Browse ›

Curious Facts

1007 surprising, true stories about animals, history, space, food and the everyday things around us. Each one checked against trusted sources.

Illustration of a tilted Earth beside the Sun, with one hemisphere in summer light and the other in winter shadowSpace & the SkyEarth Is Closest to the Sun in January. So Why Is It Winter in America?A towering corpse flower with a dark red frilled bloom inside a greenhouseEarth, Nature & the OceanCrowds Line Up to Smell This Giant Flower. It Smells Like Something DiedIllustration of a colorful molded Jell-O dessert on a plateFood & Kitchen SecretsJell-O Was a Hard Sell at First. Then Its Owner Tried a Bold New Sales TrickIllustration of a pile of assorted screws with different head shapes on a wooden workbenchInventions & Everyday ThingsFlat, Cross, Square, Star: Every Screw Head Shape Exists to Solve a Different Problem
A quiet, well-kept wealthy village with tidy houses and neat tree-lined streetsStrange Places & GeographyThis Village Calls Itself the Richest in China. The Fine Print Tells a Different StoryIllustration of old yellowed letters in a boxEveryday Science & Curious CustomsYour Old Letters and Newspapers Are Slowly Burning. The Process Is Called Slow Fire
A tiny green hummingbird flying low over blue ocean wavesAmazing AnimalsThis Bird Weighs About as Much as a Penny. It Flies Across the Gulf of MexicoIllustration of a person pausing in a quiet hallway with a thoughtful, puzzled expressionThe Human BodyThat Eerie 'I've Been Here Before' Feeling Has a Surprising Explanation
An empty two-masted sailing ship drifting on the open sea under a gray skyHistory's OdditiesIn 1872, Sailors Found a Ship Drifting at Sea. Everyone Aboard Had Simply VanishedIllustration of the enormous volcano Olympus Mons towering over the red plains of MarsSpace & the SkyThis Mars Volcano Is 2.5 Times as Tall as Everest. You Could Stand on It and Not KnowIllustration of a plastic bottle half buried in the sand on an empty beachEarth, Nature & the OceanA Plastic Bottle Can Outlast Everyone Alive Today. But Nobody Has Watched It HappenIllustration of a ball of bread dough rising in a ceramic bowl under a checkered kitchen clothFood & Kitchen SecretsEvery Loaf of Bread Is Puffed Up by Billions of Tiny Living Helpers
Illustration of a vintage car with windshield wipers in the rainInventions & Everyday ThingsA Snowy Streetcar Ride Gave Mary Anderson an Idea That Companies Brushed OffIllustration of a very steep residential street lined with houses in New ZealandStrange Places & GeographyThe World's Steepest Street Was Steep by Mistake, Thanks to Planners Far AwayIllustration of an old wooden tavern with pewter mugs on the barEveryday Science & Curious CustomsThe Tavern Story Behind "Mind Your P's and Q's" Is Popular. It May Not Be TrueIllustration of a squirrel burying an acorn among colorful autumn leavesAmazing AnimalsSquirrels Get a Bad Rap for Forgetting Their Nuts. The Truth Is Much Smarter
Illustration of a quiet airplane cabin with passengers resting during a long flightThe Human BodyYour Shoes Fit Fine at Takeoff. Why Do They Feel Two Sizes Smaller When You Land?Illustration of stacks of old leather-bound booksHistory's OdditiesThe Library of Congress Owes Jefferson a Lot, Just Not for the Reason Most People ThinkIllustration of the Milky Way over a desert at nightSpace & the SkyThat Hazy River of Light Across the Night Sky Is Hiding Billions of StarsIllustration of a rusty round metal cover set into the ground at an abandoned remote drilling siteEarth, Nature & the OceanSoviet Scientists Drilled More Than 7 Miles Into Earth. The Hole Is Only 9 Inches Wide
Illustration of a golden lattice-top apple pie cooling on a sunny windowsillFood & Kitchen Secrets"As American as Apple Pie" Has a Funny Twist. The Recipe Is Centuries Older Than AmericaIllustration of a soda can standing on a kitchen tableInventions & Everyday ThingsFlip Over a Soda Can and You'll See a Dome. It's Doing a Surprisingly Important JobIllustration of the U.S. Capitol at sunsetStrange Places & GeographyNearly 700,000 People Live in the Nation's Capital, Yet It Isn't Part of Any StateIllustration of a shiny metal spoon resting on a warm wooden kitchen tableEveryday Science & Curious CustomsA Metal Spoon and a Wooden Table Can Be the Same Temperature. Your Fingers Disagree