BIG QUESTIONS

The tool name that’s long been the laughingstock of adolescents has a perfectly sensible explanation.

Swimming in lakes (or any wild water) has its risks. When in doubt, check local advisories and trust your senses. And if the water looks or smells off, you might have better luck sticking to land.

It’s not a coincidence that so many porch ceilings are often painted blue in the South, and the history of why is even more fascinating.

Spot a surplus of pumps in one small area? You're seeing Hotelling's Law in action.

Italian ice has a sorbet-like texture, but these frozen desserts really aren’t the same thing. So, where does this summer treat really come from—and more importantly, is it even from Italy in the first place?

Inside the complicated compromise that created the District of Columbia and the City of Washington—which are kind of the same thing.

Despite what the name suggests, most modern ginger ales lack both real ginger and ale.

The answer lies in the way our brains and taste buds respond to vanilla.

Dive into the history of soccer balls, including how they evolved from their earliest form, when they were made out of pig bladders, into the hexagon design we see today.

Here’s the invisible etymology that turned Johns into Jacks.

Lemonade kickstarted the trend. But there’s more to the story than that.

Air is a free resource—unless you need it for your tires.