Big Questions Answered, How and Why

Break out the dictionary and start counting.

It’s complicated—and there are more questions than answers.

Here's how the hamburger came by its misleading name.

A major thunderstorm is about to blow over this vineyard.

Meteorologists convey the chance of cloud cover or rain in percentages, but what those numbers mean in the real world isn’t always clear—so you’ll often hear terms like ‘scattered’ and ‘isolated’ to describe thunderstorms.

The open road is the last place you want to be during a tornado.

Overpasses are widely seen as safe shelters during a severe weather event. In reality, they're deadly.

A quick sales attempt is said to be an “elevator pitch.” But does it actually have anything to do with elevators?

So, you're dead. Do you still need sunscreen?

Squeaky shoes can happen for a number of reasons, including friction and moisture. But whether they fart or squeak, here are a few things you can do about that noisy footwear.

They’re both in the camel family and live in South America, but alpacas and llamas aren’t the same species.

Space has a starting point, but where it begins is still a topic of debate for experts.

Some experts believe the Kármán Line is the deciding factor, but others aren't in agreement about where the frontier of space really begins.

There's an ice cream impostor lurking in grocery stores. Here's why it matters.

The phrase dates back to the 1960s, and has more than one meaning.

This weed slang originated in the 1960s and yep, you can thank Humphrey Bogart for it, but not for reasons you might expect.

Here's some helpful information about where chipmunks and squirrels live, what they eat, what sounds they make, and how to tell them apart visually.

If you’ve ever found yourself chuckling at the angry man-heads on human babies in medieval art, the joke is actually on you.

It’s not one you’re likely to use in everyday conversation—but you will find it in an dictionary.

Spoiler alert: Despite what you might have heard, it’s not ‘antidisestablishmentarianism.’

We can thank Shakespeare for popularizing it, sort of.

Contrary to popular belief, Shakespeare wasn’t the one who invented this common idiom. But trying to unravel its origins will land you in a bit of a tricky situation.

Presidents have had a lot of titles and nicknames, but the wife of every president has one common honorific. Why do we call her “first lady”?

The reason maple syrup bottles have little handles involves the word 'skeuomorph.'

Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. The reason isn’t because Scotland is a nation of unicorn lovers; rather, it’s thanks to the country’s bygone kings.