• If you're looking for books to read, you've come to the right place.
• This book list has works from all parts of the world and human history, from just about every section of the bookstore.
• If you want to be a more well-rounded person, start with these.

Do you aspire to be one of those people who knows at least a little bit about everything?

There's any easy way to do it: Read everything!

You can't just stick to the mystery novels, anthologies, or biographies you know and love. If you really want to become a more well-rounded person, you'll need to force yourself out of your comfort zone at the bookstore.

If you're not sure where to start, you've come to the right place. We've selected 32 timeless books on all different topics — politics, science, history, culture, and more — that can help you become the well-rounded person you strive to be.

SEE ALSO: 17 books Barack Obama thinks everyone should read this summer

Classic: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

First published in 1960 and winner of the 1961 Pulitzer Prize, "To Kill a Mockingbird" was an overnight success. In its first week, it sold 1.1 million copies, and in its lifetime it's sold more than 40 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages.

In this American classic, lawyer Atticus Finch agrees to defend a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. The fictional story takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, and is told through the perspective of Finch's tomboy daughter, Scout.

This classic novel hits on a few important topics, such as parenting and racism in America.

Buy it here »

Classic: '1984' by George Orwell

George Orwell wrote this anticommunist novel in 1948 to predict what 1984 would look like in London. His prediction? A totalitarian state where "Big Brother," the government, was always watching you and telling you what to think and believe.

Some of his predictions came true, like cameras being everywhere and our bodies being scanned for weapons.

This book is a must-read because it's a cautionary tale of what happens when the government is given too much control over the people and their lives.

Buy it here »

Classic: 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez's landmark novel was published in 1967. Written in a magical realist style, it's considered one of the greatest Spanish-language literary works. 

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" follows the story of seven generations of the Buendía family in a fictional, utopic town in Colombia.

The work's overarching theme is the ever-repeating nature of history and human nature; the characters are regularly visited and controlled by ghosts. It also focuses on the idea of predestined doom and misfortune. 

Buy it here »

Over the last few decades, skyscrapers' heights — and thus their costs — have continued to climb.

Business Insider rounded up the most expensive towers built in the last 30 years, defining a skyscraper as a building that measures at least 500 feet tall. As you will see, not all skyscrapers feature a slender design.

Check them out below, in order from lowest to highest construction cost.

SEE ALSO: The 22 most beautiful buildings in the world, according to architects

In Hong Kong, the Bank of China completed its 1,204-foot-tall headquarters in 1990.

The $1 billion building thins toward the peak and features sharp edges.

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The Petronas Twin Towers, located in Malaysia, was constructed in 1999.

• Prominent Chinese actress Fan Bingbing hasn't been seen in public or posted on social media in a month.
• She was accused of tax evasion earlier this year.
• A Chinese newspaper reported last week that state authorities were investigating her case and had stopped her from leaving the country.
• That report was deleted from the internet shortly after it was published.
• All other reports and social media posts speculating on Fan's case and whereabouts appear to have been scrubbed from Chinese news and social media sites, as well.

Fans are growing concerned after a prominent Chinese actress who disappeared from the public eye, and state media has censored articles speculating on her whereabouts.

Fan Bingbing, who played Blink in the 2014 film "X-Men: Days of Future Past," has not been seen in public since July 1, the BBC reported.

She also hasn't posted on Weibo since June 2, although her last activity on the microblogging platform was on July 23, when her account was seen liking multiple posts. The actress previously posted at least once a day, making her silence even more disconcerting among her followers.

Fan's silence comes after Cui Yongyuan, a former TV host with the state-owned China Central Television, suggested that the actress had signed secret contracts with a Chinese entertainment company to avoid paying taxes.

In May, Cui hinted a female celebrity had signed two contracts: One for 10 million yuan, which was used for her taxes, and another for 50 million yuan, which was kept secret, the Straits Times reported.

These are referred to as "yin-yang contracts", likely named because one contract is public and the other is not. In Chinese, yin means dark and yang means light.

Fan's office later released a statement accusing Cui of insinuation and defamation, and Cui later apologized, the Straits Times said.

In early June, Chinese authorities issued guidelines calling on state media not to report on "yin-yang contracts" or tax issues facing people in the country's entertainment industry.

The censorship instructions were later leaked and republished on China Digital Times, a California-based news site that focuses on China. The Chinese government often sends similar bulletins to journalists in state media.

In late July, independent Chinese newspaper The Economic Observer reported that police in Jiangsu province were examining Fan's financial case, and that several of Fan's staff were also under police investigation. It also reported that Fan and her brother, Fan Chengcheng, were barred from leaving the country.

Then, shortly after publication, the Economic Observer report was taken offline, according to foreign outlets, including Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper and the BBC.

Posts about Fan's whereabouts were also censored from social media, noted Free Weibo, a website that tracks social media censorship in China. The BBC reported seeing comments from Fan's supporters expressing their support and concern, but those posts also appear to have been deleted as of Thursday afternoon.

Chinese media couldn't reach Fan, her production company, nor her agent, the Associated Press reported.

Criminal cases have destroyed Chinese celebrities in the past, as the Communist Party has ultimate control over the country's entertainment industry and can blacklist people it deems criminals.

China also routinely censors from its internet keywords and posts that could challenge public order or stability.

SEE ALSO: Planting spies, paying people to post on social media, and pretending the news doesn't exist: This is how China tries to distract people from human rights abuses

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NOW WATCH: North Korean defector: Kim Jong Un 'is a terrorist'

• Prince Harry's old Audi RS6 Avant is on sale on AutoTrader.com.
• The Duke of Sussex used the wagon to drive his new wife, Meghan Markle, to Pippa Middleton's wedding in May 2017. 
• The car features BOSE Surround Sound, MMI infotainment system, and 552 bhp engine power. 

Prince Harry's 2017 Audi RS6 Avant wagon is up for grabs after only a year of ownership. This is the same car the Prince used to drive Meghan Markle to Pippa Middleton's wedding last year. Now, it's has been put up for sale on AutoTrader.com with just 4,464 miles on it. 

According to the dealer, Overton Prestige, the prince's Audi is available for a cool £71,000 ($93,147 USD) or £1475 ($1935 USD) per month to finance. Among its features, the car comes equipped with BOSE Surround Sound, Audi's award-winning MMI infotainment system, power-operated tailgate, sport suspension, parking sensors, quattro permanent all-wheel drive with self-locking center differential, night vision camera, deluxe 4-zone automatic air conditioning, LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, and keyless ignition.

