Discover strange, surprising, and little-known facts from science, history, nature, and beyond.
HistoryEven though Philo Farnsworth is credited with inventing the first fully functional all-electronic image pickup device, the image dissector, it was Vladimir Zworykin who is often referred to as the 'father of television.
HistoryIn 1912, Harry Brearley of the UK discovered a way to make stainless steel, but his discovery was overlooked and forgotten.
HistoryArchaeologists discovered a tiny object from 10,000 years ago on a UK excavation site that turned out to be world's the oldest known crayon.
HistoryThe year 1816 is known as 'The Year Without a Summer' because of severe climate abnormalities.
HistoryA pharmaceutical blunder in the 1930s led to the development of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
HistoryThe color mauve was accidentally discovered by an 18-year-old chemist named Sir William Henry Perkin while attempting to create a synthetic quinine, a treatment for malaria.
HistoryThe popular toy known as 'Silly Putty' was invented accidentally during World War II while attempting to create a synthetic alternative for rubber.
HistoryIn 132 AD, Chinese inventor, Zhang Heng, invented the world's first seismoscope to detect earthquakes.
HistoryIn ancient Egypt, lettuce was not primarily eaten as a food but was instead regarded as an aphrodisiac and symbol of male fertility.
HistoryIn 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte was attacked by a horde of bunnies.
HistoryDespite common beliefs, the discovery of Penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928 was quite unsystematic and majorly a product of unanticipated circumstances.
HistoryA medical doctor in the 19th century discovered the anesthetic properties of nitrous oxide, quite accidentally during a party.
History16th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe wore a prosthetic silver nose after losing part of his real one in a duel.
HistoryFar from its present use for fitness, treadmills were initially used as punishment in prisons during the 19th century.
HistoryGustave Eiffel had a private apartment on the top of the famous tower he engineered and built in Paris.
HistoryPurple dye was accidentally discovered by ancient Phoenicians.
HistoryDuring the Cold War, the United States secretly built and operated a city underneath Greenland's ice cap to house nuclear missiles. The plan was known as 'Project Iceworm'.
HistoryThe Basse-Chaine bridge in France was brought down in 1850 due to the resonant frequency matches from French soldiers’ synchronized footsteps.
HistoryVinyl, the much-loved material used in records for music, was originally discovered by accident.
HistoryAlbert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist, unintentionally discovered the psychedelic effects of LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) in 1943.
HistoryConstruction of the Hoover Dam made use of huge amounts of 'builders tea' to reduce heat stress among workers.
HistoryDespite being called 'pencil lead', the thin graphite rod at the heart of your average pencil has nothing to do with lead, and its origin is more complex than one might expect.
HistoryThe color mauve was accidentally discovered in 1856 by a British chemist named William Perkin who was trying to synthesize quinine for the treatment of malaria.
HistoryContrary to popular belief, The first known use of an emoji-like form wasn't on the smartphones but was used in 1881 by a satirical magazine named Puck Magazine.
No spam. Just strange, useful, and fascinating knowledge.
We only use your email for site updates.