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
Every phone pays hidden patent royalties
A phone maker can build the handset, but it still has to pay the owners of patents covering standard technologies inside it. Those patents cover technology…
Discover more
Sylph elementals floating on invisible currents
In folklore, sylphs are airy beings said to live on the wind and avoid solid ground.
Discover more
Short squeezes force massive institutional panic buying
The price rises, short sellers rush to buy shares to cover their bets, and that buying can drive the price up further. The move they were betting against can…
Discover more
When toasting bread could burn down your kitchen
Early toasters had exposed glowing coils and no timer, so leaving bread in too long could start a fire.
Discover more
Corporate stock buybacks artificially boost shares
A company can make its per-share numbers rise without improving the business: buy back shares, and the same results are divided among fewer shares. That can…
Discover more
Why the Suez Canal has no locks
Because the Mediterranean and Red seas are at nearly the same level, ships can pass through the canal without being raised or lowered by locks.
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.
How cow manure becomes electricity
Biomass facilities capture methane released as manure decomposes and burn it to power turbines, turning livestock waste into electricity.
Discover more
EVE Online lets players sell information as well as spaceships
Corporations can pay in-game currency for intelligence, infiltration or sabotage by other players. A trusted member may therefore be an asset worth more than…
Discover more
Nephilim giants stomping across early earth
Some legends say a great flood erased the giants, leaving no physical evidence in the story.
Discover more
Why blenders were born for milkshakes
Stephen Poplawski designed the spinning-blade blender to mix thick soda-fountain milkshakes. Decades later, people also began using it to liquefy vegetables.
Discover more
The tiny legend who braids horses' manes
In the legend, El Sombreron sneaks into stables to braid horses' manes, often playing a tiny silver guitar as he works.
Discover more
A bizarre word stands out in a dull list
In a dull list of ordinary words, one bizarre item gets its own spotlight. It breaks the pattern, pulls attention toward itself, and gains a distinctive…
Discover more
A familiar song brings an ex back to mind
After heartbreak, a song, place, or message can bring the person back into your thoughts before you choose to remember them. Your mind has built a network of…
Discover more
Two diamond shapes can tile a floor without repeating
Lay the two kinds of diamonds so their edges follow carefully constrained matching rules. Local groups can recur, giving the eye familiar patches, but there…
Discover more
Why Kabuki stagehands dress in black
In Kabuki, black-clad stagehands move scenery in full view, but the audience is expected to treat them as invisible. That convention lets the action continue…
Discover more
The hidden code in Aboriginal dot paintings
In some works, artists used dot patterns to obscure sacred symbols and knowledge from uninitiated outsiders. The dots weren’t simply decoration.
Discover more
In Japan, rooms are built around tatami mats
Tatami mats helped determine the size of traditional Japanese rooms: people could describe a space by how many mats fit inside. It’s a bit like measuring a…
Discover more
Traditional Japanese houses use translucent paper screens
Shoji paper scatters incoming light, brightening a room without letting you see clearly through the screen. But the thin sheet blocks sound much less than a…
Discover more
Xylomancy interprets the shapes of fallen twigs as divine guidance
Xylomancy is a form of divination that interprets the shapes of fallen twigs as guidance. In one version, a Y-shaped twig signals a crossroads, while an…
Discover more
How an Etch A Sketch draws with aluminum powder
Turning the knobs moves an internal stylus across the glass, scraping away aluminum powder to reveal lines.
Discover more
Russian emperors taxed individuals instead of land
Peter the Great’s tax collector did not need to measure a peasant’s land to set the bill. Every male peasant owed the same flat amount, regardless of ability…
Discover more
Forklifts steer using their rear wheels for tight turns
With the heavy load over the front wheels, rear-wheel steering lets a forklift make tight turns in warehouse aisles.
Discover more
Automatic transmissions use planetary gears
Planetary gears pack several gear ratios into one compact assembly: small planet gears orbit a central sun gear inside a ring. Clutches hold different pieces…
Discover more
Nigredo involves rotting matter in sealed flasks
Alchemists believed ingredients had to decompose into a black sludge before they could create something perfect.
Discover more