Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Why dogs wag during the saddest scenes
Canines are notoriously bad at acting depressed because they are usually just thrilled to be working with humans. To film a heartbreaking moment of a dog…
Discover more
How jukeboxes saved records during the Depression
When no one had money to buy records, they pooled their pennies to rent them for three minutes. During the Great Depression, record sales absolutely…
Discover more
Superheroes constantly get rebooted to avoid aging
Instead of letting costumed vigilantes organically reach retirement age and deal with arthritis, publishers constantly shatter the space-time continuum just…
Discover more
The band that formed while on vacation
Instead of grinding through terrible dive bars for years, the Mamas and the Papas had the most relaxed origin story ever. They essentially formed the group…
Discover more
Why flying over a stadium can get you in trouble
You cannot simply fly a small machine over the giant open roof to get a free peek at the action. Massive outdoor arenas utilize special aviation regulations…
Discover more
Tailgating is legally classified as private gatherings
Getting incredibly drunk next to your truck in the parking lot before the gates open exploits a hilarious legal loophole. By keeping the activity restricted…
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.
King Louis the fourteenth founded the first ballet academy
Apparently, ruling an entire powerful nation still leaves plenty of time for dancing. The famous French monarch absolutely adored classical dance and…
Discover more
Radio stations loop top tracks to retain short listeners
Repetition is driven by the commute. Stations play the exact same massive pop hit every ninety minutes because they know the average person is only in their…
Discover more
Why Tarzan moves like Tony Hawk
Nothing captures the majestic, untamed wilderness of the African jungle quite like a 90s skater bro. When animating Tarzan gracefully sliding down mossy…
Discover more
The outrageous caller may be fake
Outrageous opinions are manufactured in the next room. When the host argues with a hilariously unhinged local resident named Steve, Steve is usually just an…
Discover more
Cosplayers burn weekends on foam armor suits
Dressing up as a favorite character isn't just a hobby; it's a massive endeavor where dedicated fans burn their free time on thermoplastic and hot glue to win…
Discover more
Bully lets you fail every class
Rockstar Games built an entire high school curriculum for players to experience, complete with mini-games for passing subjects. However, if you choose to…
Discover more
Safeline generators force text to fit older televisions
Broadcasters live in fear of clipping a logo. They use safeline overlays in the control room to ensure critical text stays within the center of the frame,…
Discover more
Wendy Carlos made Bach sound futuristic
The machine that defined the future of music had to prove itself by playing tunes from the past. In 1968, Wendy Carlos released 'Switched-On Bach,' an entire…
Discover more
The Library of Congress archived your tweets
For over a decade, an incredibly prestigious governmental repository actively decided to hoard every single public micro-post shared on a major social app.…
Discover more
Your Rubik's Cube has 43 quintillion positions
The tiny colorful cube you gave up on and threw in a drawer contains more possible permutations than there are grains of sand on Earth. Statistically…
Discover more
The glitch that became Mortal Kombat’s Ermac
The most elaborate fan theory in fighting game history started with a literal software glitch. In the original arcade menus, there was a diagnostic line…
Discover more
Why Borat kept attracting the police
It turns out Americans don't respond well to a man washing his face in a hotel toilet. When Sacha Baron Cohen filmed his groundbreaking 2006 mockumentary, his…
Discover moreWonder Woman conducts interrogations with a glowing rope
Why resort to complex deduction when you can just aggressively tie someone up? Her legendary lasso physically compels absolute honesty from anyone it binds,…
Discover more
Digital planners simulate physical notebooks on tablets
We bought incredibly powerful glass screens just to pretend they are bound paper. Users spend hours downloading graphical templates of spiral bindings and…
Discover more
The officially licensed Zelda games people still mock
Thanks to a bizarre contractual loophole, a random electronics company was legally allowed to produce games starring gaming's most sacred hero. The result was…
Discover more
Traveling shows once fined performers for mild jokes
Despite their reputation for wild variety, early twentieth-century traveling circuits were run by puritanical tyrants. Managers would stand in the wings…
Discover more
Why Lassie was usually played by male dogs
Hollywood sexism is so rampant it even applies to canine casting. Despite the beloved character of Lassie being female, producers exclusively used male…
Discover more
Why movie streets are often soaked before filming
Those glistening cobblestone streets in evening shots are not the result of a gentle mist. Crews blast the pavement with massive water hoses simply because…
Discover more