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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 the Sun with solar flares in spaceSpace & the SkyThe Sun's Surface Is About 10,000°F. Its Outer Atmosphere Is Somehow Far HotterIllustration of a forest of curved pine treesEarth, Nature & the OceanHundreds of Pine Trees in Poland Bend the Same Strange Way, and Nobody Knows Exactly WhyA basket of golden, crispy potato chips on a wooden tableFood & Kitchen SecretsThe Famous Story Says a Fed-Up Cook Invented Potato Chips. The Recipe Is OlderIllustration of a vintage brown teddy bear with button eyes sitting on a shelfInventions & Everyday ThingsA President Refused to Do One Thing on a Hunting Trip. The World Got the Teddy Bear
Illustration of the Four Corners Monument, a round granite marker with four states' seals in a desert landscapeStrange Places & GeographyThere's One Spot in America Where You Can Be in Four States at the Same TimeIllustration of cracked ice cubes floating in a fizzy glass of sodaEveryday Science & Curious CustomsIce Cubes Crackle the Moment They Hit Your Drink. A Tiny Tug-of-War Is Splitting Them
Illustration of a goldfish in a round glass bowl on a kitchen windowsillAmazing AnimalsThe Goldfish Memory Joke Everyone Repeats Turns Out to Be Way OffIllustration of a human skeleton standing in a museum display caseThe Human BodyYour Skeleton Isn't the Same One You Had a Decade Ago. Here's What Changed
Illustration in a vintage style of soldiers from opposing armies shaking hands in a snowy fieldHistory's OdditiesIn 1914, Enemy Soldiers Climbed Out of Their Trenches on Christmas. Nobody FiredIllustration of a huge orange full moon rising over a quiet fieldSpace & the SkyThat Giant Moon Rising Over the Trees Isn't Any Bigger. A Pebble Can Prove ItA person floating on their back and reading in very calm, salty blue-green waterEarth, Nature & the OceanIn the Dead Sea, You Can Lie Back and Read a Newspaper Without Even Trying to FloatIllustration of a fresh pineapple sliced into golden rings on a white plateFood & Kitchen SecretsFresh Pineapple Leaves Your Mouth Tingling. The Fruit Is Doing Something Sneaky
Illustration of a single silver paper clip resting on a stack of old documentsInventions & Everyday ThingsDuring World War II, a Tiny Paper Clip on a Coat Was a Quiet Act of DefianceIllustration of thatched-roof houses beside a calm canal with small boats in a Dutch villageStrange Places & GeographyThis Storybook Dutch Village Was Built Without Roads. Locals Got Around a Different WayIllustration of an old iron horseshoe nailed above a weathered red barn doorEveryday Science & Curious CustomsHang a Horseshoe Over the Door, and Which Way You Hang It Depends on Your Family TreeA black crow perched on a wooden fence, watching a person walking along a sidewalkAmazing AnimalsScientists Wore Masks to Trap Crows. Years Later, the Birds Still Hadn't Forgotten
Illustration of a smiling older woman with shining silver hair standing in warm sunlightThe Human BodyGray Hair Isn't Actually Gray. Here's What's Really Happening at the RootIllustration of a shiny copper-colored Statue of Liberty partly built, surrounded by workersHistory's OdditiesLady Liberty Didn't Arrive Green. Her Famous Color Showed Up Years LaterIllustration of the International Space Station orbiting above Earth with the blue planet belowSpace & the SkyThe Space Station Circles Earth So Fast Its Crew Sees 16 Sunrises Every Single DayIllustration of a dry desert with salt flatsEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Weather Stations in This Desert Have Never Recorded a Single Drop of Rain
Illustration of a vintage glass bowl of vanilla ice cream on an old wooden tableFood & Kitchen SecretsGeorge Washington Spent About $200 on Ice Cream in One Summer. Here's Why It Cost So MuchA pile of sharpened yellow pencils on a deskInventions & Everyday ThingsAmerica's Pencils Are Yellow Because of One Fancy Pencil Dipped in GoldIllustration of the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul spanning the strait at sunsetStrange Places & GeographyIn Istanbul, Commuters Cross From Europe to Asia Every Morning. It Takes One BridgeIllustration of an old paper wall calendar hanging in a cozy kitchen with the days of the week printed across the topEveryday Science & Curious CustomsA Day, a Month, and a Year Come From Nature. The Seven-Day Week Has a Stranger Story