Facts & History

  We asked a registered dietitian to weigh in. Recently, Jennifer Lopez took to social media to challenge friends to join her on a 10-day no sugar, no carb challenge. J.Lo challenged actress Leah Remini, producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Today co-host Hoda Kotb, to join on this 10-day journey. Every few days J.Lo posted gorgeous…

  When you look back over the best times of your life, what memories come to mind? The birth of a little brother or sister? That Christmas when you got a new bicycle? An amazing family vacation to the Grand Canyon? Memories are important. We’re lucky that our brains can hold so many important memories, so that we…

  It’s actually the sweetest thing. Before he became the princely half of perhaps the most-talked-about couple of 2018, Prince Harry was known to be quite the party guy. But since finding love with Meghan Markle, Harry seems to be changing his ways. In an extra-romantic gesture of solidarity, the Duke of Sussex has decided to…

  Chrissy Teigen’s experience with eating lots of sour candy is actually pretty accurate. In a video posted to her Instagram stories recently, supermodel and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen shared that her craving for sour candy during her third pregnancy had caused her tongue to peel. She also showed what she meant, and it was no joke!…

  On busy school mornings, it can seem nearly impossible to get up, get showered, and get out the door on time. Often, the thing we sacrifice when time is short is the most important meal of the day: breakfast. While it would be nice to sit down each morning to a plate of bacon and eggs or maybe biscuits and gravy, there’s no reason to…

  Do you love video games? Many kids couldn’t imagine a world without them! Video games weren’t always something you could play on your smartphone or at home, though. Years ago, you had to find an arcade where you could plunk quarter after quarter into large machines. That’s how people played classic games like Pac Man and Centipede. Have you ever been…

  What’s your favorite thing about the Fourth of July? For many kids, celebrating Independence Day means fun in the sun, a picnic on the beach, time with friends and family members, and pyrotechnics in the nighttime sky. Yes, we’re talking about fireworks! Of course, Independence Day isn’t the only holiday when people enjoy fireworks. You’ll also find plenty of fireworks in the sky on New Year’s…

  There are a few factors to consider when fueling during exercise. What if you get hungry during your workout — should you eat? If food is a good idea, what should you reach for? If you’re an avid exerciser, these queries have probably crossed your mind. It turns out there are several possible factors…

  Mobility isn’t a new concept, but you might be surprised to learn it’s more than just stretching. Mobility isn’t a new concept, but it certainly feels like the up-and-coming popular wellness buzzword — and for good reason. Mobility is more than just stretching. What Is Mobility? Mobility involves the joints and their movement in…

  Archaeologists have discovered six sacrificial pits containing about 500 artifacts, including gold and bronze masks, in the ancient Chinese city of Sanxingdui, according to news reports. The site is located about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) southwest of Beijing, Xinhua, China’s state-run press agency, reported. The artifacts date back around 3,000 years, to a time…

  A Kentucky man is invoking temporary insanity brought on by caffeine intoxication as his legal strategy to claim that he did not, as accused, murder his wife. Prosecutors allege Woody Will Smith strangled his wife to death with an extension cord on May 4, 2009, according to the Kentucky Enquirer. Smith’s lawyer claims that…

  You hear about it a few times a year: The Fed has raised interest rates, or the Fed delivered an interest rate cut after its latest meeting. Excited, you go to your local bank to check out its brand-new rates on car loans. To your disappointment, they’re the same as they were yesterday. What gives? The Fed, formally known as…

  Are you a movie fan? Do you like animation or live-action? Do you watch movies in 3D? It makes the special effects seem so real! Have you ever WONDERed how movie makers do it? It‘s not magic! Many times, they use Computer Generated Imagery (CGI). CGI is the use of computer graphics to make images and special effects.  Do…

  You don’t have to look far to find references to Voodoo in popular culture, especially in the Western world. Zombie movies, of course, have distant roots in Haitian Voodoo. Novelty stores sell pin-filled dolls to target anyone from miscreant romantic partners to unreasonable bosses. Even the Disney film “The Princess and the Frog” featured a Voodoo…

  Stagflation is term that describes a “perfect storm” of economic bad news: high unemployment, slow economic growth and high inflation. The term was born out of the prolonged economic slump of the 1970s, when the United States experienced spiking inflation in the face of a shrinking economy, something economists had previously thought to be…

