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
Stratego borrowed its hidden-bomb mechanics from an older game
Stratego's hidden-bomb and military-deception mechanics came from an early-20th-century game; its modern version repackaged them with plastic pieces.
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A film kiss sparked calls for police intervention
Thomas Edison's studio released a brief clip of two stage actors sharing an exaggerated smooch. Newspaper editorials condemned it and called for police…
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Moonwalker's arcade and console games weren't the same game
The 1990 releases shared Michael Jackson's music and imagery, but the arcade machine used an angled view while Sega's home versions were side-scrollers.…
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Why stores offer a useless middle option
The middle plan is there to make the pricey one look like a better deal. A $28 pass with fewer perks sits beside a $30 plan, steering shoppers toward the…
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Deep sleepers respond less to smells than sudden noises
During deep sleep, the brain is less likely to respond to smells than to sudden noises or bright lights. An odor can reach your nose without making it through…
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Talking cars have ordinary handles and side doors
The cars have ordinary handles and doors built into their sides, leaving the unsettling question of who gets inside—or how.
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Mesmerism patients sometimes woke screaming during surgery
Mesmer called his theory “animal magnetism,” an invisible fluid linking living things. Some doctors believed a trance could numb patients enough for surgery,…
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Aquarius mispronounces common words to see who corrects them
They do it to see whether anyone will correct them—and may keep doing it even after someone does.
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Pinochle removes every card below nine
The result is a deck built around nines and higher, rather than a standard deck with its low cards.
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Britain once taxed both gloves and mittens
The Glove Duties Act of 1785 imposed duties on retail sales and licenses for sellers. Even a small item worn on the hands became a separate taxable category.…
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Your blood and joints contain tiny amounts of gold
A typical adult carries about 0.2 milligrams of gold, scattered in tiny amounts through places such as the blood and joints. That is a trace quantity, not a…
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The NSF paid domain fees until 1995
The National Science Foundation paid domain registration costs until 1995, when Network Solutions began charging $100 for a two-year registration.
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Porphyry organized Plotinus’s manuscripts into the Enneads
Porphyry gathered Plotinus's disjointed manuscripts and organized them into the Enneads, despite Plotinus's poor eyesight and refusal to revise his work.
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Bearer bonds belonged to whoever held them
There was no name to check on a bearer bond: possession of the paper determined who could claim it. Lose control of the document, and someone else could…
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Why brown bears climb mountains for moths
Brown bears head to rocky mountain fields because moths gather there to shelter during the day. The bears dig up these clusters for a seasonal meal, turning a…
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European folklore cast mermaids as shipwreckers
European folklore cast mermaids as deliberate wreckers, not friendly guides to sailors.
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Astrologers link Aries to headaches and headstrong behavior
Because Aries is the zodiac's first sign, astrologers assign it the head and link that association to headstrong behavior and headaches.
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Jupiter has no solid surface to stand on
Jupiter has no clear border where its atmosphere ends and solid ground begins. Go deeper and the gas grows denser and hotter, eventually becoming exotic fluid…
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The bizarre pre-workout of ancient Olympians
Ancient Olympians reportedly chewed raw sheep testicles before competing, seeking a testosterone boost.
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The Wayback Machine is housed in a former church
The Internet Archive, which runs the Wayback Machine, is housed in a former Christian Science church in San Francisco. Its server racks preserve hundreds of…
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Japanese vending machines sell hot coffee, eggs and shirts
The machines sell everything from hot coffee and fresh eggs to clean shirts, making everyday errands possible around the clock.
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A unit mismatch sent NASA’s Mars orbiter into the atmosphere
Mars Climate Orbiter's ground software supplied thruster impulse data in pound-force seconds, while the navigation system expected newton-seconds. The…
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Why you're shorter at night
Your spine loses a little height under the day’s load because the gel-like discs between vertebrae compress and shed fluid. Overnight, lying flat lets them…
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Shikan-taza asks meditators to sit without a goal
With no mantra, object of focus, or goal to pursue, the practice asks meditators simply to sit in the present moment.
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