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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 vintage wire shopping cart inside an old-fashioned grocery storeInventions & Everyday ThingsThe First Shopping Carts Flopped So Badly a Grocer Had to Hire People to Push ThemIllustration of old houses being relocatedStrange Places & GeographyThis Whole Town Packed Up Its Houses and Moved. A Brand-New Lake Was ComingIllustration of a single candle flame glowing in a dark roomEveryday Science & Curious CustomsTip a Candle Sideways and the Flame Still Points Up. In Space, It Turns Into a BallIllustration of a common swift soaring high above the cloudsAmazing AnimalsSome Swifts Stay in the Air for 10 Months Straight. So When Do They Sleep?
Illustration of a person wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold front porchThe Human BodyThat Shaking You Can't Stop on a Cold Morning Is Your Body Running a Secret FurnaceIllustration of a man planting trees in a sandy fieldHistory's OdditiesHe Started With 20 Bamboo Seedlings on a Bare Sandbar. Now Tigers and Rhinos Live There
Illustration of a rocky lunar surface with dust rising into the airSpace & the SkyApollo Crews Left Instruments on the Moon. They Picked Up Something No One ExpectedIllustration of a pile of colorful autumn leaves on damp groundEarth, Nature & the OceanThat Cozy Earthy Smell of Fall Comes From Tiny Workers You'll Never See
Illustration of a rustic cheese platter with bread and wine on a wooden tableFood & Kitchen SecretsThis Italian Cheese Is Banned in the U.S. Its Secret Ingredient Is Still WrigglingIllustration of a vintage wooden escalator inside an elegant department storeInventions & Everyday ThingsThe Word Escalator Was Invented, Trademarked, and Then Lost in a Famous Legal FightIllustration of a flat Florida landscape with palm trees under a wide skyStrange Places & GeographyFlorida's Highest Point Is Just 345 Feet Tall. The Reason Lies Deep Under the SandA tabby cat wearing a collar with a small silver bellEveryday Science & Curious CustomsThat Little Bell on a Cat's Collar Isn't Just Cute. Birds Have Good Reason to Love It
Illustration of a shark gliding over a sandy ocean floorAmazing AnimalsA Shark Swam 12,000 Miles and Came Back Home. Its Secret Sense Is RemarkableSoft scientific-style drawing of a human stomach with a glowing protective inner liningThe Human BodyYour Stomach Is Full of Acid Strong Enough to Break Down a Steak. So Why Is It Safe?Illustration of the Great Wall of China winding over green hillsHistory's OdditiesThe Great Wall Is Over 13,000 Miles Long, Yet Astronauts Struggle to Spot ItIllustration of a rusty red Martian desert with rocks, dunes, and a dusty orange skySpace & the SkyMars Gets Its Famous Red Color From Something Sitting in Your Garage Right Now
Illustration of sand dunes at sunsetEarth, Nature & the OceanOn a Beach North of Boston, the Sand Squeaks Under Your Feet. It's Not Your ImaginationIllustration of a slice of buttered toast tumbling through the air above a kitchen floorFood & Kitchen SecretsDropped Toast Seems to Land Butter-Side Down Every Time. A Physicist CheckedIllustration of a yellow wooden pencil with a pink eraser on the endInventions & Everyday ThingsThe Pencil Eraser Started With a Patent Worth $100,000. Then the Supreme Court Stepped InIllustration of a glowing midnight sun low over a Norwegian fjord and mountainsStrange Places & GeographyIn Parts of Norway, Summer Brings Weeks When the Sun Simply Refuses to Go Down
Illustration of a large full moon glowing with a soft blue tint in a night skyEveryday Science & Curious CustomsThe Moon Really Has Turned Blue a Few Times, but That's Not Where the Saying Came FromIllustration of a puppy, a kitten and a duckling sitting together on green grassAmazing AnimalsA Puppy, a Kitten and a Duckling Have One Thing in Common That Melts Your HeartIllustration of a cozy bedroom with soft morning lightThe Human BodySome People Thrive on Little Sleep While Others Need Plenty. Here's What Science SaysIllustration of marathon runners on a dusty country road in 1904 with an early automobileHistory's OdditiesThe 1904 Olympic Marathon Had a Car Ride, Rat Poison, and a Nap in an Orchard