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Nepetalactone triggers feline neurological loops
A cat sniffs catnip, then may rub, roll, lick, or kick at it as if the plant has started a very specific party. Nepetalactone is the scent compound that sets…
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Why drive-thru lanes avoid left turns
A left turn across traffic makes one driver wait while a whole line stacks up behind them. Drive-thru lanes are laid out to keep that one car from stopping…
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'Under the weather' once meant more than feeling sick
Early uses included being in difficulty, before the expression settled into its familiar illness meaning. Bad weather became a compact way to describe a bad…
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How an elephant named Jumbo came to mean huge
The elephant’s name was promoted so widely in the 19th century that “Jumbo” became a word meaning very large.
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Euro Truck Simulator lets you hear live Berlin radio
You can tune in to a real, live Berlin morning show while hauling 30 tons of digital fertilizer across a recreated German highway—without the diesel fumes or…
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Fun size candy drastically lowers production costs
Make each candy smaller and the company uses fewer ingredients per piece. Put “fun size” on the wrapper, and a smaller portion sounds like a treat rather than…
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LA Noire makes you interrogate every twitch
LA Noire asks you to read suspects’ highly realistic facial expressions for clues, so a quick blink or twitch can send you chasing an elaborate conspiracy…
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Kundalini energy rests at the lower spine
Some occultists warn that awakening this energy too abruptly can be dangerous.
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Instant coffee once got entangled with ideas about housework
In a classic 1950 study, people judged fictional shopping lists differently when they included instant rather than ground coffee, attaching personality…
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One famous comedy club started with singers sharing the stage
When Budd Friedman opened New York's Improv in 1963, its lineup mixed singers and comedians. Comedy gradually took over, giving performers a dedicated place…
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Why clubs keep empty queues outside
A club can keep a line outside even when the dance floor is empty. The crowd makes the place look exclusive, and people who get in may be more willing to pay…
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Exclusive magic clubs require bizarre secret phrases
At one California magician society, visitors must whisper a password to an owl sculpture on a bookshelf to get into the bar.
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Djed pillars symbolize absolute stability
The djed’s pillar-like shape is often described as a backbone; metaphysical practitioners use it as a symbol of strength and groundedness.
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There’s a code for getting hurt on a squash court
Some medical codes record not just what was injured, but the activity or setting linked to the injury. A squash-related code can therefore help describe…
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Mirror dimensions hide destructive magical fights
In Doctor Strange’s Mirror Dimension, sorcerers bend a copy of the world without wrecking the real one. Buildings fold and streets twist inside the hidden…
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A French poet became famous for a story about walking a lobster
Gérard de Nerval was said to have led one through the Palais-Royal gardens on a blue ribbon. The tale survives as an anecdote about the poet, rather than a…
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Bingo daubers use specialized ink to prevent ticket smudging
The ink dries almost as soon as it hits the paper, helping keep bingo cards free of smeared neon blotches.
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Amusia renders individuals completely tone deaf
With amusia, music can reach the ears without its changes in pitch snapping into a recognizable tune. Notes that other listeners hear as rising, falling, or…
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There’s a medical code for fighting with your boss
The code turns a difficult work relationship into something a clinician can note in the health record. That can matter because workplace conflict is part of a…
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The ringmaster's coat borrowed from the hunting field
The V&A traces the familiar hunting-style tailcoat, top hat and white gloves to ringmaster George Claude Lockhart in 1914. That outfit became a circus…
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The king who filled his castle with animals
A French noble spent his fortune importing ostriches, camels, and hundreds of rodents, filling his castle with animals until it smelled like a barn.
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How authors buy their way onto bestseller lists
A publisher can sell books one reader at a time; a specialist firm can buy thousands in one week. That concentrated burst can push an author's title over a…
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Pentagrams balance earth, air and fire
Occultists have used the five-pointed star to represent the human body or mastery of the elements.
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Lucky Charms began with candy chopped into Cheerios
Product developer John Holahan mixed pieces of Circus Peanuts with the cereal, according to General Mills' history. The experiment led to a breakfast product…
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