Big Questions Answered, How and Why

French fencer Auriane Mallo-Breton at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Fencing body cords aren't a safety measure.

The sophisticated cephalopods have highly evolved vision and can use jet propulsion to escape predators, but there are a few key differences between squid and cuttlefish.

A few yards of clear air means the difference between a tornado and a funnel cloud.

People often confuse funnel clouds with tornadoes, but they're not the same. Learn how to tell the two apart.

Great Britain's Kieran Bird at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It's to get the blood flowing—or is it?

An Olympic swimmer sports circular bruises from cupping therapy.

In events where success or failure can be measured in tiny increments, it’s not surprising athletes will turn to any potential advantage. But does cupping actually work?

The idiom for demanding payment doesn’t quite have the equine origins one would think.

Olympic fans take selfies in front of the iconic rings in Paris.

Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, intended the rings to represent nations “united by Olympism.”

Whitewater rafters carry the Olympic torch on its way to Paris.

This year, the Olympic torch made a symbolic journey from Greece to Paris for the Summer Games.

America is the only country that refuses to do so.

There’s a lot of cultural and religious significance attached to this enduring Jewish wedding tradition. Plus, it’s just plain fun.

Impress your crafty friends by actually knowing how their sewing equipment works.

The fabric strawberry is more than just a cute accessory to an already cute accessory. It also serves as an important tool.

Everyone here is someone's late someone.

There’s a historical reason, but there may be a social one as well.

The most popular Chinese takeout dish in the U.S. is a sweet, spicy, saucy chicken entree named after a famous Hunanese general who actually preferred pork.

This American icon has become a rare sight.

Consumer tastes have shifted over the past 20 years.

You ‘aught’ to know the answer of this question.

Suggestions for what to call the period of time from 2000–2009 ranged from ‘the nillies’ and ‘the oh-ohs’ to ‘the double zeroes’ and ‘the noughties.’ So how’d we land on ‘the aughts’?

He's spreading one helluva message, alright.

Some dogs lift their leg to pee as a way of marking their territory. But they also do it as a way of letting other dogs know they're the baddest canine in town.