The RS6 Avant, which isn't available for sale in the US, is powered by a 552 horsepower 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission. According to Audi, the RS6 can hit 62 mph in just 3.9 seconds and reach a limited top speed of 155 mph. 

Here is the dealer's ad in its entirety:

"SELLING PRINCE HARRY'S OLD CAR RS6 AVANT WITH MASSIVE SPEC.VAT Q AUDI RS6 IN DAYTONA GREY WITH THE FOLLOWING FITTED OPTIONS: PANORAMIC SUNROOF, PRIVACY GLASS, DYNAMIC PACK, Top speed restriction increase,RS Sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), Dynamic steering NIGHT VISION ASSIST, DAYTONA GREY, 21" ALLOYS 5 TWIN SPOKE ALLOYS, PARKING PACK, SPORTS EXHAUST , HEADS UP DISPLAY, HEATED FRONT & REAR SEATS, LIST PRICE WAS £91,530.00 WITH THE £11,330.00 OPTIONS FITTED. , EXCELLENT FUNDING SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS"

When asked by Business Insider how they could confirm the Audi RS6 they are selling is actually Prince Harry's former vehicle, Overton Prestige referenced photos on their website that show the car's current license-plate number and a single photo of Prince Harry in the car with the same license-plate number. 

The Prince, 33, has already had quite a year, as he married his girlfriend, the American actress Meghan Markle, on May 19, 2018 in a stunning ceremony at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. 

Prince Harry, whose full title is Duke of Sussex, KCVO, is sixth in the line of succession to the British Royal Throne. 

SEE ALSO: Audi unveils its stylish new weapon against BMW and Mercedes

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NOW WATCH: Most affluent investors would rather go to the dentist than invest in a company that hurts the environment

• Free food has been a major perk at tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter.
• But California municipalities are cracking down on workplace cafeterias that offer free meals.
• Business Insider spoke with Glassdoor's chief economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, who has studied how certain benefits correlate with overall employee satisfaction.
• Chamberlain said that companies can easily establish alternative means of providing their employees with free meals.
• He added that employers can also boost morale by bolstering standard, traditional benefits like 401K plans, healthcare, and paid-time-off policies.

Free food has long been a perk at major tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Google, and Airbnb.

But local governments in California are working to ensure there's no such thing as a free lunch for tech workers. Mountain View, California has passed legislation banning the construction of new workplace cafeterias offering free food, in order to assist local retailers. San Francisco is also reportedly looking into a similar ban, according to Business Insider's Leanna Garfield.

So what are big tech companies to do, now that they have one less flashy perk in their metaphorical recruitment utility belts?

Well, Glassdoor chief economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlain is skeptical that this spells the end of free grub for tech employees. He said that employers like Facebook and Twitter can offer to subsidize employees' meals, hire local eateries to cater lunch on a rolling basis, or pay food truck vendors to gather around the office and distribute free meals.

But if one of the tech industry's signature perks is really destined to be binned like soggy leftovers, Chamberlain said that the change won't likely have much of an impact on employee satisfaction.

According to Chamberlain, the benefits that employees care most about are:

• Quality health insurance.
• Generous vacation and paid-time-off packages.
• A strong 401K plan.

In a 2016 study, Chamberlain found that these fundamental benefits correlate the most with happy and satisfied employees. To reach that finding, Glassdoor reviewed 470,000 benefits reviews on its site, corralling a sample of 1,226 US employers that each had at least 20 benefits reviews.

These standard, decidedly-un-flashy perks aren't too exciting. But they seem to be what employees care most about.

"These three core benefits were very closely linked to how satisfied people are in their jobs," Chamberlain told Business Insider. "The other more flashy benefits were less correlated with satisfaction. That was true across the board. It didn't vary very much by industry that we looked at."

So if Glassdoor's findings regarding employee satisfaction are any indication, big employers won't have to get too creative in order to top free food.

After all, free grub might sound like a mouth-watering perk, but this isn't the first time that company cafeterias have come under fire. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that employees who get free food or drinks are consuming almost 1,300 calories a week at work — and that around 70% of those calories came from free food.

And the freebies and fancy-sounding perks could potentially have a dark side, in the hands of some employers. J. Maureen Henderson wrote in Forbes that the inundation of workplace freebies has the potential to act as a substitute "for more substantive workplace upgrades or window-dressing to cover up a lack of respect for true work-life balance."

"I think that any companies who neglect those benefits and instead invest in flashier things like subsidized gym memberships or free snacks or tuition assistance — all of those perks are nice but if they're being offered at the expense of these programs, that's probably a miscalculation," Chamberlain said.

Do you work at a company that offers employees free meals? Let us know what it's like — email acain@businessinsider.com.

SEE ALSO: San Francisco Bay Area cities are cracking down on free food at tech companies — here’s why that’s a good idea, according to a startup cofounder

DON'T MISS: 6 of the flashiest perks Apple employees get, from discounted iPhones to Demi Lovato concerts

SEE ALSO: Free food may become a thing of the past in Silicon Valley — but there are plenty of other incredible perks companies like Facebook and Google offer their employees

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This lunch box for adults could change the way you eat

Dinosaurs were the true kings of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. For millions of years, velociraptor, T-Rex, and your other favorites reigned supreme. But they weren't always on top. At first, dinos were only the size of a dog, after all. Here’s how dinosaurs conquered the world. The following is a transcript of the video. 

Right now, paleontologists discover a new species of dinosaur every week. And it’s no wonder! Dinosaurs dominated the planet for 135 million years. But they didn’t start out on top.

The first dinosaurs emerged around 230 million years ago during the Triassic Period. Back then, Earth looked very different. Instead of 7 continents, there was just one: Pangea. Even early dinosaurs were nothing like those Hollywood giants.

Eoraptor, possibly the first true dinosaur, was puny. Especially compared to top predators of the day like some of the giant rauisuchians. Over the next 30 million years, new species of dinosaurs and amphibians developed along with the first mammals. Life was flourishing.

Then, 201 million years ago, everything changed. Pangea began to tear apart. The shifting tectonic plates sparked volcanic eruptions, which — over tens of thousands years — TRIPLED the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and warmed the planet by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. It vanquished at least 30% of all life in the process.

But for some reason, maybe luck, or some helpful adaptation the dinosaurs sailed on through to the dawn of the Jurassic Period. And over the next 135 million years, they continued to spread, diversify, and evolve into some familiar faces. For example, the first tyrannosaurs sprouted up sometime around 170 million years ago. But don’t get your hopes up these guys were no T. rex.

