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
Red Square’s name predates the Soviet Union by centuries.
Red Square’s name predates the Soviet Union by centuries. The Russian word “krasny” historically carried the meaning “beautiful” as well as “red,” which helps…
Discover more
Paul McCartney woke up with the melody for Yesterday fully formed in his head and originally used the placeholder lyrics 'Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I love your legs' to remember the tune.
Paul McCartney woke up with the melody for Yesterday fully formed in his head and originally used the placeholder lyrics 'Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I…
Discover more
Stairway to Heaven's opening notes became a courtroom battle.
Stairway to Heaven's opening notes became a courtroom battle. The estate of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe argued that Led Zeppelin had copied from Taurus. The…
Discover more
Slouching in your office chair might actually be better for your spinal health than rigidly forcing yourself to sit up straight like a Victorian aristocrat.
Slouching in your office chair might actually be better for your spinal health than rigidly forcing yourself to sit up straight like a Victorian aristocrat.…
Discover more
Watching the Times Square ball drop can mean spending hours in a crowd enclosure with no public restrooms.
Watching the Times Square ball drop can mean spending hours in a crowd enclosure with no public restrooms. Leaving to find one can cost you your spot, so even…
Discover more
Hitchcock made arriving on time part of Psycho's suspense.
Hitchcock made arriving on time part of Psycho's suspense. The 1960 release told cinemas not to admit viewers once the film had started, an unusual demand…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
A movie role helped soften Michael Scott.
A movie role helped soften Michael Scott. The Office writer Mike Schur said Steve Carell's performance in The 40-Year-Old Virgin prompted Greg Daniels to…
Discover more
Billie Jean helped change who appeared on MTV.
Billie Jean helped change who appeared on MTV. Michael Jackson's 1983 video became a major presence on a channel then strongly associated with rock. Record…
Discover more
Harley-Davidson's first attempt needed a rethink.
Harley-Davidson's first attempt needed a rethink. The founders initially fitted a small engine and belt drive to a bicycle, but it lacked the power they…
Discover more
Nirvana's Unplugged stage was designed to resemble a funeral.
Nirvana's Unplugged stage was designed to resemble a funeral. Producer Alex Coletti recalled Cobain asking for lilies, black candles, and a chandelier, then…
Discover more
The hovercraft's key idea was tested with two tins and a vacuum cleaner.
The hovercraft's key idea was tested with two tins and a vacuum cleaner. Christopher Cockerell used airflow between nested tins to investigate a ring-shaped…
Discover more
Queen's magnum opus Bohemian Rhapsody was universally panned by record executives who insisted that a six-minute operatic rock song about murder would never be played on mainstream radio.
Queen's magnum opus Bohemian Rhapsody was universally panned by record executives who insisted that a six-minute operatic rock song about murder would never…
Discover more
Newborns react to sudden changes before they can understand danger.
Newborns react to sudden changes before they can understand danger. A loss of support can trigger the Moro reflex: the arms extend and then draw back in a…
Discover more
Mammoths survived after Egypt built the Great Pyramid.
Mammoths survived after Egypt built the Great Pyramid. A small population remained on Wrangel Island until about 4,000 years ago, centuries after the Great…
Discover more
Venice's black gondolas reflect a history of restrained display.
Venice's black gondolas reflect a history of restrained display. Rules against extravagant decoration helped standardize boats that wealthy owners had used to…
Discover more
Tutankhamun could literally keep Egypt's enemies under his thumb.
Tutankhamun could literally keep Egypt's enemies under his thumb. One walking stick from his tomb has a handle carved as two bound captives, one Nubian and…
Discover more
North Korea literally ordered one thousand luxury Volvo sedans from Sweden in the 1970s and then just completely ghosted them on the invoice after the cars were successfully delivered.
North Korea literally ordered one thousand luxury Volvo sedans from Sweden in the 1970s and then just completely ghosted them on the invoice after the cars…
Discover more
A Japanese gift's wrapping can carry part of the message.
A Japanese gift's wrapping can carry part of the message. Traditions such as furoshiki cloth wrapping make presentation part of the act of giving. The…
Discover more
Bill Gates's first program let a computer play tic-tac-toe.
Bill Gates's first program let a computer play tic-tac-toe. As a teenager, Gates used a school teletype terminal connected to a computer to write the game.…
Discover more
John Glenn helped bring glitch into the space-age vocabulary.
John Glenn helped bring glitch into the space-age vocabulary. He used it for a brief electrical disturbance in spacecraft equipment, giving a technical…
Discover more
Guitar Hero turned a plastic controller into the main attraction.
Guitar Hero turned a plastic controller into the main attraction. The 2005 Harmonix game invited players to follow on-screen notes with fret buttons and a…
Discover more
Nintendogs made caring for a pet the game instead of a side activity.
Nintendogs made caring for a pet the game instead of a side activity. Shigeru Miyamoto's experience with his own dog helped inspire the project. Feeding,…
Discover more
The Vatican's justice system has a cross-border arrangement.
The Vatican's justice system has a cross-border arrangement. Article 22 of the 1929 Lateran Treaty allows Italy, at the Holy See's request, to handle…
Discover more
Tommy Wiseau spent six million dollars of his own mysterious fortune to produce, direct, and star in the 2003 film The Room, inadvertently creating what is widely considered the Citizen Kane of terrible movies.
Tommy Wiseau spent six million dollars of his own mysterious fortune to produce, direct, and star in the 2003 film The Room, inadvertently creating what is…
Discover more