  How long can you hold your breath underwater? The record is 24 minutes and 3 seconds. Most people can’t go more than a minute or two. What if people could grow gills? They could live underwater like mermaids! Humans might never grow gills. However, they may be able to live underwater without them. Technology makes new things…

  What are the most exciting two minutes in sports? Is it the last two minutes of the Super Bowl? Maybe those of Olympic gymnastics? Could it be the last two minutes of the Stanley Cup? No, the most exciting two minutes in sports are during the Kentucky Derby! The Kentucky Derby is the most well-known horse race…

  Our world is full of interesting questions. What happened to the dinosaurs? Are ghosts real? What about aliens? In Wonderopolis, we love making new discoveries. We want to learn something new about the world every day. However, there are a lot of questions that don’t have answers yet. What is dark matter? Can anything live inside a black hole? What caused…

  President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court could force Republicans to choose between the often-nasty nomination battles that attend such weighty decisions and the potentially wide popular appeal of a Hispanic woman portrayed as one who understands and deserves some compassion. Should compassion be a qualification for a Supreme Court Justice?…

  Indoor cycling is a firm favourite with fitness fanatics – but which muscles does spinning work? Find out with our essential guide There’s no two ways about it, indoor cycling hurts all over – but which muscles does spinning work, specifically? This HIIT workout will definitely push your leg muscles the hardest, with your…

  Do you like to play in the snow? Many kids rush outside on a snowy day for a snowball fight. Others build snow castles or snowmen. Do you live near a tall hill? If so, you might trek there on a snowy day for the joy of sledding all the way down! If you’ve ever been to a ski resort,…

  What’s life without a little risk? That may sound cliché, but in today’s credit-dependent culture, it can be difficult or even unwise to go through life without taking some sort of gamble with your finances. To make a living, you’ll need a job. To get the job you want, you may need formal education. To…

  To make this question answerable, let’s start by asking, “How much money is there in actual United States dollars?” Since the statistics for the U.S. are easy to come by, we can examine this question in a couple of different ways. The first way to look at it might be, “How much cash is…

Expansion westward seemed perfectly natural to many Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. Like the Massachusetts Puritans who hoped to build a “city upon a hill, “courageous pioneers believed that America had a divine obligation to stretch the boundaries of their noble republic to the Pacific Ocean. Independence had been won in the Revolution and reaffirmed…

  “Destroy All Monsters,” a classic sci-fi movie from Japan’s Toho Studios, predicted that mankind would colonize the moon by the year 1999. Needless to say, that didn’t happen — and it still hasn’t happened all these years later. But there have been serious talks about the feasibility of building a permanent lunar outpost or…

  Why Johnny Can’t Pray — At School While the phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in the U.S Constitution, it forms the basis of the reason that organized prayer, as well as almost all types of religious ceremonies and symbols, have been banned at U.S. public schools and most public buildings…

  Constitutional Merits and Congressional Acts The right to privacy is the time-travel paradox of constitutional law: Even though it didn’t exist as a constitutional doctrine until 1961 and didn’t form the basis of a Supreme Court ruling until 1965, it is, in some respects, the oldest constitutional right. This assertion that we have “the…

  Bananas are a sensitive bunch. Though they can withstand peeling, slicing, chipping, and frying, age is not so kind to them. At one time or another, nearly everyone has peeled back the skin of a banana to discover a mushy brown spot inside. But what makes good bananas go bad? In order to understand banana bruising, let’s take a peek at the banana‘s ripening process.…

  Be it a voyage on a steam liner, a camel caravan through the desert, or a summer road trip in a minivan, there is one question passengers have been asking for as long as they’ve been along for the ride: are we there yet? But getting from here to there wasn’t always easy as it is today. In a time before…

  Did you know that in English, twelve is the largest number that has just one syllable? Twelve is my lucky number, before writing these facts for you all to read, I really had no idea on how amazing this number actually is! So, check out these random facts about the number 12! There are…

  What qualities do you look for in a leader? Fairness? Intelligence? How about creativity? Communication skills? These are all important traits for a leader. Many people would add honesty to the list. Then what should you do when a leader isn’t fair or honest? You might say, “Find a new leader, of course!” But it isn’t…