Turns out, the REAL sovereign of the era was the Allosaurus. Longer than a double decker bus, it dined on sauropods with its meat cleaver teeth. Meanwhile, Pangea continued to pull apart. By 145 million years ago it began to resemble what we see today. Forming isolated pockets, where dinosaurs grew increasingly different from each other. It was the heyday of dinosaur diversity. And a new period: The Cretaceous.

Meanwhile, in Argentina, giants like Patagotitan — the biggest dinosaur on record — turned up around 100 million years ago. But the most frightening of all appeared in the Western US around 68 million years ago. T. rex. The largest carnivore in history. On its own, it was a formidable predator but it turns out the T. rex likely hunted in packs.

And where T. Rex did not roam, other pack hunters filled the niche. For example, in Asia, the small, yet cunning, velociraptor roamed. It was a bad time to be a mammal. And then, 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid wiped out all the dinosaurs well, almost all of them. One group remained. In fact, their descendants might be sitting outside your window right now.

Birds. That’s right, modern birds ARE dinosaurs! Turns out the legacy of these titans today is … well ... dinner.

This video was made in large part thanks to Steve Brusatte and the information in his new book “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs.” What interesting dinosaur facts do you want to know about? Let us know in the comments.

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• Apple just hit a $1 trillion market valuation.
• Apple CEO Tim Cook is an intensely private person, but he has given some insights into what his daily routine looks like.
• He's a self-proclaimed "workaholic" who wakes up early and gets up to 800 emails a day.

Apple just made history. The tech giant just became the first US company with $1 trillion market valuation.

So what's the story of the man currently running Apple?

Since taking the helm of the tech giant in 2011, CEO Tim Cook has established himself as a private individual, more focused on discussing Apple than his own life. Still, we can piece together some clues about his daily schedule.

Here's a look inside the typical routine of Apple's CEO:

SEE ALSO: Inside the daily routine of billionaire Bill Gates, who loves cheeseburgers, tours missile silos, and washes the dishes every night

DON'T MISS: A day in the life of the richest person in the world, Jeff Bezos — who made $6.44 billion in one day and still washes the dishes after dinner

SEE ALSO: A look inside the daily routine of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who made $199 million last year and just cut his vacation short to deal with a leaked memo

Cook typically wakes up brutally early.

Source: USA Today

According to USA Today, he usually rises at 3:45 a.m.

Source: USA Today

Once he's up, he gets to work reading through some of the 700 to 800 emails he gets every day.

Source: Business Insider, Business Insider

• Apple just became the first US company to hit a $1 trillion market valuation on Thursday.
• Using Glassdoor, Business Insider looked into some of its employee benefits.
• Glassdoor users gave Apple's overall perks a 4.5 out of 5 stars on the site.
• One of its flashiest draws is its "beer bash" — a regular event featuring snacks, free booze, and celebrity cameos.

Apple just hit a $1 trillion market valuation on Thursday, becoming the first US company to do so. 

Business Insider took a look at Apple's Glassdoor reviews to see how the tech giant repays its employees. On Glassdoor, users gave Apple's overall benefits a 4.5 out of 5 stars on the site. Reviews indicated the company's tempting perks range from free, star-studded concerts to gym benefits.

Here's a look at some of the benefits Apple offers its employees:

SEE ALSO: Walmart's Jet.com is offering employees outrageous perks in the talent war with Amazon

DON'T MISS: 30 incredible perks companies like IKEA, Facebook, and Goldman Sachs offer their employees

SEE ALSO: Apple is officially worth $1 trillion — take a look inside the daily routine of CEO Tim Cook, who wakes up before dawn and gets 700 emails a day

According to Glassdoor, Apple employees get an annual 25% discount when they purchase an iPod, computer, or iPad.

Source: Glassdoor

Every three years, workers can get $250 off an iPad or $500 off a Mac. Most Apple software is 50% off.

Source: Glassdoor

The company also offers other discounts for family and friends, depending on the product.

Source: Glassdoor

• Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Fox are making a movie based on the viral true-crime story of a former cop who reportedly rigged McDonald's Monopoly game for $24 million over 12 years.
• Affleck will direct and Damon will star in the film based on a report by The Daily Beast published last weekend.
• The article detailed the story of how Jerry Jacobson, a former police officer, was found to be at the heart of a criminal scheme that led to the conviction of more than 50 people for mail fraud and conspiracy in 2001.

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Fox have secured the rights to make a movie based on the true-crime story of a former police officer who reportedly rigged McDonald's Monopoly game for $24 million over the course of 12 years, Deadline reports.

Affleck is set to direct and Damon to star in the film, the story of which is based on a viral report published by The Daily Beast last weekend, written by Jeff Maysh and headlined, "How An Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald’s Monopoly Game And Stole Millions."

The article detailed the convoluted story of how Jerry Jacobson, a former police officer, was found to be at the heart of a criminal scheme to defraud $24 million in winning McDonald's Monopoly pieces from the company. The wide-ranging scheme led to the conviction of more than 50 people for mail fraud and conspiracy in 2001.

The scheme began in 1989 with Jacobson working as a director of security at an agency that worked with McDonald's, where he was in charge of overseeing the printing of the game pieces for the Monopoly promotion.

According to Deadline, the bidding war for the rights to the subject matter was "ferocious" with a line-up of bidders that included "Universal for Kevin Hart, Warner Bros for John Requa & Glenn Ficarra and Steve Carell and producer Andrew Lazar, and Netflix, which bid for producing partners Eric Newman & Bryan Unkeless, Robert Downey Jr & Susan Downey, and Todd Phillips."

"Deadpool" screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese will write the film's script, while The Pearl Street will produce the film, Deadline reports.

SEE ALSO: A former cop masterminded a scheme to win nearly $24 million in the McDonald's Monopoly game. Here's how he pulled it off.

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NOW WATCH: Why the World Cup soccer ball looks so different

• Measurements of your belly can tell you a lot about how healthy you are.
• Researchers are learning that the amount of fat we hold around our waistlines is a good indicator of our overall health.
• In a new study of more than 5,000 older people, researchers found that people's waist-to-hip ratio was strongly linked to their cognitive performance.

The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but the belly can tell you a lot about how healthy you are.

Increasingly, physicians and researchers are learning that the amount of fat we hold around our waistlines is a good indicator of our overall health. Taking a tape measure to our waist isn't just a way to find out if we're over- or under-weight; belly circumference is also strongly linked to the health of our hearts, our risk for diseases like diabetes, and maybe even our cognitive performance as we age. 

