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 first barcode looked like a bullseye
Before the familiar rectangular stripes took over the retail world, the very first patented barcode resembled a giant bullseye. It was originally designed…
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Doctor Who Was Once Meant to Teach History
The massively popular British television show Doctor Who is globally famous for battling deadly metallic aliens and robotic exterminators. However, when it…
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Doom almost became an Alien game
The revolutionary demon-slaying shooter Doom was highly influential, but it almost took a very different path. Early in development, the creative team was…
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Hello Kitty is officially a human girl
Despite prominently featuring cat ears and bold whiskers on thousands of bright pink merchandise items, Sanrio explicitly insists that Hello Kitty is not a…
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Your bank card chip began in France
The secure EMV metallic chip sitting on your current bank card was actually pioneered in France during the mid-1980s. Originally deployed to combat rampant…
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What actors said in silent films
Because early black-and-white silent films utterly lacked any synced audio, the actors on set rarely bothered to memorize proper scripts. They would…
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The MGM lion that survived a plane crash
One of the early majestic lions utilized for the famous roaring Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical studio intro lived an incredibly chaotic life off-camera. While…
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When FDR served hot dogs to a king
In an attempt to build informal political rapport on the eve of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt hosted King George VI at his rural estate. To…
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The volcano with a lava lake burning since 1906
Deep within the brutally hot Danakil Depression in Ethiopia sits Erta Ale, an active basaltic shield volcano. Peer over its smoking rim and you will find a…
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Donkey Kong world records are still fiercely contested
Despite being decades old, the classic original arcade cabinet for Donkey Kong remains the center of a fiercely intense subculture. Grown adults spend…
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Can a pill help protect your skin from the sun
Pharmaceutical companies have cleverly engineered specialized oral supplements designed to shield delicate human skin from aggressive ultraviolet radiation…
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How light was slowed to bicycle speed
While the universally accepted maximum speed limit of the cosmos clocks in at nearly three hundred million meters per second, quantum physicists can…
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How spoofed GPS signals put yachts on land
Advanced cybercriminals have mastered the art of hijacking satellite location data, causing massive luxury vessels to report their coordinates miles inland.…
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The Golden Age of Piracy lasted only about a decade
The deeply romanticized era of swashbuckling pirates flying the Jolly Roger was surprisingly short-lived. The true Golden Age of Piracy, featuring legendary…
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Mothman legends align with snowy owl sightings in West Virginia
The highly sinister legends surrounding the West Virginia Mothman closely align with the known migration patterns of large, displaced snowy owls. Researchers…
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Modern password spaces are highly secure and memorable
Cybersecurity experts now strongly recommend using long phrases with natural spaces instead of complex jumbles of numbers and symbols. A simple sentence like…
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Why losing your sense of smell can affect mood
The sudden loss of an ability to smell, medically known as anosmia, is deeply linked to the rapid onset of severe psychological depression. Because our…
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Saturn got its rings after the dinosaurs
The breathtaking, icy rings orbiting the planet Saturn are a surprisingly modern addition to our complex solar system. Astronomical data confirms that these…
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Early weather forecasts used rooms full of human computers
Before the invention of digital supercomputers, meteorology relied on massive rooms filled with human mathematicians literally called 'computers'. Each person…
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Why most gladiators did not fight to the death
Contrary to bloody Hollywood portrayals, the vast majority of Roman gladiatorial bouts were strictly regulated sporting events with referees. Gladiators were…
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Historical magic books required ink mixed with heavy iron
Medieval spellcasters heavily believed that standard ink was entirely too weak to bind powerful demons into paper text. Authentic ancient grimoires were…
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The playwright who reportedly died under a falling tortoise
The great playwright Aeschylus met a demise more absurd than any comedy he could have written. Legend states that an eagle, mistaking his bald head for a…
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The original PlayStation startup sound hid loading times
The deep, booming ambient swell that plays when booting up an original PlayStation wasn't a standard digital file. It was a complex, synthesized masterpiece…
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Steve Vai played guitar on Halo 2’s famous theme
The adrenaline-pumping electric guitar riffs that defined the legendary Halo 2 main theme were performed by guitar virtuoso Steve Vai. The composers brought…
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