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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 1920s parade with elephants on a city streetHistory's OdditiesBefore the Giant Balloons, Macy's Parade Marched Real Zoo Animals Down the StreetIllustration of a small bear cub wearing a ranger hatHistory's OdditiesA Burned Cub Clung to a Tree in a 1950 Wildfire. He Became America's Most Famous BearIllustration of the curved concrete Hoover Dam rising between canyon walls with the Colorado River belowHistory's OdditiesThe Hoover Dam Was Finished 2 Years Early. Its Dedication Got a Last-Minute Time ChangeIllustration of wooden toy logs stacked into a small log cabin on a playroom rugHistory's OdditiesThe Toy Log Cabins Kids Built for a Century Began With a Hotel Halfway Around the World
Illustration of a 1960s football stadium with large sections of empty seatsHistory's OdditiesThe First Super Bowl Left About 33,000 Seats Empty. Fans Balked at the $12 TicketsConstruction workers balancing on steel beams high above the New York City skylineHistory's OdditiesThe Empire State Building Went Up in Just 410 Days. The Secret Was Pure Organization
Illustration of autographed vintage envelopes with space stamps spread across a wooden deskHistory's OdditiesThe Apollo 11 Crew Couldn't Get Life Insurance, So They Came Up With a Clever Backup PlanIllustration of a teenage boy guiding a horse-drawn plow across a field in the 1920sHistory's OdditiesA Teenager Plowing a Field in Idaho Pictured How Television Could Work. He Was Right
Illustration of 1931 construction workers gathered around a small decorated Christmas treeHistory's OdditiesThe Famous Rockefeller Center Tree Began With Workers, a Small Fir, and Some Tin CansIllustration of a deep pit on a wooded islandHistory's OdditiesTreasure Hunters Have Dug Here for Over 200 Years. Skeptics Have a Simpler AnswerA young soldier in an Army uniform carrying a guitar case, with a military post in the backgroundHistory's OdditiesElvis Could Have Spent His Army Years Singing for the Troops. He Picked a Tougher PathIllustration of a family listening anxiously to a radioHistory's OdditiesThe Night Martians 'Invaded' New Jersey. The Famous Panic May Have Been Mostly Hype
Illustration of the orange Golden Gate Bridge rising out of thick fogHistory's OdditiesThe Navy Wanted the Golden Gate Bridge Painted in Black and Yellow StripesIllustration of a 1940s woman factory worker in a red bandana and blue work shirtHistory's OdditiesThe Famous “We Can Do It!” Poster Wasn't Called Rosie the Riveter During World War IIIllustration of a black Model T Ford driving down a dusty country roadHistory's OdditiesThe Model T Kept Getting Cheaper for Years. Henry Ford's Factory Trick Changed AmericaIllustration of a bouquet of white and red carnations on a wooden tableHistory's OdditiesShe Spent Years Creating Mother's Day. Then She Spent the Rest of Her Life Fighting It
Illustration of the Lincoln Memorial at dusk with warm light glowing on the seated marble statue insideHistory's OdditiesThe Giant Lincoln Statue in Washington Was First Planned at Barely Half Its SizeIllustration of an old presidential inauguration in a snowy capitalHistory's OdditiesHe Gave the Longest Inaugural Speech in U.S. History. He Was Dead 31 Days LaterA family playing a board game together at a kitchen table by warm lamplightHistory's OdditiesIn the Darkest Years of the Depression, Families Paid to Pretend They Were RichIllustration of an old Texas coastal town with wrecked buildings after a hurricaneHistory's OdditiesAmerica's Deadliest Natural Disaster Hit a Booming Texas City With Little Warning
Illustration of the Brooklyn Bridge in the 1880sHistory's OdditiesWhen the Chief Engineer Fell Ill, His Wife Quietly Took Charge of the Brooklyn BridgeIllustration of a gold nugget glinting in a shallow riverbedHistory's OdditiesA Carpenter Building a Sawmill Spotted Something Shiny in 1848. It Changed AmericaIllustration of a homemade American flag with 50 stars lying on a school desk beside scissors and threadHistory's OdditiesA Popular Story Says a Teen Designed the 50-Star Flag for Class. The Records Disagree