A study published this week in the British Journal of Nutrition found that older people's waist-to-hip ratio — an easy way to measure belly fat — was strongly tied to their cognitive abilities. Using a large, ongoing research project on aging in Northern Ireland, scientists analyzed data from more than 5,000 older Irish people. The researchers compared participants' stomach measurements with their performance on cognitive tests designed to assess memory, language, and attention skills. The results showed that the higher participants' waist-to-hip ratio was, the worse they performed on the tests. 

In addition to looking at people's waists, the researchers also looked at their BMI, or body mass index, to see if that popular health metric also had strong ties to brain health. Their findings revealed that it did not. Those results adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests waist circumference is a better overall predictor of health than BMI.

"While we've known for some time that obesity is associated with negative health consequences, our study adds to emerging evidence suggesting that obesity — and where we deposit our excess weight — could influence our brain health," Conal Cunningham, the senior author of the study and an associate professor of medical gerontology at Trinity College in Dublin, said in a statement.

The links between belly fat, heart health, and diabetes

Belly-fat measurements have been slowly emerging as a promising way to size up your overall health. Beyond the new study about the links between waist circumference and cognitive performance, the size of our stomachs has also proven to have strong ties to heart and metabolic health.

A study published in March in the Journal of the American Heart Association found strong links between people's waist measurements and their likelihood of having a heart attack, for example. The same ties were not discovered between BMI and heart attack risk.

Diabetes risk also appears to have a connection to the fat we hold around our middles. For a large study of Europeans published in the journal PLOS Medicine, researchers found that overweight people with large waists — more than 34.5 inches for women or 40 inches for men — were at a similar risk of developing diabetes as people who were clinically obese. The link was the strongest in female participants.

Scientists still aren't sure why our bellies seem to be such poignant indicators of our overall health. Some believe it has to do with how fat inside the body, known as visceral fat, may interfere with the normal functioning of our internal organs.

How to accurately measure your waist 

For the Trinity study, researchers looked at the ratio of people's hips to their waists to get a sense of the amount of belly fat they were carrying around.

But measuring your waist doesn't need to be that complicated. In most cases, all you need to do is measure the circumference of your waist using a tape measure.

To do it, breath normally and wrap the tape around the part of your stomach that's roughly two inches above your hips. The resulting number is your waist circumference.

In general if you're a woman, you want a measurement that's less than 34.5 inches. If you're a man, a number below 40 inches is ideal.

If you're over these numbers, that doesn't mean negative health consequences are inevitable, but it could mean that it's worth considering some healthy approaches to trim down your waist.

A good place to start is with your diet. Curbing your intake of processed foods like cereal bars and refined grains like white bread or rice is one easy strategy, as is loading up your plate with more vegetables and other fiber-rich foods. Adding movement into your day is also helpful, so look for ways to add more walking, cycling, or other kinds of exercise into your routine.

SEE ALSO: The best ways to lose weight and keep it off, according to science

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NOW WATCH: Why you shouldn't rely on counting calories to lose weight

• 2,000 fans climbed Pulpit Rock in Norway, a 2,000-foot cliff, for an outdoor viewing of "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" Wednesday night.
• The cliff is the site of one of the movie's biggest action scenes, though it doubles for a cliff in Kashmir, India in the movie.

"Mission: Impossible" fans aren't afraid to carry out near-impossible missions of their own. 

Paramount Pictures said 2,000 fans climbed to the top of Norway's 2,000-foot cliff,  Pulpit Rock, for an outdoor viewing of "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" on Wednesday at 11 p.m.

Franchise star Tom Cruise, who was not in attendance, tweeted about the event on Thursday, and said "2,000 feet, 2,000 people, 4 hours of hiking. The most impossible screening of #MissionImpossible Fallout. Thank you all for coming! I wish I could have been there."

The movie was followed by a 2-hour return hike back down the mountain early Thursday morning using flashlights and headlamps.

Paramount said the purpose of the event "was to promote tourism in the region following the filming of Mission: Impossible Fallout in that location."

The "Mission: Impossible" series is known for its death-defying stunts, and Cruise is known for executing them on his own without a stunt person, including a skydive at 25,000 feet with a broken ankle in the latest movie.

"Fallout" also features a thrilling climax set at Pulpit Rock, although it doubled for a cliff in Kashmir, India in the film.  

Below are photos from the screening:

SEE ALSO: 106 skydives with a broken ankle: Inside how Tom Cruise pulled off the thrilling HALO jump in 'Mission: Impossible — Fallout'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why the World Cup soccer ball looks so different

• James Asquith became the youngest person to travel to all 196 countries by the age of 24.
• Now 29, he's giving away all of his air miles – or Avios points — on Instagram
• He said he simply wants to inspire people to travel more — and to check out his new app, Holiday Swap.

The former London banker who became the youngest person to travel to all 196 countries by the age of 24 is now giving away all of his air miles on Instagram — but he won't reveal how many he has.

29-year-old James Asquith, founder of the Holiday Swap app, announced the competition in an Instagram post earlier this week.

In order to enter, Instagram users have to follow Asquith and Holiday Swap on Instagram, then comment with how many miles they think they would win — and who they'd like to take with them on their travels.

He told Business Insider that he's doing it because he wants to inspire people to travel more — just like he did.

"It's amazing hearing people being inspired by travel and it's when I am personally happiest, either that time alone or with friends and family closest to you, so I wanted to do something to not only give back, but to inspire and get people thinking how they too could fly somewhere and experience new cultures."

It's also an opportunity to promote Holiday Swap, which he said has seen "huge growth" since its launch, partnered with Google, and is now in 100 countries.

The app uses a swipe function like Tinder with the aim of getting people to swap homes with other people when they travel.

To up your chances of winning the miles, you can comment up to five times, with each counted as a new entry — and the closest guess will win.

"I've had a lot of people writing to me with really inspiring stories as to why they would like to win the miles and what they would do with them," Asquith said.

"Everything from people taking their first ever flight, to visiting long-lost relatives the other side of the world, which is very touching and exactly why I wanted to run this competition, to inspire just that."

He added that he'll have the chance to build up his air miles in the future, and will likely run the competition again at some point.

In terms of guessing how many points he has, his post offered a few clues.

"There is enough to fly around the world more than 3 times if you use them wisely or treat yourself to a bunch of First Class flights," he wrote, adding that he uses Avios.

The competition will run for eight weeks, with Asquith set to announce the winner on September 23.

