Why Do Popes Change Their Names?
For centuries, men assuming the top job in the Roman Catholic Church kept their birth names. That changed with Pope John II.
For centuries, men assuming the top job in the Roman Catholic Church kept their birth names. That changed with Pope John II.
Sinkholes have gulped down suburban homes, Corvettes, the White House lawn, a sizable chunk of Louisiana, and even people. How does the ground just open up like that?
Can a Boston dog bahk?
When Catholic cardinals meet to pick a new pope in a papal conclave, they have signaled their progress by sending colored smoke up the chapel chimney.
Dogs can tear up a lawn with an overwhelming desire to dig and bury things. Where does that impulse come from, and what do they think they’re accomplishing?
Once you’ve been voted into the Senate, it’s difficult to get you out.
Why you can't get a good cup of joe at 35,000 feet.
“It’s like if you took a chimpanzee and edited its genome to be a little taller and hairless, and then said you brought back Neanderthals,” one scientist said.
Once essential for early humans, wisdom teeth are now more of a nuisance than a necessity.
If you fail to file or pay your taxes in time for the April 15 deadline, you could end up dealing with a lot of hassle—and get stuck paying a lot of fees.
Everyone knows a buck means a dollar. But not everyone knows why.
Even though it’s a classic cowboy trope, you have to wonder: Did cowboys actually say that popular phrase?
The economic terms get tossed around a lot these days, but one market is clearly better for investors.
It burns up in the atmosphere like a fecal shooting star.
Here’s why the seemingly worst color to use for a messy job is actually the best.
A popular myth says that the phrase originated due to the use of the guillotine during French Revolution—but here’s the real deal.
Learn more about the safety benefits of side-view mirrors while driving, plus why objects are so much closer than they actually seem.
One vendor’s dispute against a 19th-century import tariff led the U.S. Supreme Court to classify the tomato as a vegetable. But botanists disagree.
Hearing the phrase ‘souls on board’ usually portends bad news. Why do we use it?
Learn more about how common house flies eat (and poop), plus what’s really going on when one of them ends up in your dinner.
The McDonald’s mascot has been keeping a low profile for years. Some people think they know why.
Find out how factors like age, hair type, and lifestyle influence your ideal shampoo routine.
Vlasic has used a stork to market its pickles for decades. But how did a bird known for bringing babies suddenly start selling pickles?
If humans ever become a multi-planet species, some would have to spend years in space. And researchers have definitely speculated whether space travel would allow for reproduction.