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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.

A wild turkey standing in a sunny forest clearingHistory's OdditiesBen Franklin Is Famous for Wanting the Turkey as America's Bird. He Never Proposed ItIllustration of a summer meteor shower streaking over a calm lake under a starry night skySpace & the SkyAugust Nights Seem Full of Shooting Stars. The Real Champion Arrives in WinterIllustration of waves crashing on a moonlit beachEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Surf Seems to Roar Louder After Dark. The Waves Aren't What ChangedIllustration of a glass jug of apple cider surrounded by red and green applesFood & Kitchen SecretsAsk for Cider in England and You'll Get Something Very Different From America's Fall Drink
Illustration of a pink ceramic piggy bank surrounded by scattered coinsInventions & Everyday ThingsThe Oldest Pig-Shaped Money Banks Weren't Made in Europe. They Came From a Tropical IslandIllustration of friends raising their glasses together over a dinner tableEveryday Science & Curious CustomsRaising a Toast Has Nothing to Do With Breakfast. Except, Somehow, It Does
Illustration of a ginger cat curled up asleep inside a terracotta flower potAmazing AnimalsYour Cat Ignores Its Cozy Bed and Naps in a Flower Pot. Its Sleep Habits Help Explain ItIllustration of a sunny classroom with a space shuttle poster on the wallHistory's OdditiesMore Than 11,000 Teachers Applied to Fly on the Space Shuttle. Her Story Still Inspires
Illustration of an astronaut running on a treadmill inside a space stationSpace & the SkyAstronauts Work Out About Two Hours a Day in Orbit. One Machine Is Named After a ComedianIllustration of Niagara Falls with rising mist and a rainbowEarth, Nature & the OceanNiagara Falls Feels Eternal, but It's Young by Earth's Standards, and It's on the MoveIllustration of a vintage red, white, and blue box of caramel popcorn spilling onto a table beside a tiny toy prizeFood & Kitchen SecretsFor Over a Century, Kids Dug to the Bottom of the Box. Then the Prize DisappearedIllustration of a vintage jointed teddy bear sitting on an old wooden chairInventions & Everyday ThingsThe Teddy Bear Began With a President and a Cartoon. The Grown-Up Twist Came Earlier
Illustration of a car's passenger-side mirror reflecting the highway and a car behindEveryday Science & Curious CustomsOnly One of Your Car's Side Mirrors Carries That Famous Warning. There's a Good ReasonIllustration of a dog sitting by the front door glancing up at a wall clockAmazing AnimalsYour Dog Can't Read a Clock. Scientists Found It Still Knows How Long You've Been GoneIllustration of a 1960s family gathered around a black-and-white television watching the Moon landingHistory's OdditiesOne in Five People on Earth Watched Armstrong's First Step. The Picture Took a Wild RouteHomemade popcorn balls wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with orange ribbonFood & Kitchen SecretsPopcorn Balls Were a Huge Hit Around 1900. Now They're a Halloween Throwback
Illustration of a cozy vintage recliner with its footrest raised in a warm living roomInventions & Everyday ThingsAmerica's Favorite Recliner Started as a Porch Chair Mocked Up From Orange CratesVintage-style illustration of a hunter's helper with a long stick beside thick bushes in an open fieldEveryday Science & Curious Customs'Stop Beating Around the Bush' Once Described a Real Job With a Stick and a Lot of NoiseIllustration of a seagull grabbing a french fry on a boardwalkAmazing AnimalsGulls Swiping Your Fries Are Using a Survival Trick Scientists Have a Name ForIllustration of a futuristic white tower and giant sphere surrounded by crowds at a 1939 fairHistory's OdditiesIn 1939, Millions Lined Up to See America in 1960. Some of What They Saw Came True
Illustration of a large white turkey standing on the White House lawn in autumnFood & Kitchen SecretsThe White House Turkey Pardon Didn't Start With Lincoln. It Began as a Joke in 1987Illustration of an old carnival game boothEveryday Science & Curious CustomsClose but No Cigar Started at the Fairground. Back Then, the Prize Really Was a CigarSeveral hermit crabs in different-sized shells lined up on wet sand next to an empty seashellAmazing AnimalsWhen a New Shell Washes Up, Hermit Crabs Form a Line by Size and Wait Their TurnIllustration of a vintage race car on a dirt trackHistory's OdditiesAmerica's Favorite Stock Car Races Trace Back to Bootleggers Outrunning the Law