SEE ALSO: The youngest person to travel to every country on earth has launched a 'travel Tinder' that lets people swap homes for $1 a night

SEE ALSO: 10 under-the-radar destinations to visit, according to the youngest person to travel to every country in the world

SEE ALSO: Meet the 28-year-old London banker who is the youngest person to travel to all 196 countries

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How LeBron James makes and spends his millions

• You can meet toxic people in all walks of life — in romantic relationships, at work, and in friendships.
• Toxic friends are energetically draining, hypocritical, and not worth your time.
• But it can sometimes be difficult to pick up on the fact they are causing damage.
• Here are 13 signs that your friendship is probably toxic and you should get out of it as soon as you can.
• It's worth remembering for Friendship Day on August 5.

Letting the wrong kind of people into your life can be incredibly draining. You're not likely to find enough time for yourself if another person is constantly on at you about things and won't give you room to breathe.

Toxic relationships aren't just the romantic kind. Sometimes, friendships with people can turn out just as abusive and damaging too.

Rather than bringing company and comfort to your life, a toxic friendship will bring exhaustion and frustration.

Psychologist and therapist Perpetua Neo told Business Insider there are quite a few signs you can look out for, which will tell you that the relationship you have with a friend isn't healthy.

Some of the red flags are obvious, but some are much more subtle. Here are 13 of the most common signs to look out for:

1. There's a whole lot of drama

One thing you can guarantee from a toxic person is drama. Chaos seems to surround them somehow, either because they're always arguing with someone, causing problems, or unbelievable things keep happening to them.

"Drama is a very big thing when we talk about toxic friends," Neo said. "A toxic friend tends to be someone who sucks us in either by being very amazing, very grandiose, or by being this sad creature that needs our help."

Whatever their story, you can guarantee you'll hear about it, or worse, get dragged into it.

2. Everything is about them

A toxic friend will never really listen to you. They will always be waiting for their turn to speak, or to turn the conversation back to them.

"In a novel conversation between people, you can say this thing happened to me too, which is ok because that's where empathy happens, and you form a connection," Neo said. "But then with a toxic person, everything revolves around them. They'll twist it."

A good way to test for this is by bringing up random topics that have nothing to do with either of you. A toxic person will have the uncanny ability to manipulate the conversation back around to them again, whatever the topic, without skipping a beat.

3. They put you down

Neo said a toxic friend will never compliment you. They'll never pick you up or congratulate you on your achievements. In fact, they're much more likely to kick you when you're down.

You'll realise you're never actually happy or relaxed around them because they don't make you feel good about yourself, Neo said. No friendship should be transactional, but if someone is draining all your energy, you should ask yourself whether you're getting anything out of it at all.

4. They compete with you

Whether it's your job promotion, a romantic partner, or a new class you're doing, your toxic friend will compete with you. They won't like the idea of you having anything that doesn't involve them, and they especially don't want you to excel at something.

"They want to compete with you, even if you're not competing with them," Neo said. "Even if you're in a completely different field, they want the same things you do."

5. They secretly copy you

The competition can go one step further, and a toxic person will start to mimic you. They might buy the same bag you bought the week before, or start using the same slang words as you.

"A very common thing I've heard, is this person really likes you, wants to spend all their time with you, and copies you," Neo said. "So it's not uncommon for toxic friends to be very jealous of you, tear you down, and to some extent try to steal your identity. In severe cases, they might pretend to be you and use your photos, like catfishing."

6. They cross your boundaries

Toxic people do incredibly inappropriate things. For example, Neo said they may ring you on your house phone when you never gave them the number, or even show up uninvited.

They won't listen if you tell them something they're doing makes you uncomfortable. Instead, they'll make you feel mean or crazy for even bringing it up. They have no respect for your space, and make you feel like you're abandoning them if you push back.

7. Toxic friends are obsessively needy

Neo said you might feel like you've gotten yourself an obsessive boyfriend or girlfriend without even asking for it. They'll call and text you at all times of the day, even if you said you're busy.

"They want all your time so it's a very codependent kind of friendship," she said. "So they'll text you all the time and expect a reply. Even if you say I'm going to be really busy over the next six hours, they'll text you just before, and throughout. And if you don't reply they will kick up a storm."

8. They're jealous of other friends

A toxic person will probably start to blame your other friends when you don't respond to their texts and calls. Neo said they're likely to criticise your friends to your face, and try and isolate you from them.

"They are extremely jealous of your friends and will even go so far as to tell you you're their only friend, and you're the only person they care about," she said. "Even if you're on a date they expect you to drop everything for them."

9. You feel responsible for them

Even though they're acting unreasonably, toxic people are skilled at making people feel bad for them. Their guilt trips know no bounds, Neo said, because they've probably spun a load of sob stories about how hard their life has been.

"You have this sense of support like you're a lighthouse for them, and if you collapse, they'll collapse," she said. "If you decide to spend your time with somebody else, what if they do something bad? If you don't answer them, what if they hurt themselves?'

10. They're hypocritical

While they make you feel bad for not making enough time for them, toxic people won't ever feel bad for letting you down. But because they're so irrational and dramatic, you'll let them get away with it as you don't want to set them off.

"They might owe you money and pretend they never owed you, and rewrite history," Neo said. "So you may feel irritated and angry, but because you don't want to trigger them and their difficulties, so you take a step back."

11. They lie to get sympathy

Toxic people always have a sad backstory. They'll probably tell tales of how they're an alcoholic, have a drug problem, were abused when they were young, or how everything goes wrong for them. "Woe is me" is their catchphrase.

"They may play up the chaotic nature of their lives to get sympathy," Neo said. "They might tell loads of stories that make no sense, that don't quite add up. Sometimes they go far as to hurt themselves just to convince you."

12. You're always set up for failure

Putting on public displays of drama are a toxic person's favourite activity. If you haven't done anything obvious towards them in a while, they might set you up for failure. For example, they could say you promised to go to the cinema with them and you stood them up, when that conversation never happened.

"They're very dramatic so they might publicly shame you in a place by screaming and shouting at you, so you feel bad and put in your place," Neo said. "They make you feel like it's your fault — if you don't want such behaviours then don't do it again."

13. You'll feel something is wrong

Neo said your body is good at picking up signals that something isn't quite right. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that's wrong, but if you are constantly feeling on edge, it could be because there's a toxic person around.

"You cannot figure out what the hell is going on," Neo said. "Your brain runs over time, and your mental energy is being sucked out by this person all the time. You don't only feel responsible, you feel destabilised around them. Some people make the room feel a bit energetically funny. Your body is a barometer telling you that they're trouble."

