Big Questions Answered, How and Why

It had a little something to do with syphilis.

For nearly two centuries, powdered wigs—called perukes—were all the rage. The chic hairpiece would have never become popular, however, if it hadn't been for a venereal disease, a pair of self-conscious kings, and poor hair hygiene.

Horseshoes are said to bring in good fortune and keep evil out.

Houseplants can die of old age, but likely not within your lifetime.

The phrase '86' may have originated in restaurants.

There are a few schools of thought. Some have more legs than others—such as those of the restaurant industry—but to this day, there is still no official etymology. Here are a few possibilities.

There's a good reason dogs sniff each other's butts.

Chemicals from special glands on a dog’s rear end tell other dogs a lot about them. Here’s why dogs sniff each other's butts.

A young woman gets tested for syphilis in a "trailer-laboratory" in Washington, D.C. in 1937.

Requiring blood tests to get a marriage license had nothing to do with an Oedipal fear of accidentally marrying a close relative.

We have some bad news about your ‘hypoallergenic’ pet.

We asked some allergy experts if a truly hypoallergenic animal actually exists.

Ever wondered how the front passenger seat of a car came to be called "shotgun"?

John Wayne had a little to do with it.

'Equity' and 'equality' are not quite the same.

The dictionary definition of ‘equity’ seems similar to that of ‘equality,’ but there’s an important distinction between the two.

Waterbeds were once a coveted "fluid fixture" of bedrooms—until, suddenly, they weren't. So who or what led to their demise?

Why does using less of your eye help you see something more clearly? There's a pretty simple explanation.

Ireland: Come for the Guinness, stay for the lack of snakes.

Legend tells of St. Patrick using the power of his faith to drive all of Ireland’s snakes into the sea. It’s an impressive image, but there’s no way it could have happened.

This is counsel in multiple senses of the word.

It’s the Council of Elrond, not the Counsel of Elrond (though counsel was definitely given during proceedings).

This woman's shirt is green and blue, probably to symbolize the complicated history of colors associated with St. Patrick.

Wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day is a tradition that has been around for a few centuries, but it didn’t start with St. Patrick.

The phenomenon might look like a biblical plague, but the source is far more mundane.

For practicing Catholics, meat is off limits on Fridays during Lent. But they might be able to make an exception this March 17.

‘Macaron’ and ‘macaroon’ aren’t just two versions of the same word. These days, anyway.

In 1975, a woman found her husband dead in a chair after watching a BBC sitcom. He had been laughing for almost a half-hour. Was it merriment that killed him?