Weird, Wonderful World
Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he heads his massive research library, or puts one of his many associates on the case. So go ahead: In the comments below, ask Uncle John anything. (And if we answer your question sometime, we’ll send you a free book!)
Stop struggling with assembling that bookshelf and read some facts about the international DIY furniture chain that put you into that mess in the first place.
And if you did…you’d be just like these famous people who also didn’t wind up with a full set of 10 fingers. Neil Armstrong As a pioneer of space flight, he was the first man on the moon and one of only a handful of people to ever brave leaving the planet. And yet it […]
It’s more than just saying “hello?” Answering the phone in different countries and in different languages varies quite a bit, and depends on local customs and idioms. Here’s what you would say if you picked up a ringing phone in… Italian In Italy, the common greeting is “Pronto.” That translates roughly to “Ready,” as in, […]
At least a trace of everything that’s ever happened or existed can be found on the internet. Except when it can’t. Obviously, this means there’s a conspiracy at play, or time travel, or “alternate timelines.” Those are the reasons some people out there have given to explain the bizarre cultural phenomenon of a collective, incorrect […]
…and everything else you do in the bathroom, if the experts are to be believed. You’re leaving your toothbrush out A study by the University of Manchester in England found that the average toothbrush was loaded with germs—really nasty germs. There are probably about 10 million germs on your toothbrush at this moment, including the […]
On your next vacation, you could go to a stuffy museum filled with art and cultural relics…or you could go learn a thing or two about potatoes and noodles. Canadian Potato Museum Historically, one of the biggest cash crops from Canada’s maritime province Prince Edward Island is the potato. As such, the Canadian Potato Museum […]
Prince Philip of England has announced that he will retire from public life later this year. With more than 60 years in the public eye as the companion of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip had to find a way to personally distinguish himself. He did that in part by attending thousands of public events, meeting […]
You’ll probably want to read this article twice. (You’ll probably want to read this article twice.) Saving Daylight, Creating Confusion In November 2016, twins Samuel and Ronan Peterson were born at Cape Cod Hospital in Massachusetts. Samuel came into the world at precisely 1:39 a.m. on Sunday, November 6, while Ronan was born exactly 31 […]
Truth: There is a right way to hang the toilet paper. As for these other stories about bathrooms that seem too good to be true… Myth 1: In February 1983, the New York City sewer system crashed. Reason: It was the night of the last episode of M*A*S*H, at the time, the most watched program […]
Stop, yield, and try not to run over these stories. Stop In the early days of car travel in the late 19th century, driving was chaos—there weren’t many universal or codified laws related to traffic or safety measures in place. In 1900, a concerned citizen—meaning he didn’t actually drive a car—named William Phelps Eno published […]
It shouldn’t be so pleasurable but it is: That bizarre taste sensation of super-sour and super-sweet that comes with sour candy. Here’s the science behind how candy makes can make things taste so sour. The main supplier of sour kick: citric acid. It’s found in, well, citrus fruits: lemons, grapefruits, limes, and oranges, for example. […]
How do you do? It’s so nice to see you! Now, won’t you sit down and read these origin stories about common American English greeting words? Hello Going back as far as at least the 1400s, words like “hollo” and “holla” were used in England. A speaker shouted them out when they needed to get […]
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest serving monarch in the history of the U.K. She’s in her 90s now, and she’ll die one day, of course. Recently, some British media organizations unveiled part of the intricate and elaborate plan that’s been set into place (and extensively rehearsed) when that day arrives. If she falls ill, […]
Today is a painful day—the day when federal income taxes are due in the U.S. If you’re feeling that sting especially hard, be glad you don’t live in one of these countries. Aruba The tropical island nation of Aruba is a very nice place to live: white sandy beaches, clear ocean water, and the highest […]
Concerned about the government’s priorities? Now you can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing your tax dollars are being well spent on things like… Dough Dope The National Institutes of Drug Abuse spent $780,000 (and five years) studying whether pizza was as addictive as drugs. Findings: 100 college students surveyed said they felt pizza was […]
Pittsburgh used to be Pittsburg and New York used to be New Amsterdam. And then there are these American towns that got a lot of publicity when they came up with new names for themselves. Hot Springs, New Mexico “Truth or Consequences” is a very mysterious name for a town, particularly a sparsely populated one […]
We found these stories right under our noses. Why the Long Face? In 2003 Bhupati Das, from the Indian state of West Bengal, announced his plan to break the world record in “mustache weightlifting.” The 48-year-old said he’d been inspired to try it six years earlier when he read about a man who had lifted […]
