For most of human history, ordinary people’s birthdays weren’t cause for much celebration. In fact, in the ancient world if you weren’t among the elite, odds are your birthday would have mostly just ...

The tradition of birthday cakes dates back to ancient times. The Greeks are credited with starting this sweet custom. They made round cakes to honour Artemis, the goddess of the moon, with the round ...

"Make a wish!" your loved ones shout as you take the deepest breath possible, preparing to blow out the candles that multiply with each passing year. The room quickly fills with smoke, leaving you a ...

Cake and candles are integral part of birthday celebrations, and they can be traced back to ancient times.

Maybe you’ve made or heard the joke: Sorry Grandma, we tried to put enough candles on your birthday cake to represent your age, but the fire department wouldn’t let us. Well, start counting out the ...

As a small child, I remember attending other children’s birthday parties at our local roller rink or McDonald’s and thinking, “Eww, I don’t want to eat that cake that some other kid essentially just ...

Editor’s note: A recent experiment at Clemson University examined the potential spread of bacteria from people blowing out candles on birthday cakes. We all look forward to that one day a year when ...

Talk about a birthday disaster. What was supposed to be an innocent birthday candle blowout — turned into a terrifying pyro moment. Askin Acar excitedly gathered around his birthday cake to blow out ...

We've all followed this wax-covered ritual a hundred times without ever asking why. Turns out, it's got layers—like a really good cake. I have five kids, which means I have lit, blown out, relit and ...