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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 vintage light bulb with a glowing filament against a dark backgroundInventions & Everyday ThingsEdison Gets the Credit for the Light Bulb. A Home in England Was Lit by One FirstIllustration of San Marino's medieval towers perched atop a rocky mountain above the Italian countrysideStrange Places & GeographyThis Mountaintop Country Sits Entirely Inside Italy. Lincoln Was an Honorary CitizenIllustration of salt being spread on a snowy sidewalkEveryday Science & Curious CustomsSalt Doesn't Heat Up Ice. It Plays a Clever Trick on Water InsteadIllustration of a chameleon on a branch with green and orange skinAmazing AnimalsMost People Get Chameleons Wrong. Their Color Changes Are Mostly About Something Else
Illustration of a person sneezing outdoors on a bright dayThe Human BodyStep Into Bright Sunlight and Sneeze? You Have a Quirk Aristotle Puzzled OverPainting-style illustration of a narrow old London street engulfed in flames at nightHistory's OdditiesA Baker Woke Up to Smoke on Pudding Lane. Within Days, Most of London Was Ash
Illustration of an astronaut looking out a spacecraft window at EarthSpace & the SkyAstronauts Can Cry in Space, but Their Tears Never Fall. Here's Where They GoIllustration of glowing blue waves washing onto a dark beach at nightEarth, Nature & the OceanOn Some Nights, Ocean Waves Glow Electric Blue. The Light Comes From Living Things
Illustration of a vintage can of luncheon meat with soldiersFood & Kitchen SecretsSoviet Leader Khrushchev Said His Army Couldn't Have Been Fed Without One American CanIllustration of two people shaking handsInventions & Everyday ThingsA Stone Carving Nearly 3,000 Years Old Shows Two Kings Doing Something We Still Do DailyIllustration of Venice canals lined with old palaces and gondolas gliding on the waterStrange Places & GeographyVenice Seems to Float on Its Lagoon. What Holds It Up Is Hidden in the Mud BelowIllustration of a person waving goodbye from a front porchEveryday Science & Curious CustomsWaving Goodbye Feels Natural, but in Some Countries the Same Gesture Is an Insult
Illustration of a herd of zebras drinking at a waterhole on the African savannaAmazing AnimalsScientists Have Argued About Zebra Stripes for Over a Century. A Tiny Pest May Settle ItIllustration of a person standing against a height chart on a wallThe Human BodyYou Are Taller at Breakfast Than at Dinner. Here's How Much Height Slips AwayIllustration of an early automobile driving along an old English country roadHistory's OdditiesThe First Driver Ever Convicted of Speeding Was Caught by a Policeman on a BicycleA bright shooting star streaking across a dark, star-filled night skySpace & the SkyThat Shooting Star You Wished On Was Probably No Bigger Than a Grain of Sand
Close-up illustration of colorful sand grains in shades of white, gold, black, and greenEarth, Nature & the OceanSome of the White Sand on Tropical Beaches Comes From a Very Surprising SourceIllustration of a golden roasted turkey on a festive holiday tableFood & Kitchen SecretsThe Pilgrims' 1621 Feast Was Probably Very Different From Your Thanksgiving TableA white toilet paper roll on a wall-mounted holder with the loose end hanging over the frontInventions & Everyday ThingsA Toilet Paper Column Drew 15,000 Letters. The Original Patents Hint at an AnswerIllustration of a rainy green townStrange Places & GeographyOne Hawaiian Mountaintop Gets Rain on About 335 Days a Year. The Wettest Town Is Elsewhere
Illustration of a smiling bride holding a bouquet of white flowers tied with a blue satin ribbonEveryday Science & Curious CustomsBrides Still Follow a Victorian Good-Luck Rhyme. The 'Something Blue' Part Has a MeaningIllustration of a male lyrebird with its lacy tail fanned out in a misty Australian forestAmazing AnimalsDeep in an Australian Forest, a Chainsaw Starts Up. There's No Logger in SightIllustration of a left hand writing in a notebook with a fountain penThe Human BodyAbout 1 in 10 People Are Left-Handed, and the Reason Isn't as Simple as Your GenesIllustration of a Greek statue painted in bright colorsHistory's OdditiesThose Gleaming White Greek Statues Looked Nothing Like That When They Were New