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
On many flights, the worst seat in the cabin is not the one you think; it is the one the airline quietly hopes you will pay to escape.
On many flights, the worst seat in the cabin is not the one you think; it is the one the airline quietly hopes you will pay to escape. Basic-economy tickets…
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If you keep applying to roles that never seem to close, you might be talking to ghosts.
If you keep applying to roles that never seem to close, you might be talking to ghosts. Some listings are there to collect résumés, check what salaries…
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Your car probably burns more fuel fighting the air than moving its own weight once you reach highway speeds.
Your car probably burns more fuel fighting the air than moving its own weight once you reach highway speeds. At highway speed, air piles up against the car…
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Always being the fixer can make your own needs easy to overlook.
Always being the fixer can make your own needs easy to overlook. Other people's crises arrive as clear assignments: call back, listen, solve something. Your…
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Most futuristic skyscrapers of the early 1900s were built not just upward but downward, with hidden levels dedicated to something we take for granted: air.
Most futuristic skyscrapers of the early 1900s were built not just upward but downward, with hidden levels dedicated to something we take for granted: air.…
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A political decision on the other side of the world is why your parents grew up with lower speed limits and smaller cars.
A political decision on the other side of the world is why your parents grew up with lower speed limits and smaller cars. The oil shock pushed the U.S. to…
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Most friend groups do not explode; they just quietly stop replying.
Most friend groups do not explode; they just quietly stop replying. No one has to decide “we’re not friends anymore” for a group to drift apart. Replies get…
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Your electric car does not charge like your phone, and that frustrates new owners until they see the curve.
Your electric car does not charge like your phone, and that frustrates new owners until they see the curve. The curve drops because a battery accepts charge…
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First time a piece of paper was accepted as money, it must have felt like a magic trick or a scam.
First time a piece of paper was accepted as money, it must have felt like a magic trick or a scam. A written promise could change hands in place of the coins…
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Tulsa's prosperous Black district was destroyed in a massacre.
Tulsa's prosperous Black district was destroyed in a massacre. In 1921, a white mob devastated Greenwood, killing residents, burning homes and businesses, and…
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Gamers are starting to treat subscription libraries like Netflix: binge, cancel, repeat.
Gamers are starting to treat subscription libraries like Netflix: binge, cancel, repeat. That churn undermines publishers' hopes for steady subscription…
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There is a European capital where you can soak in steaming thermal baths for the price of a fast food meal.
There is a European capital where you can soak in steaming thermal baths for the price of a fast food meal. Budapest's public bathhouses draw on hot springs,…
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An argument can be over while its emotional aftereffects are still shaping your day.
An argument can be over while its emotional aftereffects are still shaping your day. Replaying it keeps attention on the conflict, and an unrelated annoyance…
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World War I soldiers sometimes poured their entire soul into letters they knew censors might read.
World War I soldiers sometimes poured their entire soul into letters they knew censors might read. A sketch, private joke, or detail like mud-caked boots…
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A modern laptop packs immense computing power into a device that can be harder to repair than an older desktop.
A modern laptop packs immense computing power into a device that can be harder to repair than an older desktop. Soldered components and glued-in batteries…
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A tailor tested his parachute suit by jumping from the Eiffel Tower.
A tailor tested his parachute suit by jumping from the Eiffel Tower. Franz Reichelt stepped from the first platform in 1912 wearing his own design. It failed…
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Payday loans are not bridges, they are traps disguised as quick help.
Payday loans are not bridges, they are traps disguised as quick help. A fee that looks small can work out to an annual interest rate in the hundreds of…
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Scientists are teaching mosquitoes how not to spread one of humanity's deadliest diseases.
Scientists are teaching mosquitoes how not to spread one of humanity's deadliest diseases. A resistant mosquito may be unable to host the malaria parasite; a…
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Modern shopping culture was partly born in bomb factories.
Modern shopping culture was partly born in bomb factories. After the war, factories shifted to making cars, refrigerators, and cosmetics, while advertisers…
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You might already own pieces of oil giants, tech monopolies, and weapons manufacturers without realizing it.
You might already own pieces of oil giants, tech monopolies, and weapons manufacturers without realizing it. A retirement account can buy one fund that…
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Freelancers often feel broke not because they earn too little, but because their income behaves like weather, not salary.
Freelancers often feel broke not because they earn too little, but because their income behaves like weather, not salary. The trick is to stop treating every…
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Weather forecasts fail after about 10 days not because we are stupid, but because the universe itself is touchy.
Weather forecasts fail after about 10 days not because we are stupid, but because the universe itself is touchy. The atmosphere is a moving system: a tiny…
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Buying a new identity is easier than building one.
Buying a new identity is easier than building one. Running shoes can arrive before a running habit, and a sketchbook before the first drawing. A purchase…
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One of the most profitable mistakes in history came from a failed search for super‑strong glue.
One of the most profitable mistakes in history came from a failed search for super‑strong glue. The adhesive’s weak grip was exactly what Art Fry needed for a…
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