Featured Facts

Featured Facts »

Do Road Hazard Signs Like “Deer Crossing” and “Falling Rocks” Actually Prevent Accidents?

Melissa March 4, 2015 1

Sanvi F. asks: It costs thousands of dollars to install even one road sign, so why do they bother putting “warning deer” and “falling rock” warning signs when nobody pays attention to them? Warning

Do Fish Sleep?

Melissa March 3, 2015 0

Ryan K. asks: Given that they probably need to move their fins constantly to stay in place, do fish ever sleep? Less like sleep and more like suspended animation, most fish species do spend

A Brief History of Spring Training

Matt Blitz March 2, 2015 0

Birds chirping, Sun shining, temperatures warming, and the smacking of a baseball hitting a glove – ah, the sights and sounds of spring. Okay, maybe up north and on the east coast, they are

Duty Free

Melissa February 27, 2015 0

Jeremy W. asks: Why do we call non-taxed items duty free? Why is this allowed? Is this really the case or are you supposed to pay taxes anyway on items to your home country?

Byron H. asks: Why is it sometimes catsup and other times ketchup? The two distinct spellings for what today is essentially the same condiment are simply the reflection of the evolution of nearly everyone’s

The Mock Execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Matt Blitz February 25, 2015 1

On December 22, 1849, members of a Russian intellectual literary group known as the Petrashevsky Circle were sent to Semyonov Square to meet their fate – death by firing squad. With the men pointing

Is Zero an Even Number?

Daven Hiskey February 24, 2015 3

In this video, produced by the very talented Brady Haran over at Numberphile, which you can subscribe to here, Dr. James Grime and Professor Roger Bowley answer the question of whether or not zero

Under the Lights: The First Baseball Game Played at Night

Matt Blitz February 23, 2015 0

On a field about fifty miles from Boston, Strawberry Hill, on the evening of September 3, 1880, history was made. It is unlikely the department store employees who were tossing around a ball knew

Weekly Wrap Volume 75

Daven Hiskey February 21, 2015 0

This is a weekly wrap of our popular Daily Knowledge Newsletter. You can get that newsletter for free here. The Surprisingly Poor Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Prior to his role as Will Smith in

Why Do Baseball Managers Wear the Team’s Uniform Instead of a Suit Like In Other Sports?

Sarah Stone February 20, 2015 1

Denny G. asks: Why do baseball managers wear the team’s uniform instead of a suit or something like that like you see in other sports? It especially seems weird because managers in baseball seem

The Victorian Moustache Cup

Karl Smallwood February 19, 2015 1

Beyond being a staple of any self-respecting peace officer, thanks to the popularity of things like Movember, the humble moustache has made a glorious, bristly return to the faces of men all over the

The Many Myths Surrounding Charles Darwin

Matt Blitz February 18, 2015 5

Charles Darwin said humans descended from monkeys. Darwin coined the term “survival of the fittest.” Darwin was the first person to theorize evolution as the origin of species. Darwin did not believe in God.

A Chicken Egg In a Chicken Egg in a Chicken- The Elusive Xzibit Egg

Karl Smallwood February 17, 2015 1

Unless you didn’t quite get enough info from the title- yes, it is entirely possible for a chicken to lay an egg that contains another fully developed egg, what we now officially dub an

The Surprisingly Poor Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

Karl Smallwood February 16, 2015 3

Prior to his role as Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Willard Smith (yes, Willard) enjoyed a successful career as a rapper under the pseudonym, “The Fresh Prince” as part of a

Why Do Drawn Hearts Look Nothing Like Real Hearts?

Karl Smallwood February 13, 2015 1

Mark R. asks: Why do drawn hearts look nothing like real hearts? Who first drew them this way? The heart symbol is one of the single most enduring and widely recognised symbols in modern

How Do They Make White Gold White Given That It’s an Element?

Sarah Stone February 12, 2015 9

Elizabeth F. asks: Is white gold really gold? If it is, how do they make it white when it’s an element? The purest form of gold is, of course, golden and is referred to

Podcast Episode #338: Batting in High Heels and a Dress

Simon Whistler February 11, 2015 0

In this episode, you’re going to learn about the only woman to ever bat during an official Major League Baseball game. In the second half of the show, you’re also going to learn why

A Lesson in Failure- The Rise of the Mars Candy Company

Matt Blitz February 10, 2015 5

The legendary Roald Dahl’s book Charlie & Chocolate Factory from 1964 (and its subsequent two film adaptations from 1971 and 2005) told the story of a magical candy factory and its eccentric and mysterious