Lorna Wallace

You may think you know the words to “Pop! Goes the Weasel.” The tune is everywhere from jack-in-the-box toys to Data and Riker’s first encounter in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’. But it may not even be about a weasel at all.

“Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie / Kissed the girls and made them cry.”

A wave of butter, molasses, or chocolate barreling toward you may sound like a food-lover’s fantasy—but such incidents can actually be deadly.

Think ‘human’ was created by slapping ‘hu-’ on ‘man’? Think again: ‘Man’ and ‘human’ aren’t related at all—and they’re just one example of words that seem like they must be linked, but turn out to have nothing in common once you dig into their etymology.

This stunning slice of Maine remained relatively unknown—until 19th-century artists spread its beauty far and wide.

In most cases, only one inventor actually got the spotlight for these creations.

Shark attacks are extremely rare. But they do occasionally happen, and some species are more likely to be behind the kill than others.

While the Tooth Fairy herself may be surprisingly modern, the bits of folklore that went into her creation are hundreds of years old.