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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 wall of clocks showing different timesInventions & Everyday ThingsBefore 1883, Some Train Stations Had a Separate Clock for Every RailroadIllustration of ancient stone tunnels and rooms carved deep undergroundStrange Places & GeographyA Man Knocked Down a Wall in His Basement and Found a City for 20,000 PeopleIllustration of a pot on a stoveEveryday Science & Curious CustomsA Watched Pot Really Does Boil. Your Brain and the Water Are Both Playing TricksIllustration of a small goby fish clinging to a wet rock beside a tall waterfallAmazing AnimalsThis Tiny Fish Climbs Waterfalls Taller Than a 40-Story Building
Illustration of a pair of hands resting on a wooden table in soft lightThe Human BodyYou Trim Your Nails Every Week or Two. Here's How Much They Actually Grow in a YearIllustration of an ancient library with scrolls on shelves and stone columnsHistory's OdditiesEveryone Remembers the Great Library of Alexandria Burning. History Tells It Differently
Illustration of the Big Dipper over a farmhouse at nightSpace & the SkyMost Stars Rise and Set, but the Big Dipper Never Leaves the Sky Over Much of AmericaIllustration of open blue ocean waves with scattered bits of floating plastic debrisEarth, Nature & the OceanYou've Heard of the Floating Trash Island. Sailors Passing Through Barely See It
Illustration of ripe red tomatoes hanging on a green vine in summer sunFood & Kitchen SecretsThe Tomato Was Never Banned. But It Did End Up in Front of the Supreme CourtIllustration of a close-up sheet of clear bubble wrapInventions & Everyday ThingsBubble Wrap Was Never Meant for Packing. Its Inventors Had a Very Different Room in MindIllustration of a snowy town under the polar nightStrange Places & GeographyIn America's Northernmost Town, the Sun Sets in November and Stays Gone Until JanuaryIllustration of a black cat sitting on a wooden fence under a full moonEveryday Science & Curious CustomsIn Some Countries, a Black Cat Crossing Your Path Is Actually Good Luck
Illustration of honeybees gathered on a golden honeycomb while one bee performs a waggle danceAmazing AnimalsHoneybees Give Each Other Directions by Dancing, and the Map Is Hidden in the WiggleIllustration of two people laughing while one tickles the otherThe Human BodyYou Can't Tickle Yourself No Matter How Hard You Try. Your Brain Has a Good ReasonIllustration of a vintage boat model with an inflatable deviceHistory's OdditiesAbraham Lincoln Got Stuck on a River One Too Many Times, So He Invented a FixA small, intensely glowing neutron star with beams of light shooting from its poles in dark spaceSpace & the SkyA Single Teaspoon of This Star Would Outweigh the Great Pyramid Hundreds of Times Over
Illustration of a close-up of a delicate six-armed snowflake crystalEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Perfect Six-Armed Snowflake on Holiday Cards Is Surprisingly Rare in Real LifeIllustration of a wheel of Swiss cheese with large round holesFood & Kitchen SecretsSwiss Cheese Holes Have Been Getting Smaller. Researchers Traced It to a Barnyard ClueIllustration of a Victorian lady holding a delicate white lace umbrella on a garden pathInventions & Everyday ThingsIn 1700s London, Men Who Carried Umbrellas Got Jeered. One Man Refused to QuitIllustration of a Hawaiian beach with palm trees at sunsetStrange Places & GeographyHawaii Hasn't Changed Its Clocks for Daylight Saving Since 1945. The Sun Explains Why
Illustration of a child blowing out lit candles on a frosted birthday cakeEveryday Science & Curious CustomsWe Blow Out Birthday Candles Every Year, but Nobody Is Quite Sure How It StartedIllustration of a giraffe resting with its long neck curled back under an acacia tree at nightAmazing AnimalsGiraffes Get By on Just a Few Hours of Sleep. Their Deepest Naps Last MinutesA person smiling shyly with rosy pink cheeksThe Human BodyYour Cheeks Turn Red Before You Can Stop Them. Scientists Think That's the PointIllustration of a nurse standing on the deck of an early 1900s ocean linerHistory's OdditiesThey Called Her Miss Unsinkable. Her Story Starts on the Titanic and Doesn't End There