SEE ALSO: 7 positive lessons you learn when you leave a toxic, abusive relationship behind

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NOW WATCH: Why you hold your boss accountable, according to a Navy SEAL

• Sun Wenguang, a prominent critic of the Chinese government, was forced off the air during a live phone interview earlier this week.
• He had been arguing that Xi Jinping should focus less on multi-billion-dollar programs abroad, and more on alleviating poverty at home.
• Part-way through the discussion, Sun described a group of police officers entering his home.
• He said: "Let me tell you, it's illegal for you to come to my home... I have my freedom of speech!"
• Then the line went dead. Now there is no information on where he is.

A prominent critic of the Chinese government was forced off-air by state police while he was criticizing Xi Jinping in a live phone interview.

Sun Wenguang, a retired economics professor in his 80s, had on Wednesday evening been criticizing the country's expenditure on foreign aid, loans, and investment.

He said that Xi's China had its priorities wrong, and should be spending the money on domestic programs instead.

The professor, who lives in Jinan, was speaking to Voice of America Mandarin, a Chinese-language outlet funded by the US government.

In a live phone interview, he said that Xi should spend more money alleviating poverty in China, rather than "throw money at other countries," particularly those in Africa.

Then, in the middle of his sentence, Sun suddenly said: "Here they come again, the police are here to interrupt again," before counting the number of people who had entered his home. He counted to about eight of them.

"What, did I say something wrong? Listen to what I say, is it wrong?" Sun appears to ask the intruders, before appearing to continue his interview: "People are poor. Let's not throw our money in Africa. The seven, eight of you here, listen up, throwing money like this is of no good to our country and society."

"Let me tell you, it's illegal for you to come to my home," he added. "I have my freedom of speech!"

Then, the line went dead.

This is the audio (in Chinese):

Journalists from VOA have since been unable to contact him, and it's not clear where he went.

One of Sun's friends told the BBC that the professor had been taken from his home by city police officers, while VOA reported that he was under house arrest, citing unnamed sources in the province.

Calls made to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs by VOA and CNN reporters went unanswered. Shandong University, where Sun used to teach, and Jinan police also refused to comment when VOA contacted them.

Marco Rubio, one of the US government's largest critics of China, tweeted in response to the story: "Every time you hear overblown rhetoric about how we are on the verge of 'tyranny' or 'authoritarianism' in America remember what real tyranny& authoritarianism looks like."

Not his first run-in with police

Sun is a longtime critic of the Chinese government, and has been speaking out since long before Xi took power. Here's his record, according to Human Rights Watch:

• Somewhere between 1966 and 1976 (Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution): Detained twice for a total of 2.5 years for what was described as "counterrevolutionary speech."
• 1974 (separately): Detained for 3.5 years.
• 1978: Sentenced to seven years in a forced labor camp on charges of criticizing Mao, only to be restored into public and political life in 1982.
• 2009: Attacked by unidentified assailants while on his way to a memorial for Zhao Ziyang, the former Chinese prime minister who was dismissed after supporting anti-government protesters at Tiananmen Square.
• 2009-2012: Placed under house arrest during various local election campaigns.

He has criticized China's restrictions on press freedom, corruption, and treatment of activist Liu Xiaobo, a Nobel peace prize laureate who spent nine years in Chinese captivity.

He has also published books outside of mainland China, including "Calling for Freedom" and "A Country in a Century of Trouble: From Mao Zedong to Jiang Zemin," which could be purchased in Hong Kong.

"Throw-money diplomacy" — what Sun was talking about before he got cut off

Sun on Wednesday was criticizing what he described as Xi's "throw-money diplomacy" — the idea that Beijing is investing in foreign countries to further its own political and economic aims.

Under Xi's leadership, Beijing has ramped up both foreign direct investments in countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as encouraged economic partnerships with more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa, as part of its "Belt and Road' initiative.

Xi recently visited four countries around sub-Saharan Africa to cement Beijing's role as the continent's largest economic ally. China is Africa's largest trading partner and source of foreign direct investment.

One prominent casualty of China's using investment to further its political aims is Taiwan, which identifies as an independent nation but which Beijing insists is a Chinese territory.

The small island nation was recently left with 19 allies in the world and blamed it on China's using "dollar diplomacy" to pressure economic allies to cut ties with Taiwan.

Before he was forced off-air, Sun said that Xi "wants to make nice with African countries, and that's not what we are against.

"But there are so many other things for him to take into account. China has got a huge population, and there are still so many people living in destitution. ...

"If you don't actually have the scale of capability to match up with the scale of things you are trying to do, just don't do it. ...

"[If] you still choose to throw money at other countries, domestic backlash is almost guaranteed."

SEE ALSO: Inside 'Belt and Road,' China's mega-project that is linking 70 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa

READ MORE: Taiwan blames losing allies to China's 'dollar diplomacy'

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NOW WATCH: I spent a day with Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border

• Hamilton Powell, CEO of online luxury watch market Crown & Caliber, told Business Insider about the many pitfalls of buying a watch.
• Among his advice, Powell told us that you shouldn't buy a new watch as an investment, as the vast majority will only depreciate in value.
• You should also match your watch to your lifestyle, not the other way around.
• Powell advises buying a watch that has a narrative — like a pilot watch — that can become a talking point in itself.

Buying a watch can be a total minefield.

There are seemingly infinite combinations of straps, materials, movements, frequencies, indices and lugs — whatever any of that means.

As a result, many people leave the shop with a watch they're not really content with — but that doesn't have to be the case, says Hamilton Powell, CEO of Crown & Caliber, an online market for pre-owned luxury watches.

Powell spoke to Business Insider about the biggest mistakes people make when they're buying a watch, and what they should be doing instead.

1. Buying a new watch as an investment

When reading headlines of outrageous, million-dollar Rolex sales at Christie's, it can be tempting to buy an investment timepiece of your own — just make sure it's not new.

"95% of modern watches that you're buying these days are not going to be investments," Powell told us. "If they were, the brands should never sell them in the first place, the brand would just sit there and hold onto them."

Powell compares the watch market to the car market: "The second you drive it off the lot it loses value."

By buying a pre-owned watch, you're skipping that initial depreciation hit that the original owner has taken.

2. Buying a watch that your friends like

Your watch should be a reflection of your tastes, not the tastes of your friends or your favourite blogger.

"Buy a watch that you like to look at every day and you think is fun," Powell says. "You're going to have to wake up to that [watch] every day and if you don't like the look of it then you're going to get sick of it pretty quickly."

3. Not matching your watch to your lifestyle

It's no use having a delicate, vintage watch if you're a lumberjack. "Some watches are meant to be really taken care of," Powell says, and if you live a gritty kind of lifestyle then there are certain timepieces that you should avoid.

