The world is more interesting than you think.
Unexpected facts, big ideas, and little discoveries. Find something that sparks your curiosity today.
A little more wonder
The man whose name became a verb for shunning
During an agricultural crisis in 1880, land agent Charles Boycott tried to evict tenant farmers. Locals stopped working his farm, serving him, and delivering…
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Dunedin’s steepest street uses concrete on its upper slope
Baldwin Street’s steep grade creates an awkward problem for asphalt, which can deform under heat and load. Concrete provides a more rigid surface on that…
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The grim dinner rumor about Vlad the Impaler
A lurid account claimed Vlad III ate among the impaled bodies of his enemies and dipped bread in their blood. The image made the punishment part of the story:…
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Why taxpayer-funded stadiums rarely pay off locally
The bargain is public money up front for a promised local windfall later. Independent economists often find that stadiums return less to the local economy…
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Why sleep helps you remember a new skill
After you practice, the brain replays patterns of activity involved in the new skill while you sleep. That helps strengthen the memory, so the next practice…
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Medieval mystics routinely attempted to predict the future and identify criminals by closely staring at blocks of cheese
Tyromancy treated holes, shapes, and mold on cheese as clues to future events or a person’s guilt.
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Eminem's label wanted one more song—and got his biggest hook
The Marshall Mathers LP was nearly finished when the label pushed for a stronger lead single. The Real Slim Shady emerged from that late pressure and studio…
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Hannah Montana nearly had a very different name
Disney initially considered Alexis Texas as the name for the show, then settled on Hannah Montana.
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Thomas Jefferson and John Adams took a break from negotiating international treaties in England in 1786 to visit the former home of William Shakespeare and actively vandalize his furniture.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams took a break from negotiating international treaties in England in 1786 to visit the former home of William Shakespeare and…
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A tax break helped tie American health insurance to work.
A tax break helped tie American health insurance to work. Employer-paid health coverage gained favorable tax treatment, explicitly established in federal law…
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The Sound of Music's sweeping opening kept knocking Julie Andrews over.
The Sound of Music's sweeping opening kept knocking Julie Andrews over. The camera approached by helicopter as she performed on a hillside. Andrews recalled…
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The Twilight Zone almost had a different voice.
The Twilight Zone almost had a different voice. The pilot used veteran narrator Westbrook Van Voorhis, but the team felt his delivery sounded too grand. Rod…
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Thomas Edison openly claimed in the 1920s that he was working on a spirit phone to communicate with the dead, hoping to apply his industrial inventiveness to the afterlife.
Thomas Edison openly claimed in the 1920s that he was working on a spirit phone to communicate with the dead, hoping to apply his industrial inventiveness to…
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Chewbacca's voice was an animal ensemble.
Chewbacca's voice was an animal ensemble. Ben Burtt described combining mostly bear sounds with walrus, dog, and lion. Editing their calls into expressive…
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Hawaiians consume more Spam per capita than any other state in the United States, eating around seven million cans a year of the gelatinous pink mystery meat thanks to a culinary…
Hawaiians consume more Spam per capita than any other state in the United States, eating around seven million cans a year of the gelatinous pink mystery meat…
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Pigeon parents feed their chicks a rich food made from their own cells.
Pigeon parents feed their chicks a rich food made from their own cells. During breeding, the lining of the crop thickens and produces fat-rich cells that are…
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Classical economists struggled for years with the diamond-water paradox, questioning why water, which is absolutely essential for human survival, is virtually free, while…
Classical economists struggled for years with the diamond-water paradox, questioning why water, which is absolutely essential for human survival, is virtually…
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Engineers temporarily shut off Niagara's American Falls in 1969.
Engineers temporarily shut off Niagara's American Falls in 1969. A cofferdam diverted the water toward Horseshoe Falls so specialists could examine the…
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Adolf Hitler had a British-born nephew named William Patrick Hitler who completely despised his fascist uncle and actually enlisted in the United States Navy to fight against him during the Second World War.
Adolf Hitler had a British-born nephew named William Patrick Hitler who completely despised his fascist uncle and actually enlisted in the United States Navy…
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The Maldives' postcard scenery has a waste-disposal problem.
The Maldives' postcard scenery has a waste-disposal problem. Thilafushi became a major destination for rubbish from the Greater Malé region and neighboring…
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Hearing a piece of false information repeated multiple times dramatically increases the likelihood that you will eventually believe it, a terrifying vulnerability called the illusory truth effect.
Hearing a piece of false information repeated multiple times dramatically increases the likelihood that you will eventually believe it, a terrifying…
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Yellowstone's solid-looking ground can hide scalding water.
Yellowstone's solid-looking ground can hide scalding water. Around thermal features, a thin crust can cover water hot enough to cause fatal burns. The park's…
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Tycho Brahe kept a supposedly clairvoyant dwarf named Jepp under his dinner table, feeding him scraps while waiting for him to blurt out mystical prophecies between courses.
Tycho Brahe kept a supposedly clairvoyant dwarf named Jepp under his dinner table, feeding him scraps while waiting for him to blurt out mystical prophecies…
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In a Viking saga, a severed head gets the last victory.
In a Viking saga, a severed head gets the last victory. The Orkneyinga Saga tells how Sigurd the Mighty tied a defeated enemy's head to his saddle. A…
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