrecy carried into his presidency as well. As the 1940 election approached, he refused to say whether he would run for a third term or not, keeping both journalists and other politicians guessing. His silence became part of his reputation, so the press of the time nicknamed him "the Great Sphinx" as a reference to his ability to keep his thoughts and intentions well hidden.

9

Shaquille O'Neal: "The Big Aristotle"

Unlike the other figures on this list, Shaquille O’Neal has a nickname story with a twist: no one gave him the alias. He gave it to himself.

After winning his NBA MVP in 2000 while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 67–15 season, Shaq began calling himself "The Big Aristotle." The idea, as he explained, was to reflect more than just size and strength; he also wanted to project wisdom and discipline. He not only took the Greek philosopher's name as a tribute, but also used it to reference him often. One of Aristotle’s quotes he frequently repeated was: "Excellence is not a singular act, it's a habit."

10

George Washington: "American Fabius"

George Washington (1732–1799) is best known as the "Father of His Country," for leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War and later becoming the nation’s first president. But during the war, he also earned another interesting nickname.

Washington often avoided direct, large-scale battles, instead using patience, retreats, and strategy to wear down British forces. This approach was inspired by Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus, who defeated stronger enemies by delaying and avoiding decisive conflict. Because of this strategy, Washington became known as the "American Fabius."