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Unexpected facts, big ideas, and little discoveries. Find something that sparks your curiosity today.
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Charles Berlitz popularized the mystical lore of the Bermuda Triangle in the nineteen seventies with a bestselling book claiming that rogue magnetic fields, UFOs, or the sunken…
Charles Berlitz popularized the mystical lore of the Bermuda Triangle in the nineteen seventies with a bestselling book claiming that rogue magnetic fields,…
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Producers of The Sopranos had to digitally remove the World Trade Center towers from the show's iconic opening credits following the tragedy of nine-eleven.
Producers of The Sopranos had to digitally remove the World Trade Center towers from the show's iconic opening credits following the tragedy of nine-eleven.…
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Turn signal clicking sounds used to be the literal noise of a thermal relay mechanism heating up and snapping back into place.
Turn signal clicking sounds used to be the literal noise of a thermal relay mechanism heating up and snapping back into place. Electric current heated a strip…
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American military commanders deployed a fleet of specialized floating ice cream factories to the Pacific theater during World War Two to boost troop morale.
American military commanders deployed a fleet of specialized floating ice cream factories to the Pacific theater during World War Two to boost troop morale.…
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Alexander the Great gave his horse a city's name.
Alexander the Great gave his horse a city's name. Ancient accounts say he founded Bucephala in honor of Bucephalus after the horse died. Plutarch also tells…
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One golf-cart maker began with a shopping errand.
One golf-cart maker began with a shopping errand. The history of Marketeer traces Merle Williams's early electric vehicle to a machine he built for his wife…
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A newborn's photograph helped demonstrate instant mobile photo sharing in 1997.
A newborn's photograph helped demonstrate instant mobile photo sharing in 1997. Philippe Kahn connected a digital camera, laptop, and mobile phone while his…
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Will Rogers used trickle-down as a punch line in 1932.
Will Rogers used trickle-down as a punch line in 1932. During the Depression, Rogers mocked the idea of directing money to people at the top and waiting for…
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Filming the opening scene of Terminator 2 where Arnold Schwarzenegger walks naked into a biker bar was unexpectedly interrupted by a real-life woman casually walking onto the set in the middle of the night.
Filming the opening scene of Terminator 2 where Arnold Schwarzenegger walks naked into a biker bar was unexpectedly interrupted by a real-life woman casually…
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A $75 auction lot contained a Nintendo PlayStation.
A $75 auction lot contained a Nintendo PlayStation. Terry Diebold bought the lot at a company bankruptcy auction without recognizing the prototype inside. The…
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Ryan Gosling said The Notebook hired him for looking ordinary.
Ryan Gosling said The Notebook hired him for looking ordinary. Gosling recalled director Nick Cassavetes explaining that he wanted someone who did not fit the…
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Camera companies have spent decades convincing consumers that a higher megapixel count automatically equates to better photo quality, which is essentially one of the most…
Camera companies have spent decades convincing consumers that a higher megapixel count automatically equates to better photo quality, which is essentially one…
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If everyone saves at once, saving can get harder.
If everyone saves at once, saving can get harder. One household cutting spending protects its bank balance. Many doing it together can reduce businesses'…
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Apple named a sound Sosumi—say it out loud.
Apple named a sound Sosumi—say it out loud. Sound designer Jim Reekes created the name during Apple's disputes with the Beatles' Apple Corps over…
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Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University, created the very first internet search engine in 1990 and named it Archie, which was simply the word "archive" without the letter "v"…
Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University, created the very first internet search engine in 1990 and named it Archie, which was simply the word "archive"…
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Autonomous self driving cars developed by major tech companies initially failed their road tests in Australia because the complex artificial intelligence systems simply could not…
Autonomous self driving cars developed by major tech companies initially failed their road tests in Australia because the complex artificial intelligence…
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Mystics and conspiracy theorists have spent decades arguing that the Egyptian pyramids could not possibly have been built by humans, claiming they must be the result of advanced…
Mystics and conspiracy theorists have spent decades arguing that the Egyptian pyramids could not possibly have been built by humans, claiming they must be the…
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Computer mice gave an old irregular plural a new job.
Computer mice gave an old irregular plural a new job. English borrowed mouse for a device whose shape and cord resembled the animal, then carried mice into…
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Garden snails possess a ribbon-like structure in their mouths called a radula, which is covered in up to fourteen thousand microscopic teeth used to scrape food into their digestive tracts.
Garden snails possess a ribbon-like structure in their mouths called a radula, which is covered in up to fourteen thousand microscopic teeth used to scrape…
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A full aircraft cabin is carrying hundreds of small heaters: its passengers.
A full aircraft cabin is carrying hundreds of small heaters: its passengers. Each resting adult gives off roughly as much heat as a 100-watt bulb, so a crowd…
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Petrichor is the distinct, earthy scent that occurs when rain falls on dry soil, which is actually caused by an oil produced by certain plants during dry periods and a chemical called geosmin.
Petrichor is the distinct, earthy scent that occurs when rain falls on dry soil, which is actually caused by an oil produced by certain plants during dry…
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Hangover cures like drinking raw eggs, taking cold showers, or eating greasy food are virtually useless because a hangover is fundamentally a mix of severe dehydration, alcohol…
Hangover cures like drinking raw eggs, taking cold showers, or eating greasy food are virtually useless because a hangover is fundamentally a mix of severe…
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Exploding head syndrome can make a quiet bedroom sound like a blast.
Exploding head syndrome can make a quiet bedroom sound like a blast. During the transition into or out of sleep, a person may briefly hear a bang with no…
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Florets in the center of a sunflower are arranged in highly complex, interconnecting spiral patterns that perfectly follow the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio to maximize their packing efficiency.
Florets in the center of a sunflower are arranged in highly complex, interconnecting spiral patterns that perfectly follow the Fibonacci sequence and the…
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