For instance, he says: "If you like to be outdoors and you're kind of rough on a watch, you can't wear a minute-repeater," which is a mechanical feature that, in the words of Mark Bernardo (digital media editor of WatchTime magazine), "transforms a watch from mere timekeeping device to miniature music box," by chiming the time down to the minute.

Preparation and consideration are key, Powell says. "I own plenty of vintage watches but before I wear them I have to make sure that I'm careful because one knock on a wall or a door and I can bust all the patina or all of the loom off of the hand."

To summate, match your watch to your lifestyle, not your lifestyle to your watch.

Buy a watch with 'soul'

Watches are ultimately a great talking point, so Powell recommends picking a watch that has a narrative to it — for example, a pilot watch.

Pilot watches feature a large crown (the dial on the side of the watch), which apparently serves no purpose now, but but according to Powell, pilots needed a larger crown because they wore gloves back in the 40s, "and when you're wearing gloves you have to have a larger crown in order to move the watch."

"That's kind of cool that in 2018 you can still say 'well that's the reason why my watch has a larger crown because originally it was for pilots who needed it' and it becomes a fun storytelling exercise," Powell says.

He added: "Buy a watch that has some type of soul to it, some type of history to it that allows you to tell a story of some type."

Versatility is king

"When possible, buy a watch that allows you to switch out the straps," Powell says.

If you can get a watch that looks just as good with a steel bracelet as it does with a leather strap then you're in the money.

Powell says changing the strap on your watch will make it look like you've bought an entirely different watch for a fraction of the price.

SEE ALSO: The 2 biggest style mistakes men make with their suits, according to a menswear CEO

SEE ALSO: You can double the lifespan of your suit with this simple tailor's trick

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NOW WATCH: This couple reveals their weaknesses when it comes to spending and how they manage to save

• Awkward moments don't have to follow you around forever.
• To prevent so-called "cringe attacks," try focusing on the non-emotional details of the memory.
• A 2015 study cited in Melissa Dahl's "Cringeworthy" suggests this strategy can help take your mind off unwanted emotions.

Even if you've never used the term "cringe attacks," you know what it means. There you are, working, working out, maybe trying to sleep — and out of nowhere, something triggers your memory of that time.

That time you walked out of the bathroom trailing toilet paper. That time you burped, loudly, in the middle of a staff meeting. Now you can't get it out of your head, and your cheeks are burning as though it's happening all over again.

I first came across the phrase "cringe attacks" in Melissa Dahl's book "Cringeworthy," which explores the science of awkwardness in everyday life. (You can read the excerpt on cringe attacks over on The Cut, where Dahl is an editor.)

Helpfully, Dahl also provides a trick for diminishing the intensity of cringe attacks, if not eliminating them entirely. Instead of focusing on how embarrassed you felt in the moment, think instead of the neutral context, like what you were wearing that day (assuming that wasn't the embarrassing part).

This strategy is based on a small study, published 2015 in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, which Dahl cites in "Cringeworthy."

Researchers asked a group of young men to share emotionally resonant negative and positive memories. Weeks later, those participants were given cues to trigger those memories while their brains were being scanned. Some participants were asked to remember the emotional aspect of the event; others were asked to remember the context.

As it turned out, when participants focused on the context instead of their feelings, they were better able to regulate their emotions.

Focusing on non-emotional details may be a better option than pretending you don't feel anything

One of the study authors, Florin Dolcos at the University of Illinois, said in a statement: "We found that instead of thinking about your emotions during a negative memory, looking away from the worst emotions and thinking about the context, like a friend who was there, what the weather was like, or anything else non-emotional that was part of the memory, will rather effortlessly take your mind away from the unwanted emotions associated with that memory."

Interestingly, study co-author Sanda Dolcos, also at the University of Illinois, said that this tactic is an alternative to strategies like suppressing your emotions, i.e. pretending you don't feel anything. "Suppression is bottling up your emotions, trying to put them away in a box. This is a strategy that can be effective in the short term, but in the long run, it increases anxiety and depression," she said.

Focusing on the non-emotional context of a memory, however, "is as simple as shifting the focus in the mental movie of your memories and then letting your mind wander," she added.

And if you're looking for other anti-cringe strategies, take a tip from some Redditors who have been there (and been there and been there).

"I just tell myself, 'Happened in the past, can't change it. Learn and move on,'" writes Otofon. "Just let the memories flow, and once it's over, forget it and go about your day."

Another, anonymous Redditor advises cringers to distract themselves by asking, "Is there something that I am supposed to be doing right now?"

SEE ALSO: The trick to getting more money in a negotiation isn't what you say — it's what you don't

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NOW WATCH: Why being awkward makes you more likely to succeed

• "Christopher Robin" is a deep and meaningful movie that explores the dark sides of adulthood.
• Ewan McGregor brings his irresistible charm to his performance as an adult Christopher Robin.
• Its first hour is really, really dark. If these characters mean anything to you, you will cry a lot.
• The animated stuffed animals look incredible.

Adults, you've been warned: Bring a bucket (for tears) to "Christopher Robin" this weekend.

"Christopher Robin," a movie I wept through, is directed by Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland," "Quantum of Solace," "World War Z”). It stars Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin alongside Hayley Atwell and incredibly designed and animated stuffed animals. It is a dark (both visually and thematically) weep-fest that is heavy on Eeyore. Thanks to its impeccable visual effects and McGregor's necessary presence, it is an excellent movie for those who are connected to A.A. Milne's quirky characters from the Hundred Acre Wood.

The film's first hour, which focuses on Christopher Robin in his adulthood (he works for a luggage company and doesn't make enough time for his wife and daughter) is quite unnerving and has an unexpected war scene. It's meaningful and tragic for the adults like me who relate to him, but probably boring for kids who don't understand the context.

Through some honey magic or something (it's cute and doesn't need an explanation), Pooh and Christopher reunite in a park in London. McGregor — who is truly the heart and soul of any movie he's in, including the "Star Wars" prequels — captures Christopher Robin's distaste for Pooh's sudden intrusion, as well as a conflicting need for Pooh at this horrible period in his life. The two go on a journey throughout London, which is where the joyful comedic elements of the film start to sprinkle in and bring it a little more life.

But it’s not until the whole gang (Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, and Rabbit) reunites with Christopher Robin that the movie picks up. His guilt for abandoning Pooh for so long brings him back to the Hundred Acre Wood to help him find his friends, who are apparently missing. After Christopher Robin convinces them he is not a Heffalump with the help of Eeyore — who is used so well and as often as the film’s dark tone suggests — they’re all reunited at last.

From then on, you’ll cry nostalgic, happy tears instead of tears about how dreadful adulthood is.

