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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 setting over rolling green hillsSpace & the SkyOur Sun Has Hit Middle Age, and Its Golden Years Will Be Truly SpectacularIllustration of a green pine tree next to a bare maple in winterEarth, Nature & the OceanYour Maple Goes Bare Every Winter While the Pine Stays Green. Both Are Playing It SmartIllustration of a bowl of golden corn flakes with milk on a breakfast tableFood & Kitchen SecretsCorn Flakes Began With a Batch of Dough Someone Forgot About, and Two Brothers Who FeudedIllustration of a red stop sign on a country roadInventions & Everyday ThingsStop Signs Weren't Always Red. And Their Eight Sides Solve a Problem You've Never Noticed
A small, tree-covered island in a calm river with a stone border marker on its shoreStrange Places & GeographyThis Tiny River Island Belongs to France for Half the Year and Spain for the Other HalfIllustration of a person standing on a grassy hilltop beside a large globe under a blue skyEveryday Science & Curious CustomsThe Ground Under You Is Spinning at Up to 1,000 Miles Per Hour. So Why Don't We Fly Off?
Illustration of thousands of monarch butterflies clustered on fir trees in the mountainsAmazing AnimalsMonarchs Fly Thousands of Miles to a Mexican Forest They've Never Seen BeforeIllustration of a person sitting on a sofa rubbing their tingling footThe Human BodyYour Foot Falls Asleep, Then Fizzes Back to Life. The Reason Is All About Wiring
A vintage-style scene of a Kentucky farmhouse under a strange, cloudy skyHistory's OdditiesIn 1876, Chunks of Meat Rained Down on a Kentucky Farm. The Likeliest Culprit Is GrossIllustration of the Moon above the ocean at nightSpace & the SkyThe Moon Drifts About an Inch and a Half Farther Away Every Year. Our Oceans Are WhyMount Everest's snowy summit glowing gold and pink at sunriseEarth, Nature & the OceanThe World's Tallest Mountain Isn't Done Growing Yet, and Its Summit Was Once SeafloorIllustration of a bowl full of bright red chili peppersFood & Kitchen SecretsYour Nose Runs After a Spicy Bite Even Though It Never Touched the Food
Illustration of a vintage horse-drawn vacuum cleaning wagon on a city streetInventions & Everyday ThingsOne of the First Powered Vacuums Was So Big It Had to Be Pulled Through London by HorsesIllustration of a remote coastline in TasmaniaStrange Places & GeographyOn a Windy Tip of Tasmania, Scientists Have Been Bottling the Air Since 1978Illustration of a bowl of black-eyed peas with collard greens and cornbreadEveryday Science & Curious CustomsSoutherners Eat Black-Eyed Peas on New Year's Day for Luck. Nobody Agrees How It StartedA close-up of a beagle's wet black nose sniffing the grassAmazing AnimalsYour Dog's Cold, Wet Nose Isn't Just Cute. It's a Built-In Weather Vane for Smells
Illustration of a human liver drawn in a gentle anatomical styleThe Human BodyDoctors Can Remove Part of Your Liver, and It Quietly Grows Back to Full SizeIllustration of a large brown bear carrying a crate with soldiersHistory's OdditiesIt Wasn't a General Who Kept This Bear. He Joined the Army Himself and Made CorporalIllustration of tiny Earth floating beside the giant glowing SunSpace & the SkyTry to Picture How Many Earths Would Fit Inside the Sun. The Real Number Is StaggeringIllustration of an old world map showing the continents drifting apartEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Ground Under Your Feet Is Moving Right Now, at a Speed You Can Compare to Your Body
Illustration of red saffron threads piled in a small ceramic bowlFood & Kitchen SecretsIt Takes About 150,000 Flowers to Make Just Over 2 Pounds of This SpiceIllustration of a person looking at their reflection in a bathroom mirrorInventions & Everyday ThingsYour Mirror Seems to Swap Left and Right, but It's Actually Flipping Something ElseIllustration of a hotel built from ice and snow glowing with blue lights at nightStrange Places & GeographyThis Swedish Hotel Melts Into a River Every Spring, and Guests Keep Coming BackA robin pulling a worm out of a dewy lawn at dawnEveryday Science & Curious Customs"The Early Bird Gets the Worm" Sounds Like Advice. It's Also Pretty Good Biology