Image Credit... Christoph Niemann

January

1. In 2014, James D. Watson, who shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for describing the double-helix structure of DNA, became the first living Nobelist to sell his medal.

James Watson Had a Chance to Salvage His Reputation on Race. He Made Things Worse.

2. Child abandonment was once routine; in ancient Rome, 20 percent to 40 percent of babies were left to die of exposure.

Raising Kids Isn’t Easy. Parenting Advice Often Makes It Harder.

3. Among the most notorious Malaysian royals was King Mahmood Iskandar of Johor, who was accused in the 1980s of fatally beating a golf caddy who had laughed at his putt. (He was immune from prosecution.)

Malaysia’s King, an Unusual Monarch, Abruptly Leaves His Job

4. Everyone who works at Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Burlington, Vt., is entitled to three free pints of ice cream for each day of work.

There Is a Free Lunch, After All. It’s at the Office.