Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Boggarts were the original invisible bad roommates
This petty household spirit steals small items, sours milk and generally behaves like an invisible, spiteful roommate.
Discover more
Ohio's frog monster reportedly carried a wand
Loveland folklore describes a human-sized frog creature, with an early tale adding a spark-producing wand. The story belongs to local monster lore, not…
Discover more
Austria's Fucking became Fugging in 2021
The small village's old spelling attracted international jokes and repeated thefts of its signs. The local council approved a change that took effect on…
Discover more
Punxsutawney turns a groundhog's shadow into an annual weather ceremony
Each February 2, Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil supplies the ritual verdict: a shadow signals six more weeks of winter. NOAA has even compared groundhog…
Discover more
A panda can show pregnancy signs without carrying a cub
Pseudopregnancy can bring hormonal and behavioral changes that resemble a real pregnancy, including nesting and reduced appetite. Even keepers watching…
Discover more
Floods turned Pakistani trees into giant spiderwebs
After floods, millions of spiders climbed into the trees to survive and spun thick silk cocoons over the branches, making them look like they were wrapped in…
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.
Wisconsin turned a fake monster into a hometown mascot
The hodag, promoted in a nineteenth-century Rhinelander hoax, has horns and an extravagant grin. Its invented origins did not prevent it from becoming a local…
Discover more
An Alaska race needs spill-response crews to catch its ducks
The Great Alaska Duck Race sends rubber ducks down Anchorage's Ship Creek to raise money for nonprofit work. Alaska Chadux Network helps install floating…
Discover more
The fake animal heads behind Wyoming's jackalope myth
The jackalope is a rabbit displayed with antelope horns, and the mounted heads found on local walls are fabricated—part of a beloved rural prank.
Discover more
Toronto's white squirrels belong to a very familiar species
The pale squirrels associated with Trinity Bellwoods Park are eastern gray squirrels with unusual pigmentation. Their striking coats make them local…
Discover more
Why Bulgarian dancers wear enormous bells
The Kukeri dancers’ deafening bells are meant to drive malevolent spirits out of the village.
Discover more
Turkish travertine terraces gleam like bright cotton
Mineral deposits form Pamukkale’s bright white cascading pools, which can look like a snowy waterfall in a warm landscape.
Discover more
The sovereign order with passports but no territory
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta issues passports to its top officials despite having no territory of its own.
Discover more
What those tiny yellow hooks on airplane wings are for
The hooks let crew attach a rope from an emergency exit to a life raft, giving evacuees a handhold as they cross the slippery wing.
Discover more
Central Park’s imagined price depends on what you pretend it is
Treat its 843 acres as saleable Manhattan development land and estimates can become enormous. But that thought experiment removes the park’s actual role,…
Discover more
Egypt built a factory to make its own ancient-world replicas
The Konouz facility produces reproductions ranging from small objects to large historical pieces. Reporting on its opening described hundreds of replicas a…
Discover more
Disney’s “Go Away Green” makes backstage objects easier to ignore
Muted gray-green paint helps fences, utility structures, and other unglamorous objects blend into surrounding foliage and shadows. Brighter attractions then…
Discover more
The hotel room that requires a private submarine
The Lover's Deep underwater suite in St. Lucia is reached aboard a private submarine, and a night can cost six figures.
Discover more
The rental car's daily rate is only the opening number
Mandatory charges and optional extras can separate the advertised rate from the final bill. A cheap-looking car can become expensive once the complete rental…
Discover more
On Eurostar, the café is part of the cross-border journey
Passengers can walk to an onboard café for food and drinks while the train continues between countries. Eurostar publishes different menus for its London…
Discover more
Stockholm put an art collection on the subway route
Painted cavern-like stations, mosaics, and sculptures turn the trip between trains into an encounter with public art. Instead of buying a separate museum…
Discover more
Buenos Aires rode wooden subway cars into 2013
La Brugeoise cars had served Line A since its early days in 1913. Their wooden interiors and manually operated doors survived through generations of commuters…
Discover more
Swiss station clocks stop every minute to stay on time
The red second hand reaches twelve a little early, then waits for a synchronization signal before starting again. That pause let a whole network of clocks…
Discover more
Commuter ferries double as overpriced sightseeing rides
Visitors may pay for a sightseeing ride on a ferry that locals use for an ordinary commute.
Discover more