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Jelly Beans Are Made With Insect Secretions
Jelly beans are shiny because they're coated in shellac, which is a resin that's secreted by the female lac bug (laccifer lacca) after it drinks the sap of trees....
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Surprising Facts About Nintendo's Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing is one of the video game giant's quirkier franchises, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming a worldwide hit....
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Why Advent Calendar Chocolate Tastes Different
Chocolate is chocolate, isn’t it? If so, then why does the chocolate you find in an Advent calendar taste so weird?...
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15 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of The Great British Baking Show
12. Hundreds of season 5 viewers wrote in to complain about "sabotage" after contestant Iain Watters had a bit of an issue with his Baked Alaska....
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How Sesame Street Dealt With 9/11
The venerable children's show had to find a way to bring the real-world horror to their young audience's attention....
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5 of the Most Expensive Pizzas Ever Made
There’s a big difference between a $40 pie from your local pizzeria and a $12,000 one topped with rare caviar, choice bits of Maine lobster, and piles of shaved truffles....
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7 Songs That Aren't Quite as Romantic as They Sound
A quick reminder that just because a song has the word "love" in its title doesn't mean it's a love song. So be sure to listen to the lyrics before choosing "your song."...
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Why Princess Elizabeth Was Almost Never Queen Elizabeth II at All
She's one of history's most popular British rulers, but she very nearly missed the gig....
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21 Other Royal Babies Born In The Last 20 Years
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting a royal addition....
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Why Is It So Dark in Outer Space?
It's a question scientists have been asking for more than 400 years....
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Can You Really Suck the Poison Out of a Snakebite?
Essential information for when you find yourself surrounded by rattlers....
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12 Things You Might Not Know About Blackadder Goes Forth
4. A scene in which Rowan Atkinson's character feigns madness by wearing underpants on his head and sticking pencils up his nose was inspired by Atkinson's penchant for sticking pencils up his nose....
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Why Do Wimbledon Players Wear All-White?
Even their underwear has to be white....
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Why Do Astronauts Use Space Pens Instead of Pencils?
One technological breakthrough left the common pencil in the dust....
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Why Did the First Harry Potter Book Get a Title Change in the U.S.?
While it was author J.K. Rowling who ultimately suggested the alternative title, she still regrets the decision....
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How Do Fireworks Actually Work?
Most of us just know to light the fuse and stand back....
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Is There Any Point in Letting Red Wine Breathe?
At the end of a long day, the last thing you want to do is wait 30 minutes to pour a fresh glass of wine....
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Why Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Was Hero Turtles in the UK
British censorship led to ninjas, nunchucks, and sausages all being banned....
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Why Do British Judges Wear Wigs?
It goes beyond looking fabulous....
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10 Tantalizing Tidbits About Star Trek: The Next Generation
Creator Gene Roddenberry reportedly didn't like the idea of “a bald English guy taking over.” And that was just the beginning of the behind-the-scenes drama....
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Why Is A Pineapple Called A Pineapple?
To figure it out, we have to go back and look at how Europeans first encountered the fruit in question....
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9 Things You Might Not Know About Defender
Notoriously challenging, it ranks among the most influential early arcade titles....
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The Strange Hidden Link Between Silent Hill and Kindergarten Cop
Though the two could not be more opposite, there are some surprising connections between 'Silent Hill' and 'Kindergarten Cop.'...
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How Common Is Your Birthday? An Interactive Map Can Tell You
If you were born on September 9, you are far from alone....
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8 Surprising Facts About Bubble Bobble
There's a lot more to this early arcade hit than just the colorful platform gameplay....
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5 Fascinating Facts About Atari's Star Wars
Dek TK...
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10 Fascinating Facts About Space Invaders
Find out the story behind one of the most influential arcade games of the industry's early years....
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7 Brilliantly Useless Websites You Won't Believe Exist
Don't even pretend you're working....
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Can It Ever Be Too Cold to Snow?
It sounds like nonsense … but is it?...
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Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap To Some People?
It might be the most polarizing leaf in the culinary world....
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The British King Whose Corpse Exploded During His Funeral
William the Conquerer was an unlikely king who reigned brutally and met an equally brutal end....
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7 Superstitions About Cats From Around the World
Cats have attracted a lot of different superstitions over the years—some easier to believe than others....
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11 (Supposedly) Haunted Things Put Up for Sale on eBay
Everything on eBay has a backstory, and sometimes, it's a pretty spooky one—at least according to whoever is trying to offload the item....
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15 Surprising Celebrities Who Voiced Characters on SpongeBob SquarePants
From rock legends to Goodfellas, check out the familiar voices that have appeared in a pineapple under the sea....
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10 Fast Facts About Pac-Man
As we now know, 'Pac-Man' was a massive hit, and its grip on pop culture is still strong today. But 'Pac-Man's success was far from certain; its designer initially had no interest in games, and the public reaction to it was initially mixed....
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What 6 Dinosaurs from 'Jurassic Park' Really Looked Like
In the 24 years since the original 'Jurassic Park' was released, what we know about dinosaurs has changed a lot. Here's some of the new research that may change how you imagine these ancient animals....
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Are Skyquakes Real?
You aren't just hearing things....
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How Does Wireless Charging Work—And Is It Safe?
A century-old bit of technology may solve our charging woes....
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8 Insults That Only Work In French
The French have a way with insults—even if something is a bit lost in translation....
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17 Famous Authors and Their Rejections
"… what was needed, (someone might argue), was not more communism but more public-spirited pigs."...
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Meet the World's Smallest Fruit
It's easy to be impressed by big things....
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How to Make Your Own Novelty Vending Machine From Cardboard
Coin slot included!...
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The Running Joke in the Background of 'SpongeBob SquarePants'
"My leg!"...
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The Artist Who Helped Bring Super Mario to Life
A veteran of animation lent a hand in creating Nintendo's vibrant world....
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The Deepest Shipwreck Ever Found
We are only just beginning to find ways to explore the deepest trenches....
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Up Your 'Pac-Man' Game by Learning the Different Strategies of Each Ghost
There's actually a method to the madness behind each of the googly-eyed phantoms....
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The Skinny on Big Beef: Why Fast Food Burgers Don't Seem to Rot
More than seven years after it was made, one burger from the Golden Arches is still well-preserved and on display in Iceland....
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7 of the Biggest Treasure Troves Ever Found
Throughout history, valuable objects have been either deliberately buried or just lost to the ages....
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11 Companies You Might Not Realize Are Owned by Amazon
Shop at Zappos or Shopbop? You're giving money to Amazon....
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5 People Who Were Suspected of Being Jack the Ripper
Modern research still hasn't solved the case, but these are some intriguing possibilities....
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