MF EXPLAINS IT ALL

The Reason So Many Prices End in .99

It’s a clever trick that retailers use to make consumers think items cost less than they actually do.

Allan warren, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Why a King’s Wife Is the Queen, But a Queen’s Husband Isn’t the King

At 133 words long, Prince Philip’s full title included the words 'duke,' 'earl,' 'baron,' 'royal knight,' and just about every other noble designation you can think of. But the highest and perhaps most obvious moniker that was conspicuously missing: king.

Why You Should Never Charge Your Phone in Public USB Ports Without a USB Data Blocker

Public USB ports could be an easy way for hackers to steal your device’s passwords and other important data.

The Ingenious Reason Medieval Castle Staircases Were Built Clockwise

It was a pretty clever defense strategy in the Middle Ages—that is, as long as you weren’t left-handed.

The Queen makes a toast with King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in October 2018.

The Reason Queen Elizabeth II Demands Her Ice Cubes Be Round

The Queen apparently likes her drink of choice—gin mixed with Dubonnet—to be served on perfectly round rocks.

The Reason You Should Never Rinse a Turkey

Rinsing raw poultry is the worst turkey sin people commit at Thanksgiving. Here's what you should really do to minimize your salmonella risk.

H. Armstrong Roberts/iStock via Getty Images

The Great Tryptophan Lie: Eating Turkey Does Not Make You Tired

Turkey and other tryptophan-containing foods can produce melatonin, but that’s not why you’re tired on Thanksgiving.

The Best Way to Get Your Stuck Tongue Out of a Bottle

Kids who find their tongues stuck in juice bottles can experience pain, swelling, or possibly airway obstruction. A technique used to uncork wine bottles could help.

The Reason White Castle Slider Burgers Have Five Holes

The popular slider burger always has five perfect holes in the patty. The reason? The franchise likes to cook vertically.

Rattankun Thongbun/iStock via Getty Images

We've All Been Riding Escalators Wrong, According to the Manufacturers

Want to avoid an escalator accident? Forget everything you know about proper escalator rules of the road (and try to ignore the withering stares of your fellow commuters).

Where Do Cobwebs Come From?

The sticky spider streamers tend to appear in room corners. Here's why they hang around even after a spider has left the premises.

The Reason Newborn Babies Don't Produce Tears

Newborns can wail like emergency sirens, but you don't typically see them producing tears. Here's why.

The Reason Why Ships Are Often Painted Red on the Bottom

No matter the color of a vessel, the hull below the water line is often painted red. The reason has something to do with worms.

Roger Higgins, Library of Congress // Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

The Reason Adults Are Never Visible in Charles Schulz's Peanuts Comic Strips

The stories of Charlie Brown and his cast of supporting characters are told entirely from their kid (and dog and bird) perspectives, with adults rarely intruding on their adventures.

Here's Why You Should Always Tip Your Delivery Driver With Cash

It’s not always clear how tips get factored into delivery drivers’ wages for services like DoorDash and UberEats, so we break it down for you.

Roman_Gorielov, iStock/Getty Images Plus

The Reason Why Stop Signs Are Red

The idea of red meaning "stop" dates back to British railroad regulations of the 1840s—but for a while, a dearth of fade-proof red materials meant that many American stop signs were yellow instead.

SongayeNovell, iStock / Getty Images Plus

The Surprising Reasons Why Animals Play Dead

Entering a vulnerable position may seem like the worse way to get out of an emergency, but "playing dead" can be life-saving for some animals.

The Reason Why Your Car’s Turn Signal Makes a Clicking Sound

The sound of your car's signal used to be a product of the technology, but in many modern cars, it's artificially recreated with computers.

The Reason We Celebrate Flag Day

Support for Flag Day, a sometimes-overlooked holiday, was ignited during the Civil War. But there was a commercial purpose behind it.

The Reason Dogs Dig (and How to Make Them to Stop)

If your dog is spending hours tearing up the backyard, or attempting to burrow holes into your couch, you're no doubt anxious to find a way to make it stop.

What Is Candy Corn Made Of?

Of all the candies handed out around Halloween, candy corn may be the most divisive. But even if you're a die-hard fan, you might have second thoughts about the seasonal staple after reading the ingredients list.

Team Canada's Laura Stacey of takes a bite of her gold medal after the Women's Ice Hockey Gold Medal match between Team Canada and Team United States at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Why Do Olympians Bite Their Medals?

Watch the Olympics and you might notice a number of medalists gnawing on their gold or silver prize like an old-time prospector. They already know it tastes like victory, so what's the deal?

How Hand Sanitizer Works (And Why It Isn't a Substitute for Soap)

Hand sanitizer doesn't look, smell, or feel like the stuff doctors use to clean their tools? (Or the kind we drink, for that matter.) It also doesn't physically wash dirt from your hands.

Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Jane Fonda star in 9 to 5 (1980).

14 Facts About 9 to 5 for Its 40th Anniversary

Whether you think of it as a statement on female empowerment or simply a fun workplace comedy, the 1980 hit '9 to 5'—which featured Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as a trio of secretaries who turn the tables on their "sexist, egotistical, lying

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