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
Asserting wild claims without evidence invites dismissal
A startling claim asks listeners to do more than hear you out: it asks them to revise what they think is possible. Evidence gives them a reason to take that…
Discover more
Gashadokuro skeletons forming from mass graves
In Japanese folklore, the giant skeleton is said to roam at midnight, chattering as it hunts people who are out late.
Discover more
Yacumama anacondas sucking water into their maws
In Amazonian folklore, Yacumama is said to suck in water and pull prey toward its jaws—a river-sized snake with an appetite to match.
Discover more
A Nirvana hit was inspired by deodorant
A friend joked about a deodorant brand by writing “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit” on his wall. Kurt Cobain took the line as poetry and turned it into a song…
Discover more
Why Startup Funding Can Hinge on Founder Charisma
Before a startup has a product or revenue, investors may have almost nothing to judge but the founders’ pitch. Confidence and charisma can help decide whether…
Discover more
Thundersnow brings lightning to snowstorms
Strong rising air in a winter storm can separate electrical charges, setting up lightning just as it does in a thunderstorm. Heavy snowfall muffles the…
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.
Spore's anti-piracy software punished paying customers
EA’s SecuROM software limited how many times paying customers could install the game, while pirates stripped out the restriction and played without it.
Discover more
Hostile takeovers bypass corporate boards completely
The target company’s bosses may plead with shareholders not to accept, but they don’t get the final say. A hostile bidder offers shareholders a premium for…
Discover more
Hearthstone changed a demon without changing the card's job
In a 2019 art update, Succubus became Felstalker while keeping the same stats and effect. Blizzard's Dave Kosak described the changes as bringing older…
Discover more
Disney replaced hydraulic muscles with electric ones
Older Audio-Animatronics often used pressurized fluid to move their limbs. Newer systems, including Disney's A-1000 platform, use electric motors to improve…
Discover more
Sphinx trivia games carrying a lethal penalty
In the myth, the Sphinx guarded a route by posing riddles and devoured those who failed to answer.
Discover more
Why roadside diners once served night-shift workers
Roadside diners first served factory and rail-yard workers coming off graveyard shifts. They became travel stops later, as long-distance driving grew popular…
Discover more
Your triceps gets its name from three separate heads
The muscle at the back of the upper arm has three parts that converge toward the elbow. Together they straighten the arm, making pushing movements possible.…
Discover more
The feud that created Puma and Adidas
After a bitter feud, brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler split their shoe business: Adolf founded Adidas, Rudolf founded Puma. Their hometown split along with…
Discover more
Vending machines are crucial rest stops
At isolated highway pull-offs, vending machines can be among the few places to find food or drinks, even in the middle of the night.
Discover more
Brussels built an attraction you can ride through an atom model
The Atomium's spheres represent atoms in an enlarged iron crystal, and connecting tubes contain passages and escalators. Visitors move through the structure…
Discover more
Rokurokubi necks stretching across entire rooms
They look like ordinary people by day; after dark, their necks can stretch across a room, with their heads drifting near the ceiling.
Discover more
Torque explains why door handles are far from hinges
A door handle gives your push more turning power when it’s farther from the hinge. The extra distance increases torque, so the same force turns the door more…
Discover more
Kelpie equine forms drowning weary travelers
In folklore, these water spirits lure tired wanderers onto their sticky backs, then plunge into deep lakes with them.
Discover more
Awards-show audiences have stand-ins, too
When a guest leaves a visible seat, a seat filler can temporarily occupy it so camera shots don't show a distracting gap. The job is to look like part of the…
Discover more
Why comedy writers save their worst jokes
Comedy writers keep archives of rejected jokes in case a premise becomes useful later. Late-night monologues can be built from scraps that once seemed too…
Discover more
The Beatles could appear on television without going to the studio
Promotional films for songs such as 'Rain' and 'Paperback Writer' let broadcasters show the band performing a new single from a reusable recording. The 1966…
Discover more
Swinging arms in circles uses every single joint motion
A circular arm swing traces a cone because the shoulder moves through several directions in sequence. The combined path includes bending forward, moving out…
Discover more
The cookie inventor traded rights for chocolate
Ruth Wakefield traded Nestlé the rights to her cookie recipe for a lifetime supply of chocolate. The company got a recipe it could sell; its creator got the…
Discover more