Travel
Discover facts about travel. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Travel
Landing at Paro requires a route through the mountains.
Landing at Paro requires a route through the mountains. Bhutan's airport sits in a deep valley surrounded by Himalayan peaks. Its approaches require specially…
Discover more
The Bermuda Triangle has no officially agreed borders.
The Bermuda Triangle has no officially agreed borders. Its famous outline is a loose geographical label, not a formally recognized region with a single…
Discover more
Marine biologists estimate that up to fourteen thousand tons of sunscreen wash into coral reefs annually, prompting tourist destinations like Hawaii and Palau to legally ban products containing chemicals like oxybenzone.
Marine biologists estimate that up to fourteen thousand tons of sunscreen wash into coral reefs annually, prompting tourist destinations like Hawaii and Palau…
Discover more
A biometric passport carries a second version of your photograph.
A biometric passport carries a second version of your photograph. A contactless chip stores identity data including a digital facial image. Electronic…
Discover more
Neolithic humans managed to transport the massive bluestones of Stonehenge over one hundred and fifty miles from Wales to England without the use of the wheel or alien intervention.
Neolithic humans managed to transport the massive bluestones of Stonehenge over one hundred and fifty miles from Wales to England without the use of the wheel…
Discover more
Japan's Seiryu Miharashi Station was built for looking at the river, not for reaching a town.
Japan's Seiryu Miharashi Station was built for looking at the river, not for reaching a town. Its platform has no road entrance or pedestrian exit; visitors…
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.
Swiss apartment quiet hours can turn an ordinary evening into a negotiation with the neighbors.
Swiss apartment quiet hours can turn an ordinary evening into a negotiation with the neighbors. Building rules set limits on avoidable noise, and residents…
Discover more
Liechtenstein once offered a “rent the country” event package for about $70,000 a night.
Liechtenstein once offered a “rent the country” event package for about $70,000 a night. It promised an organized visit with ceremonial touches such as…
Discover more
Your French train farewell has an earlier deadline than the departure time.
Your French train farewell has an earlier deadline than the departure time. SNCF advises passengers on TGV INOUI, Intercités and TER services that access to…
Discover more
Costa Rican addresses can preserve landmarks that are no longer there.
Costa Rican addresses can preserve landmarks that are no longer there. Directions traditionally use distances and bearings from familiar buildings, shops, or…
Discover more
Sticky rice helped ancient Chinese mortar hold together.
Sticky rice helped ancient Chinese mortar hold together. Researchers analyzing historic lime mortar found amylopectin, a starch component associated with…
Discover more
In 2018, only about one person in nine took a flight.
In 2018, only about one person in nine took a flight. A global study estimated that roughly 11% of people flew during that year. Airline passenger totals look…
Discover more
Longyearbyen's frozen ground changes the rules of burial.
Longyearbyen's frozen ground changes the rules of burial. Permafrost makes an ordinary coffin burial a very different proposition in this Arctic town.…
Discover more
Trevi Fountain's wish coins help pay for real groceries.
Trevi Fountain's wish coins help pay for real groceries. Visitors toss coins into the Rome fountain as part of a tradition about returning to the city. The…
Discover more
Walt Disney World is a resort network, not one theme park.
Walt Disney World is a resort network, not one theme park. Its parks, hotels, roads, waterways, and transport routes occupy a vast property in central…
Discover more
Pluto's entire surface is only slightly larger than Russia.
Pluto's entire surface is only slightly larger than Russia. Using Pluto's measured diameter of about 2,377 kilometers gives a surface area near 17.7 million…
Discover more
Norway features a remarkably quaint little town officially named Hell, which predictably freezes over entirely every single winter due to the unforgiving Scandinavian climate.
Norway features a remarkably quaint little town officially named Hell, which predictably freezes over entirely every single winter due to the unforgiving…
Discover more
Casinos in Las Vegas strictly prohibit the installation of wall clocks or windows on their gaming floors as a psychological tactic to sever your connection to the linear progression of time.
Casinos in Las Vegas strictly prohibit the installation of wall clocks or windows on their gaming floors as a psychological tactic to sever your connection to…
Discover more
Clear-air turbulence increased in a four-decade analysis.
Clear-air turbulence increased in a four-decade analysis. A University of Reading study compared atmospheric conditions from 1979 to 2020. At a typical North…
Discover more
An airport became Mehran Karimi Nasseri's home for 18 years.
An airport became Mehran Karimi Nasseri's home for 18 years. He lived at Paris Charles de Gaulle from 1988 to 2006 after problems with his identity papers…
Discover more
Queen Elizabeth II traveled to over 100 countries during her reign without ever holding a passport, simply because all British passports were officially issued in her name so she…
Queen Elizabeth II traveled to over 100 countries during her reign without ever holding a passport, simply because all British passports were officially…
Discover more
Some visitors secretly scatter relatives’ ashes on Disney rides.
Some visitors secretly scatter relatives’ ashes on Disney rides. Reports from employees describe attractions being paused so the remains can be cleaned up,…
Discover more
A direct flight can still land before reaching your destination.
A direct flight can still land before reaching your destination. Nonstop means no intermediate landing, while direct generally means continuing under the same…
Discover more
Empty leg flights are heavily discounted private jet trips that happen when a plane needs to reposition to pick up a wealthy client, allowing regular people to fly like billionaires for a fraction of the cost.
Empty leg flights are heavily discounted private jet trips that happen when a plane needs to reposition to pick up a wealthy client, allowing regular people…
Discover more