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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 red-headed woodpecker tapping a tree trunkAmazing AnimalsA Woodpecker Slams Its Head Into Wood All Day. Its Skull Has a Hidden Safety BeltIllustration of a close-up fingerprint pressed onto a pane of glassThe Human BodyThose Tiny Swirls on Your Fingertips Have a Job. It's Not the One Most People ThinkIllustration of a 1920s Paris street with the Eiffel Tower in the distanceHistory's OdditiesThe Con Man Famous for Selling the Eiffel Tower Twice Only Pulled It Off OnceIllustration of sunbeams breaking through clouds over a calm oceanSpace & the SkyThe Sunshine on Your Face Left the Sun a While Ago. Its Trip Started Even Earlier
Illustration of a large hurricane swirling over the ocean seen from aboveEarth, Nature & the OceanHurricane Names Aren't Picked When a Storm Forms. Most Were Chosen Years AheadIllustration of purple, yellow, and orange carrots laid side by side on a wooden tableFood & Kitchen SecretsEarly Carrots Came in Purple and Yellow. The Orange Ones Have a Surprisingly Dutch Story
Illustration of a large vintage brick-style cell phone with a long antennaInventions & Everyday ThingsThe First Cell Phone Call Was Made on a New York Sidewalk to the Inventor's RivalA small town street lined with buildings covered in large painted muralsStrange Places & GeographyWhen Its Mill Shut Down, a Small Logging Town Grabbed Paintbrushes Instead of Giving Up
Illustration of mistletoe hanging over a doorwayEveryday Science & Curious CustomsKissing Under the Mistletoe Has Surprising Roots. One Version Involved Counting BerriesIllustration of an octopus resting in a rocky den on the sea floorAmazing AnimalsThis Sea Creature Has Three Hearts, Blue Blood, and Arms That Think for ThemselvesIllustration of a passenger looking out an airplane windowThe Human BodyThat Little Pop in Your Ears on a Plane Comes From a Tiny Tube You Never Think AboutThe White House under construction, shown in an old engraving styleHistory's OdditiesMany People Think the White House Was Painted to Hide Fire Damage. History Says No
Illustration of small icy Pluto with its pale heart-shaped plainSpace & the SkyPluto Was the Ninth Planet for 76 Years. Then Astronomers Found a Heavier RivalIllustration of a towering giant sequoia tree with a tiny car parked at its baseEarth, Nature & the OceanThis California Tree Lost a Branch Bigger Than Most Whole Trees, and Barely NoticedIllustration of a fortune cookie with a paper slipFood & Kitchen SecretsThe Fortune Cookie Is a Staple of Chinese Restaurants. Its Roots Lead Somewhere ElseIllustration of a black and white barcode printed on a grocery item at a checkout counterInventions & Everyday ThingsThe First Barcode Was Drawn in Beach Sand. The Idea Behind the Lines Was Borrowed
Illustration of an empty two-lane desert highway stretching toward distant Nevada mountainsStrange Places & GeographyA Magazine Called This Highway America's Loneliest Road. Nevada Turned It Into a PrizeA bunch of colorful balloons rising into a clear blue skyEveryday Science & Curious CustomsA Helium Balloon Floats for the Same Reason a Boat Does. An Ancient Greek Explained ItIllustration of a penguin offering a smooth pebble to another penguin on a rocky shoreAmazing AnimalsSome Penguins Court Their Partners With a Single Stone. The Reason Is Sweet and SmartA simple side view of a human eye with a tree in front of it and an upside-down tree image at the back of the eyeThe Human BodyYour Eye Captures Everything Upside Down. One Man Wore Flipped Glasses for Days
Illustration of a pig on an island farm with soldiers and a ship in the distanceHistory's OdditiesAmerica and Britain Nearly Went to War Over a Pig. The Only Casualty Had Four LegsIllustration of the deep blue planet Neptune glowing against the blackness of spaceSpace & the SkyDeep Inside Neptune, Scientists Think It May Be Raining Something PreciousIllustration of Old Faithful geyser erupting in Yellowstone under a blue skyEarth, Nature & the OceanOld Faithful Erupts Almost on Schedule. A Kitchen Gadget Explains What's Going On BelowA steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup on a wooden table beside a rainy windowFood & Kitchen SecretsThe First Restaurants in Paris Didn't Serve Fancy Meals. They Served Soup