Big Questions Answered, How and Why

You know planes cover hundreds of miles per hour. So why doesn't it look like they do?

How and when to wash jeans is a debate for the ages.

Some denim devotees never wash. Others find that disgusting. The head of Levi's weighs in.

If you were an 18th-century settler in Australia with no knowledge of marsupials, you just might decide to call a koala a ‘bear,’ right?

The answer lies in their chromosomal makeup.

Nowadays, we use jones to express an intense craving for something. But it used to refer specifically to drugs.

Earth may be the most precious place we have, but it isn't priceless. We know because one scientist did the math.

Karl Aspelin, Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons

As is often the case when you look back into history, there’s more than one possible answer. But one of the leading contenders has a fairly predictable culprit: the Puritans.

Prepared horseradish sometimes requires more preparation.

Prepared horseradish and horseradish sauce aren’t the same thing.

“Nutmeg State” isn’t actually Connecticut’s official nickname.

Technically, it’s not. Connecticut’s “official nickname” is the “Constitution State.”

Are you not up to snuff when it comes to knowing the origin of ‘up to snuff’? We can help you with that.

Cars used to sport exquisite pieces of art on their hoods. What happened?

Rock-hard cookies are bad enough without the presence of actual rocks.

A bacteria-related food recall is troubling but understandable. It’s a little weirder when one involves golf balls.

The moon-made-of-cheese rumor may have started with a hungry wolf and a crafty fox.

What is an Irish goodbye—and why is it called that?

She probably did a lot of scratching before settling down.

Your dog’s instinct to furiously dig at their bed before falling asleep would make a lot more sense in the wild.

Is Halloween strictly for kids, or is an age cap warranted?

Some communities have ordinances banning teens from knocking on doors. But are they justified?

Cats and “Pspsps” go together like toddlers and the crinkling wrapper of a candy bar that you were trying to eat in secret. What gives?

Tin foil and aluminum foil are not the same thing.

The shape of an animal’s pupils is a clue to its place in the food chain.

“10-4” isn’t any quicker than saying “OK.” But it is a storied trucker tradition.

The words ‘fall’ and ‘autumn’ appeared around the same time in Great Britain, but only one of the seasonal names is still used there today.

Essential components of any vampire repelling kits.

The idea that garlic repels vampire has been linked to some serious health problems.

To block microwave radiation, all you need is a simple screen.

Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing are two creamy sauces that are often confused for one another. So what’s the story?

BIG QUESTIONS

Why Do Airplanes Feel Like They’re Moving So Slowly?

How Often Should You Wash Your Jeans? The Levi's CEO Has an Answer

Koalas Aren’t Bears, So Why Do People Call Them “Koala Bears”?

Why Do Most Lemons Have Seeds, While Most Limes Don’t?

How Did ‘Jones’ Come to Mean ‘Craving’?

How Much Does Earth Cost?

What Was the First Banned Book in History?

What Exactly Is Horseradish Sauce?

Why is Connecticut Called the “Nutmeg State”?

Where Did the Term ‘Up to Snuff’ Originate?

Why Don’t Cars Have Hood Ornaments Anymore?

How Do Rocks, Metal, and Other Foreign Materials Get Into Our Food?

Why Do People Say the Moon is Made of Cheese?

Why Is Sneakily Leaving Called an “Irish” Goodbye or Exit?

Why Do Dogs Scratch Their Beds Before Lying Down?

How Old Is Too Old for Trick or Treating?

Why Do Cats Respond to “Pspsps”?

Why Do We Sometimes Call Aluminum Foil “Tin Foil”?

Why Do Goats Have Such Weird Eyes?

Why Do Truck Drivers Say “10-4”?

The Reason Why Americans Refer to Autumn as ‘Fall’

Why Can’t Vampires Eat Garlic?

The Mesh Grating on Your Microwave Is Actually an Important Safety Feature

Thousand Island vs. Russian Dressing: What’s the Difference?