Interesting Thing of the Day

Engineers with a sense of humor use the expression "furlongs per fortnight" when the correct unit of measurement is unclear. But there may be a practical use for this odd unit of measurement, too.

An ancient Greek philosopher attempted to prove that motion is not merely possible, it unexists. Even today, some philosophers find his arguments moving.

A fleet of ships carrying gold from the New World to Spain in 1715 sank in a hurricane. Some of the ships have never been found, but their treasures have washed up on the Florida shores for centuries.

The town of Sedona, Arizona is best known for several so-called energy vortexes that are supposedly sites of increased energy. They may or may not promote health and spiritual development, but they certainly promote tourism.

Two common (and related) language mistakes affect almost everyone at some point, and now that we have clever names for them, we can laugh at them even more easily.

Milk chocolate melts in your hand, your pocket, or a hot glove compartment. Wouldn't it be great if it didn't? Keeping chocolate from melting when you don't want it to, while maintaining proper texture and taste, is a challenge of food science.

From cabinets of curiosities to dime museums and beyond, some museums have catered specifically to those with a taste for the rare and unusual. In that spirit, this site is a virtual museum of interesting things.

Some urban designers think that cars and pedestrians can safely share street space. Amazingly, the absence of signs and markers seems to decrease the number of accidents.

Instant life! Just add water! Sea Monkeys are back, but brine shrimp still don't make particularly good pets. Sneaky marketing strikes again.

You can find museums of art, science, natural history, and other broad subjects anywhere. What if you want a whole museum full of just one odd and very particular thing? We've got you covered.

When certain types of plankton multiply rapidly in the ocean, the water can take on a reddish appearance. Red tide is sometimes dangerous due to toxins the plankton produce, but can also result in an eerily beautiful glowing ocean.

Tiny and colorful, these critters (of which there are about 170 species) live in the rain forests of Central and South America. A poison from the skin on their backs can be deadly.

When endangered birds are raised in captivity, teaching them how to migrate can be tricky. But it's possible, if you can convince them that an airplane is just another bird.

These curious solids weigh only slightly more than air, yet they're surprisingly strong—and among the world's most effective insulators.

When the right combination of conditions exists, as is the case in California's Mono Lake, huge stone formations much like stalagmites can form underwater. And then it gets weird.