The world is more interesting than you think.
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A little more wonder
Jean-Claude Van Damme nearly played Predator
Before he was kicking people in the face on camera, Van Damme was miserable in a red rubber alien suit. He was originally cast to play the invisible stalker…
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Why holiday TV arrives with mandatory cheer
Starting exactly in mid-November, television schedules transform into an inescapable avalanche of aggressive cheerfulness. Broadcasts pivot wildly away from…
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Virgo was heavily associated with the goddess of wheat because people only cared about autumn harvests
The 'virgin' symbolism is actually a massive mistranslation of agricultural desperation. Virgo was originally linked to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture,…
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Vector addition perfectly dictates actual travel paths
If you try walking perfectly straight across a moving treadmill, you will quickly find yourself traveling diagonally. Vectors ensure that directional forces…
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Why round boats spin when paddled poorly
These traditional woven bowl-vessels lack a distinct front or back. If the occupant doesn't employ a very specific figure-eight paddling technique over the…
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Why pyrite fools people into thinking they found gold
Ah, fool's gold. Iron sulfide, or pyrite, is geology's favorite practical joke. It features a dazzling, metallic brass-yellow luster that makes amateur…
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James Lipton once managed prostitutes in Paris
The incredibly dignified, articulate host of 'Inside the Actors Studio' lived a wildly more interesting life than ninety percent of the people he interviewed.…
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George Washington's dentures included teeth from enslaved people
The cherry tree story is cute, but they conveniently left out the part where the founding father's smile was a horrifying mosaic of brutal exploitation.…
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Keanu Reeves learned a complex John Wick fight in one day
While most Hollywood actors require weeks of rehearsals to safely pretend to punch someone, Keanu Reeves apparently operates like his own sci-fi characters.…
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Cape Town roads boldly wrap around steep mountainsides
Driving here requires an absolute lack of vertigo. The cliff-side asphalt offers breathtaking ocean views that perfectly distract drivers right before a…
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Axl Rose's unscripted rant made it onto Civil War
During the recording of 'Civil War,' singer Axl Rose got wildly irritated at the producer and launched into an aggressive, unscripted spoken rant into the…
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Mortal Kombat's Raiden is a thunder god in disguise
Stealing your character concepts directly from centuries-old mythology is incredibly efficient. The hat-wearing protector of Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat is…
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In some Caribbean countries, civilians can't wear camouflage
Looking like a discount action hero on your beach vacation is a fantastic way to get immediately detained. Nations like Barbados, Jamaica, and St. Lucia have…
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The vacation expecting parents take before the baby arrives
A completely manufactured concept from the late 20th century, the babymoon is one last desperate attempt by expecting parents to remember what silence sounds…
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Frozen vegetables may be fresher than fresh produce
The icy bags in the freezer aisle are not second-tier garbage. Because they are flash-frozen within hours of harvest, they halt the degradation process…
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Spiritualists regularly held massive conventions to discuss whether ghosts wore ghostly clothes
The afterlife apparently comes with an eternal wardrobe, a fact that seriously stressed out Victorian spiritualists. If spirits were supposedly made of…
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Why frozen drinks can pass airport security
Apparently, the ultimate kryptonite to strict aviation rules is just a slight change in states of matter. As long as your water or juice is completely solid…
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When starvation became a spectator sport
Long before intermittent fasting became a tech bro personality trait, the Victorians made starving a spectator sport. 'Hunger artists' would lock themselves…
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Why your car may have no spare tire
Automakers eventually realized they could easily save money by tossing a cheap can of foam in the trunk instead. Getting a flat tire now strictly requires a…
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Why a safe zipline has plenty of slack
A perfectly tight, entirely straight zipline sounds like the sturdiest and safest option, right? Wrong. If the cable doesn't have a massive amount of…
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In Thailand, a spotless plate can get you more food
The 'clean plate club' will only result in an endless cycle of forced feeding here. In Thailand, leaving your plate entirely spotless signals to your panicked…
Discover moreWhy Mr. Rogers spoke so slowly
Calmness is a highly calculated metric. The legendary host deliberately slowed his natural speaking rhythm down to an exact, plodding cadence specifically…
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Premolars smoothly combine the utility of canines and molars
Premolars are the ultimate biological compromise. Sitting exactly between your tearing fangs and your crushing grinders, they feature a bizarre hybrid shape…
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Alternators generate alternating current before rectifying
Your vehicle demands perfectly smooth direct current to function, but spinning magnets physically insist on creating wavy, back-and-forth power that must be…
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