Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Movies get drowning resuscitation wildly wrong
A couple of gentle presses on the collarbone won't revive someone who has drowned. The movie scene of a victim coughing up water and instantly recovering is…
Discover more
A squeaky wallet can sound like a haunted door
Sound artists twisted a worn leather wallet beside a microphone to create the huge, haunted-door creak.
Discover more
Wolverine was almost a literal wolverine
In an early concept, Wolverine was an animal transformed into a humanoid by the High Evolutionary. The character became the gruff Canadian mutant instead.
Discover moreNicolas Cage had healthy teeth pulled for a role
For the 1984 film *Birdy*, Cage had two healthy teeth pulled to better understand physical pain. He did it without anesthesia.
Discover more
The video game crunch that broke EA employees
In the 2000s, the EA Spouse blog exposed claims of mandatory unpaid crunch, including 80-hour workweeks to ship games such as Madden.
Discover more
A pencil could rescue a cassette without switching on the player
Inserted into a spool, it gave the listener a handle for winding loose tape back inside the shell or moving the recording manually. The cassette's plastic…
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.
Why Enya invented a language for her songs
Enya’s lyricist created Loxian, a fictional language with its own syntax, for her songs. Its unfamiliar words gave her lyrics a sound English couldn’t provide.
Discover more
A Sartre exhibition poster lost the philosopher's cigarette
A 2005 French exhibition used a photograph in which the cigarette had disappeared, provoking debate about altering historical images. The change was tiny, but…
Discover more
Wahlberg and DiCaprio had to earn each other's respect
Wahlberg recalled that neither wanted the other for The Basketball Diaries before they worked together. He later described learning to respect DiCaprio…
Discover more
MTV began with a perfectly fitting music video
MTV launched on August 1, 1981, with The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” as its first broadcast video—a fitting opening for the new music channel.
Discover more
Explicit lyrics dramatically increase adolescent streaming
For rebellious teens, a parental advisory can act like a forbidden-fruit signal, making a song seem more appealing.
Discover more
Barbie and Ken once broke up
In the early 2000s, the company announced their breakup and introduced an Australian surfer doll as Barbie’s new boyfriend.
Discover moreTaylor Swift trademarked everyday phrases
Taylor Swift has trademarked phrases such as “this sick beat,” including for use on merchandise.
Discover more
Film crews spray mirrors to erase reflections
A matte coating dulls the reflections that might reveal crew and equipment to the camera—but it also makes the mirror useless for its ordinary purpose.
Discover more
Foley artists make everyday objects perform someone else's sounds
An object is chosen for what a microphone hears, not only for what it is. A sheet of paper can provide a sharp rustle, while other props supply impacts,…
Discover more
Facial slaps are prescribed as instant panic attack cures
The dramatic slap that supposedly resets a panicking character’s nervous system is a TV fantasy, not a real cure.
Discover more
Wristband adhesives break permanently when peeled
Tiny cuts in the adhesive make the band tear if someone tries to peel it off, preventing attendees from passing it to friends outside.
Discover more
A horror theater turned its house doctor into publicity
Paris's Grand-Guignol built a reputation for shockingly realistic stage violence, and stories about its on-site doctor became part of the attraction. Theater…
Discover more
Dramatic pauses artificially inflate episode runtimes
A 30-minute quiz show may contain only about four minutes of trivia; long pauses after contestants lock in answers fill much of the rest.
Discover more
Intellectual superiority requires pushing glasses up
The gesture is usually followed by a condescending explanation of the character's supposedly flawless plan.
Discover more
Street magicians make pedestrians think they’re levitating
In broad daylight, street magicians can make it look as if they're floating a few inches above an ordinary sidewalk, startling passersby.
Discover more
Banjo bodies act essentially like tightly stretched drums
A thin membrane stretched over a circular hoop serves as the banjo's drumhead, with the bridge resting directly on it. Each pluck makes the membrane vibrate,…
Discover more
Why Leonardo DiCaprio was named Leonardo
According to the story, his pregnant mother was looking at a Leonardo da Vinci painting in an Italian museum when she felt his first kick. She took it as a…
Discover more
Lanyards feature breakaway clips for safety reasons
The clasp is designed to release under pressure if the cord catches on something, reducing the risk of neck injury.
Discover more