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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 newspaper page with the letters O.K. printed in boldInventions & Everyday ThingsThe World's Most Popular Word Started as a Newspaper Joke in 1830s BostonA café floor with a line of white crosses marking the border between two countriesStrange Places & GeographyIn This Town, the Border Runs Through Houses, and Diners Once Swapped Tables to Stay OpenIllustration of a hand knocking on a wooden kitchen tableEveryday Science & Curious CustomsWe Knock on Wood So We Don't Jinx Ourselves. The Habit May Come From a Children's GameA ruby-throated hummingbird hovering beside a bright red flowerAmazing AnimalsThis Tiny Bird Can Fly Backward, Hover in Place, and Cross the Gulf of Mexico Nonstop
Illustration of a human heart with a soft warm glowThe Human BodyYour Heart Has Been Quietly Counting Since Before You Were Born. The Total Is StaggeringIllustration of a portrait of Napoleon in uniform beside a measuring stickHistory's OdditiesHistory Remembers Napoleon as a Tiny Man. His Measurements Tell Another Story
Illustration of an astronaut's bootprint pressed into gray moon dustSpace & the SkyMoon Footprints Are Famous for Lasting Forever. Scientists Found a Slow EraserIllustration of colorful autumn trees in red, orange, and gold along a country roadEarth, Nature & the OceanThose Golden Fall Leaves Were Yellow All Summer Long. You Just Couldn't See It
Illustration of a baking tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies cooling on a kitchen counterFood & Kitchen SecretsChocolate Chip Cookies Are Called a Happy Accident. Their Inventor Told a Different StoryIllustration of a vintage wooden and copper dishwasher in an old-fashioned kitchenInventions & Everyday ThingsChipped Heirloom Dishes After a Dinner Party Drove One Woman to Invent the DishwasherIllustration of a snowy volcanic peak in EcuadorStrange Places & GeographyEverest Is the Tallest Mountain. But This Peak in Ecuador Sits Farther From Earth's CoreIllustration of shimmering soap bubbles floating over a sunny gardenEveryday Science & Curious CustomsBlow Through a Square Wand and You Still Get a Round Bubble. Physics Insists on It
Illustration of two cows standing close together in a green pastureAmazing AnimalsCows Get Stressed When Separated, and the Cure Says a Lot About ThemIllustration of a surprised woman mid-hiccup holding a glass of water at a kitchen tableThe Human BodyHiccups Seem Totally Useless. Scientists Think They May Date Back to TadpolesIllustration of a vintage Boston street scene with a dark wave of molassesHistory's OdditiesIn 1919, a 25-Foot Wave Swept Through Boston. It Wasn't WaterIllustration of a starry night sky glittering over a red country barn and a quiet fieldSpace & the SkyThere's an Easy Way to Tell a Star From a Planet Just by Looking Up Tonight
Illustration of a rainbow over a farmhouse after rainEarth, Nature & the OceanEvery Rainbow Is Really a Full Circle. The Ground Just Hides the Bottom HalfIllustration of a bright red watermelon slice sprinkled with salt on a checkered picnic tableFood & Kitchen SecretsSalt on a Sweet Watermelon Sounds Odd. There's Real Science Behind the HabitIllustration of a pair of classic blue jeans showing the small front pocketInventions & Everyday ThingsThat Tiny Pocket on Your Jeans Was Made for Something Few People Carry AnymoreIllustration of a map of Alaska with its long chain of Aleutian IslandsStrange Places & GeographyAlaska Is the Westernmost State. By One Measure, It's Also the Easternmost
Friends clinking wine glasses together over a candlelit dinner tableEveryday Science & Curious CustomsClinking Glasses Supposedly Protected Against Poison. Historians Aren't Buying ItIllustration of a cat twisting in mid-air above a soft rugAmazing AnimalsA Falling Cat Turns Itself Over With Nothing to Push Against. Here's the TrickIllustration of a person chopping onions in a kitchen with teary eyesThe Human BodyYour Tears Over a Cutting Board Are Part of an Onion's Clever Self-Defense PlanIllustration of a black and white ship's cat sitting on the deck of a navy shipHistory's OdditiesThe Legend of Unsinkable Sam, the Cat Who Outlived Three Warships, Has a Twist