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 wooden rocking horse in a nurseryInventions & Everyday ThingsThe Rocking Horse May Have Roots in Knights' Jousting Practice. Then Kids Took OverIllustration of a small white church with a tall tower on a tiny island in a green alpine lakeStrange Places & GeographyAt This Island Church, Grooms Carry Their Brides Up 99 Steps, and She Must Stay SilentIllustration of a couple's joined hands loosely wrapped with a satin ribbonEveryday Science & Curious CustomsCouples Have Been Tying Real Knots at Weddings for Centuries. One Popular Story Is NewerIllustration of white mountain goats standing on a steep rocky cliff high in the mountainsAmazing AnimalsMountain Goats Stroll Up Cliffs That Would Terrify Us. Their Feet Hold the Secret
Illustration of a person looking through a camera viewfinderThe Human BodyOne of Your Eyes Is Quietly Calling the Shots. A Simple Thumb Test Reveals WhichIllustration of Mount St. Helens erupting with an ash plumeHistory's OdditiesAt 8:32 on a Sunday Morning in 1980, a Mountain in Washington Lost Its Whole North Side
Illustration of red and blue stars in a clusterSpace & the SkyOrion Has a Red Star and a Blue Star. Their Colors Work Like Cosmic ThermometersIllustration of a sandy beach at night beneath a sky filled with countless starsEarth, Nature & the OceanCount Every Grain of Sand on Every Beach on Earth. The Stars Probably Still Win
A classic ice cream sandwich with chocolate wafers and vanilla ice cream on a plateFood & Kitchen SecretsNew York Vendors Made Ice Cream Sandwiches Famous. The First Recipe Came From AbroadIllustration of an old brass stapler on a wooden deskInventions & Everyday ThingsThe Real Stapler Story Involves Patents, Brass Fasteners and a Philadelphia FairIllustration of the Colorado State Capitol's front steps under a golden domeStrange Places & GeographyDenver's Capitol Has Three Mile-High Markers on Its Steps. They Don't AgreeIllustration of large bronze bells swinging in a stone church tower on a sunny wedding dayEveryday Science & Curious CustomsWedding Bells Sound Joyful Today. Centuries Ago, People Believed They Did a Bigger Job
Illustration of two bald eagles perched together in an enormous stick nest high in a treeAmazing AnimalsBald Eagle Couples Lock Talons Midair and Free-Fall Together. It's Part of CourtshipA glowing network of nerve fibers branching through the human bodyThe Human BodySome Nerve Signals Zip Faster Than a Bullet Train. Others Move at a Walking PaceIllustration of workers on scaffolding carving giant stone faces into a mountainHistory's OdditiesMount Rushmore Took 14 Years and 400 Workers. Their First Tool Was DynamiteIllustration of a spacecraft traveling through space toward the red planet MarsSpace & the SkyA Trip to Mars Takes Months, and You Can't Just Leave Whenever You Want
Illustration of Old Faithful geyser shooting a tall column of steam and water into the dawn skyEarth, Nature & the OceanOld Faithful Doesn't Erupt Every Hour on the Hour. Rangers Still Predict ItIllustration of a skillet of golden cornbreadFood & Kitchen SecretsSouthern Cornbread Started Out of Necessity. Wheat Just Couldn't Take the HeatIllustration of a vintage wind-up alarm clock with twin bells and a big snooze button on a nightstandInventions & Everyday ThingsEver Wonder Why Your Snooze Button Gives You 9 Minutes, Not 10? Blame the GearsIllustration of a vivid turquoise crater lake surrounded by trees and steep green wallsStrange Places & GeographyEvery November, a Lake in an Old Volcano Turns a Brilliant Turquoise Almost Overnight
Illustration of a carpenter measuring with a thumbEveryday Science & Curious CustomsA Dark Story About the Phrase Rule of Thumb Spread for Decades. Historians Say It's FalseIllustration of a cat licking its pawAmazing AnimalsA Cat's Sandpaper Tongue Is Covered in Tiny Spines That Work Like a HairbrushIllustration of an older woman smiling and singing along to a vinyl record in a cozy living roomThe Human BodyAn Old Song Can Bring Back a Memory in Seconds. Scientists Have Been Studying WhyIllustration of a line of white-topped covered wagons pulled by oxen across a wide golden prairieHistory's OdditiesAbout 400,000 Pioneers Took the Oregon Trail. Hardly Any of Them Rode in the Wagons