When you join Tinder, you might not have been looking for answers, but there were some good

clues, like in the way they smiled with their eyes.

Like how they didn't reach free hand before you'd reach for theirs.

And when the time was right, they popped the question,

Will you keep a toothbrush at my place?

From toothbrush proposals to non awkward silences, there's a world of possible connections on

Tinder.

Whatever you're looking for, it starts with a swipe, explore the possibilities on Tinder.

Hello today.

Major funding for Backstories provided by an anonymous donor, the National Endowment

for the Humanities, and the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

From Virginia Humanities, this is Backstory.

Welcome to Backstory, the show that explains the history behind today's headlines.

I'm Nathan Connelly.

I'm Brian Balla.

And I'm Ed Ayers.

If you're new to the podcast, along with our colleague Joanne Freeman, we're all historians.

And each week we explore the history of one topic that's been in the news.

We're going to start today's show in Philadelphia, where huge crowds gather on Broad Street to

celebrate New Year's Day.

Amid the excitement, onlooker's strain to catch a glimpse of the extravagant costumes,

lively performances, and elaborate floats of one of the city's most unique traditions,

...