Matt Soniak

Joined: Nov 21, 2012

Matt writes about science, history, etymology and Bruce Springsteen for both the website and the print magazine. His work has also appeared in print and online for Men’s Health, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Philly.com and others. He tweets as @mattsoniak and blogs about animal behavior at mattsoniak.com. He lives in Philadelphia with his girlfriend, two cats and a large collection of bourbon whiskeys.

If you didn't know they had them before, now you do.

Why Does Bottled Water Have an Expiration Date?

When the conclave of cardinals have elected a new pope, white smoke is emitted from the chapel chimney.

How Do They Make the Smoke for a Papal Conclave?

Border Patrol: When 3 States Fought Over the “Delaware Wedge”

How Do Cats Purr?

The Story Behind the Giant Inflatable Union Rat

If you're from a town with a strong union presence, you know that if new commercial construction happens without union labor, protests often follow.

You can avoid brain freeze with a couple of easy precautions.

What Causes Brain Freeze?

Here's what’s happening in your body when you eat ice cream or drink a chilled beverage too fast.

The border between these two countries is a little odd in places.

Over the Borderline: The Little Bit of Minnesota That Could Have Gone Canadian

An old map error led to some strange—and at times contentious—geography.

Why Did ‘The Ukraine’ Become Just ‘Ukraine’?

Until a few decades ago, Ukraine was almost always referred to as 'the Ukraine'. Then people started dropping the definite article, and now you almost never see it. Here's why.

American officials exchanged Soviet spy Rudolf Abel for the American U-2 spyplane pilot Francis Gary Powers in the 1962 “Bridge of Spies” transfer.

How a Nickel and a Paperboy Brought Down a Cold War Spy

Soviet spy Rudolf Abel might have never been caught were it not for a Russian turncoat and a newspaper delivery boy who thought he’d been stiffed.

Several factors make people more susceptible to the flu in winter.

Why Is the Flu Seasonal?

Like clockwork, flu viruses seem to strike more people in winter than in any other season—and there are several reasons for that.

One of the biggest differences between a ship and a boat is size—but it’s not the only one.

Ship vs. Boat: What’s the Difference?

You will instantly reveal yourself as a landlubber if you refer to a ship as a boat. Here’s how to tell the difference.

Why Do We Go Trick-or-Treating on Halloween?

Historians link trick-or-treating to a few different ancestors, some old and some new.

What Does “SOS” Stand For?

You know it's a distress signal, but what does it actually stand for? A lot of people think it's an abbreviation for “save our souls.” (It's not.)

What’s the Origin of the Jack-O’-Lantern?

The first jack-o'-lanterns were made with turnips, not pumpkins.

Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell Funny?

Not everyone experiences funny-smelling urine after eating asparagus, but it's common enough that it poses one very big question: why does it happen in the first place?

You better knock, knock, knock ... on wood.

Why Do We Knock On Wood?

Discover the origins of the classic phrase 'knock on wood,' which could be tied to a Victorian-era children's game or have more direct ties to old pagan traditions.