When I tried to describe the movie's tone to my colleagues after I saw it, I said, without really thinking: "It's like, 'Paddington' but 'Dunkirk.'" And that's not an insult: a live-action movie featuring A.A. Milne's beloved characters wouldn't have worked any other way.

Both of the iridescent "Paddington" films exude brightness and pure joy, even in the sequel's villain, played by the charming Hugh Grant. And that makes sense for that character. But "Christopher Robin" focuses on the dark but meaningful themes that many overlook in Milne's work because of the goofy (but mostly great) animated Disney Winnie the Pooh shows and movies that defined many childhoods. Milne's characters represent adult themes, and the screenplay reflects this: Eeyore's self-deprecation and depression, Piglet's crippling anxiety, Pooh's somehow wise idiocy, and Tigger's ego.

"Christopher Robin" finds feelings you didn't know you had, but immediately makes you feel joy you didn't know you needed. You can watch the trailer below, and see it in theaters starting Friday:

SEE ALSO: We talked to 'Game of Thrones' star Maisie Williams about fighting nepotism in the entertainment industry with her new app

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NOW WATCH: Why the World Cup soccer ball looks so different

• "Blindspotting" is one of the most unique movies you'll see this year.
• It's mixture of comedy, drama, and rap, and a powerful look at current life for many today in America while also being a love letter to Oakland.

It was one of the movies that premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival that I couldn't stop thinking about. 

Director Carlos López Estrada's striking look at two friends in Oakland who are just trying to get through life despite obstacles like police brutality and gentrification, "Blindspotting" is one of the most unique movies of the year. 

Daveed Diggs (who originated the roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the musical "Hamilton") and Rafael Casal, star as lifelong friends Collin (Diggs) and Miles (Casal). Collin is counting down the days until he's through with probation but Miles isn't going to make things easy as his volatile ways could throw Collin right back into the system. And things get even more complicated when Collin witnesses a white police officer (Ethan Embry) gun down a black man in the back.

Using comedy, drama, loads of Oakland references, and the rapping skills of both Diggs and Casal, "Blindspotting" is part love letter to the Town (which is having a major cinematic moment with "Black Panther" and "Sorry to Bother You") and part examination of America in 2018.

The lifeblood of the movie is the connection between Diggs and Casal, who both penned the screenplay. Real-life friends who have now hit it big with a feature film, the two show incredible range in their performances which hits its zenith at the end of the movie when the undercurrent of race finally explodes into rage.

Then there are the freestyle raps. One in particular, a dream sequence that explores black men and incarceration, is one of the most powerful scenes captured in any movie I've seen so far this year.

The movie currently has a 93% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

See where "Blindspotting" is playing near you.

SEE ALSO: 106 skydives with a broken ankle: Inside how Tom Cruise pulled off the thrilling HALO jump in "Mission: Impossible - Fallout"

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NOW WATCH: Why the World Cup soccer ball looks so different

Getting enough fat in your diet can be a great way to stay full, trim, and sharp. Fats are inherently energy- and calorie-rich foods, but that doesn't mean they're bad or that they will make you fat. 

Eating the right kinds of fats feeds both the body and brain, all while keeping us full longer, so we’re not as tempted to overeat or binge on sugary, crash-inducing snacks.

In fact, studies have shown no evidence of a link between how many daily calories a person gets from fat, and how likely they are to gain weight or develop heart disease. Besides, when food manufacturers lower the amount of fat in a food, they typically up the sugar and carbohydrates instead, so it’s better to embrace the role of fat in your diet instead of swapping it out for more sugary, cakey sweets.

But don't assume that just because fats serve an important role in fueling the body and protecting cells that you have a free pass to slather a layer of lard on everything you eat, or consume large portions of red meat every day.

Not all fats are created equal. Some can help your heart stay healthy, while others can do real damage to the body, increasing the risk of heart disease and early death.

Here’s how to choose the right fats.

SEE ALSO: There's now even more evidence that one type of protein is best for your body

We know some fats do damage to the body. One of the worst offenders is trans fat.

Trans fats come from both artificial and natural sources.

Artificial sources of trans fat include vegetable oils that are laboratory-heated to prevent spoilage, as well as deep-fryer oils, margarines, and packaged foods like frozen pizzas and cookies. 

Researchers estimate that during the heyday of trans fats in the 1990s, they led to roughly 50,000 preventable deaths every year in the US.

The FDA rolled out a near-universal ban on trans fats in June. 

"There's clear evidence that trans fats are bad," said professor Gary Fraser of the Loma Linda School of Public Health, who's studied fats for decades.

Some small amounts of trans fats are naturally found in some meat and dairy products like butterfat and beef, but it’s not clear whether they are as harmful as artificial trans fats.

• Hiroshima today looks completely different than it did 73 years ago.
• On August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima that destroyed most of the city and instantly killed 80,000 of its citizens.
• Today, Hiroshima has recovered into a bustling manufacturing hub with a population of 1.1 million people and counting.
• Here’s what Hiroshima looks like today.

On August 6, 2018, the 73rd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the residents of the Japanese city will pause to remember the day in 1945 that changed the course of history.

On August 6, 1945, the US bomber Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ever used in military combat on Hiroshima. The Allied forces dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki three days later.

The device that exploded over Hiroshima destroyed about two-thirds of the city’s structures in a blinding flash of light. At the time, Hiroshima’s population was approximately 300,000. The atomic bomb immediately killed 80,000 and injured 35,000 more. By the end of 1945, 60,000 more people had died as a result of the blast.

Today, Hiroshima is a prosperous manufacturing hub with a population of over 1.1 million.

Here’s what the city looks like today and the lingering effects of the bombing:

SEE ALSO: Why it's so hard to lose a plane

1. August 6, 1945: the bomb nicknamed ‘Little Boy’ flattens Hiroshima

Almost 70% of buildings in Hiroshima were demolished in the blast. The skeleton of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, located only about 175 yards from the bomb’s hypocenter,stood starkly among the rubble and became a symbol of the devastation.

2. The Atomic Bomb Dome: Hiroshima remembers

The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, a multifunctional building created in 1915 that was used for research and design consultation, was one of the few buildings left standing after the blast.

Now a part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Atomic Bomb Dome, or Genbaku Dome, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

3. Hiroshima shadows: after the blast

The heat from the atomic blast burned lasting shadows onto walls and pavements in the shapes of the objects in its path. The most haunting Hiroshima shadows are the outlines of victims who were going about their daily lives when the bomb was dropped. Today, some shadows are displayed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.