The world is more interesting than you think.
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Why dentists once fought water fluoridation
Dentists made money treating cavities, so some feared fluoridated water would mean fewer patients needing fillings. Preventing tooth decay threatened to…
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The man who got rich by farting onstage
Joseph Pujol could draw air in through his rectum and release it at will, turning the act into a Moulin Rouge performance. He played a flute and blew out…
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Star Wars was almost called The Adventures of Luke Starkiller
Early drafts used “The Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars”; Lucas later changed Starkiller to…
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Rolex is owned by a foundation, not public shareholders
Hans Wilsdorf transferred ownership to the foundation bearing his name. Rolex itself operates a commercial watch business, but its ownership sits outside the…
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A drug company's business budget can exceed its research budget
Analyses of large pharmaceutical companies have found selling, general and administrative spending above research and development. That category includes…
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Bill Murray hired an assistant he couldn’t communicate with
Murray hired a deaf assistant who used Native American Sign Language, which neither Murray nor anyone on set understood, while he was refusing studio calls…
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Why paying by card feels less painful
Handing over cash makes a purchase feel like a loss now. Swiping a card separates the treat from the payment, so spending can feel easier—until the bill…
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Supermarket mist helps vegetables keep their water
Leafy vegetables continue losing moisture after harvest. Misting slows the wilting that makes leaves limp and less appealing, so the display looks fresher for…
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Gene Roddenberry's ashes traveled into space
A portion of the Star Trek creator's cremated remains flew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in 1992, the year after his death. A man whose stories helped…
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Dungeons & Dragons won a family naming contest
Gary Gygax assembled lists of evocative words and tried combinations while naming the game. His daughter Cindy favored Dungeons & Dragons. The alliteration…
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Why submarines still need a horn
A surfaced submarine sits low in the water and is hard for other ships to spot, especially in poor visibility. Its horn sends a warning through the air to…
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When shipping hard drives beats sending data online
Transferring 100 petabytes over standard broadband could take decades, so Amazon has used trucks called Snowmobiles to carry hard drives physically across the…
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Thirsty plants may click loudly—but you can’t hear them
A stressed plant may produce tiny pops as air bubbles form or collapse in its water-transport tissue. The sounds are ultrasonic, meaning too high-pitched for…
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Your body can weaken a Wi-Fi signal
Wi-Fi signals at 2.4 GHz can be absorbed by water, and the human body contains plenty of it. In a crowded room, people can weaken the signal between a router…
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A honeymoon was a phase before it was a destination
The English word originally referred to the sweet early period of marriage, not a holiday booking. Its honey-and-moon imagery suggested affection that could…
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A boring journey can feel longer without taking longer
Psychological time depends partly on attention and engagement, not just elapsed minutes. When little absorbs you, the wait itself becomes more noticeable; an…
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A pulk harness routes sled-pulling force to your hips
A pulk slides over snow, carrying gear that would otherwise ride on someone’s back. A harness transfers the pulling force to the person’s hips, while the…
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Mumbai routes home-cooked lunches with labels and handoffs
Lunches move from home kitchens to offices through handoffs among teams of dabbawalas. Color-coded markings tell each worker where a tiffin goes, letting the…
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A macadamia shell protects its seed with geometry as well as material
Its thick, rounded shell spreads force rather than offering an easy flat surface to bend. The woody tissue adds another barrier to fracture. Opening the nut…
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Invisible spirit guides are imagined as mentors who silently judge your choices
In this belief, spirit guides act as unseen mentors, silently judging choices and steering a person toward a meaningful path.
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Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador
Ecuadorian weavers make genuine Panama hats, but the hats became known by the shipping route they traveled through. The name stuck to the transit point, not…
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Poltergeists throw plates just to get your attention
Folklore says poltergeists make themselves known through noisy disruptions, such as throwing plates and slamming doors.
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A French gnome-liberation prank ended up in court
The Garden Gnome Liberation Front became notorious for taking ornaments from gardens and staging them elsewhere. Reuters reported that a ringleader received a…
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A camel can carry a small piano's weight across the desert
San Francisco Zoo describes Bactrian camels carrying loads of up to 550 pounds for about 30 miles a day. Their long history as pack animals depended on more…
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