  Would you like to be a queen? Or a king? What do you think it would be like? You might imagine having servants at your beck and call. You would have access to just about anything you wanted. Would you dine on the best food? Relax in the greatest luxury? Well, maybe. If you look at history,…

  Skip to content Did you know that ice hockey pucks used to be made out of cow dung? People of all ages love the fast-paced action of ice hockey. While you may already know some basics about playing the sport, you’ll be surprised at some of these weird and interesting facts about the game.…

  Have you ever strummed the strings of a guitar? Do you often hum a tune or beat a rhythm? If so, you know what a joy it can be to make music. Music helps people express emotions, connect with others, and just have fun. Many even believe that making music improves brain function. And there are…

  Why settle for a boring lettuce salad or the same ol’ side dish when you could forage for a delicacy that might be growing right in your yard? Hostas, those versatile shade-loving plants that are part-and-parcel of urban and suburban landscapes alike, are actually edible. And not in a post-apocalyptic-we-have-to-survive way. Hostas are a delicacy that…

  If you’ve been WONDERing with us for a while, then you probably already know about the world’s largest cave. You may have learned all about the largest jungle. You might even know about the largest pile of trash! But Wonders don’t always have to be large. In fact, we think some of the most WONDERful things in…

  Imagine you’re on a scenic drive through the desert with your family. Prickly cacti, twisted trees, and howling coyotes flash by along the road. It’s late, and you feel as if you’re falling asleep when—what’s that? Do you see them? Right there! A handful of floating orbs of light, far out in the desert. You blink a few…

  Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. Freedom of the press. These may sound familiar—they’re rights given to many people across the globe. In the U.S., they’re protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. As a kid, though, you may have WONDERed . . . do these rights belong to you, too? The answer is…

  A full moon is an unmistakable celestial event that basks Earth with its lunar glow, inspiring songwriters, scientists, and the occasional werewolf rampage. Throughout human history, moon phases have signaled changes in seasons and marked important cultural transitions, such planting or hunting, all reasons that people took to inventing monikers for each full moon. Ancient full moon…

  Did you know that in Australia, most movie premiers are often held on a Thursday? Thursday is sometimes referred to as “Friday’s Friday,” meaning it’s the herald of Friday, and therefore the weekend. Many students call Thursdays ‘Thirsty Thursdays” due to a decreasing number of lessons students have on a Friday making it the…

  What one thing could you never live without? Your favorite video game? Maybe a book you like or your favorite food? Sure, life would be a lot less enjoyable without those things. But people could certainly live without them, as long as their basic needs are met. Basic needs are things that people can’t live without. They include…

  Do you love reading about the adventures of the X-Men? How about Superman? Maybe Scott Pilgrim is more your style. If any of these stories are familiar, you’ve likely been reading one of the most popular types of books around—comic books! For many, though, just reading comic books isn’t enough. Do you ever dream…

  They buzz. They pollinate. They crown a queen. Sometimes they sting! Yes, bees are some of the most interesting little creatures around. And, perhaps best of all, they make the sweet, delicious substance called honey. Have you ever spread honey on toast? Maybe you mix it into a cup of tea or put it in your cereal. Most people agree…

    Elizabeth Proctor was convicted in the 1692 Salem witch trial. While her husband was executed, she escaped execution because she was pregnant at the time she would have been hanged. Age at time of Salem witch trials: About 40 Dates: 1652 to Unknown Also known as: Goody Proctor   Before the Salem Witch Trials Elizabeth Proctor was…

  Distributive justice concerns the fair allocation of resources among diverse members of a community. The principle says that every person should have or have access to approximately the same level of material goods and services. In contrast to the principle of due process, which is concerned with the equal administration of procedural and substantive law, distributive…

  Can you name the continents of the world? You may have learned them in school. Some kids even sing a song about their names. Can you help us name them all? There’s North America, South America, and Africa. We know Asia, Australia, and Europe. What’s the last one? Oh yeah—Antarctica! But there may be a continent…

  Some of them are permanent. Others can be wiped or washed away. They come in every color—and sometimes everyscent—imaginable. And some of them are even magic! That’s right, today’s Wonder of the Day is about one of the most popular art and office supplies around—the marker. If you’re like many kids, you’ve probably been around your…