Big Questions Answered, How and Why

What's the Difference Between Biweekly and Semiweekly?

Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and is known for her Grammar Girl website, podcast, and games.

Why Do Clowns Wear Big Shoes?

Was Elvis Actually Any Good at Karate?

Is Speaking a Language Different From Being Fluent in It?

Are you bilingual, trilingual, or multilingual? A polyglot or hyperpolyglot?

If The United States Retires The Penny, Where Will All The Old Ones Go?

Why Does the Scent of Blood Attract Carnivores?

Why Do Trick Candles Keep Relighting?

For children of a certain age, there are few things more amazing than blowing out a birthday candle only to have it relight—as if by magic!—soon after the flame has been extinguished.

Why Don't Woodpeckers Get Brain Damage?

The lives and livelihoods of these birds revolve around slamming their heads into things. Does it hurt them? Do they benefit from doing so?

How Do You Calculate the Wind Chill?

What does it really mean when the weatherman says it feels like minus-20 today? Is there a wind chill thermometer somewhere, or is he just using a mathematical formula? Let's answer these and some of the other pressing questions about the ubiquitous winte

How Many Germs Are in a Kiss?

Why Are Our Brains Susceptible to Body Illusions?

Who Invented the Brownie?

What Exactly Is a Pixel?

“Pixel” is a term derived from the words “picture” and “element.”

Who Had the First Jersey Number to Be Retired in Sports?

Why Does My Cat Bring Home Dead Animals?

What’s the Difference Between Hair and Fur?

The most common distinction between hair and fur that people tend to make is usually between you and your pet. You have hair on your head, and your dog Fido has fur all over its body. Easy enough, right? Wrong.