Big Questions Answered, How and Why

Whether you say 'car-mel' or 'car-a-mel', your pronunciation of 'caramel' is technically correct.

Pucker your mouth when you eat something sour? You're not the only one.

If you can't resist puckering your mouth when you lick a lemon or snack on Sour Patch Kids, you can thank evolution.

This guy won't come take your Oscar away.

Will Smith’s AMPAS resignation prompted a lot of questions about resignee privileges. Here are some answers.

Do kids these days even know what this is?

And what do ‘AM’ and ‘FM’ stand for, anyway?

A special ingredient helps sour candy pack a mouth-puckering punch.

Like a game of Russian roulette for your taste buds.

From rotten eggs to stinky socks, the most bizarre Jelly Belly flavors often seem to come out of nowhere. Here’s how the brand actually creates those weird jelly beans.

If you’ve ever picked up a softball, you probably realized that the name is a misnomer.

‘Spick’ doesn’t mean ‘clean.’ And ‘span’ doesn’t mean ‘clean.’ So what’s going on here?

Truckers like to use headlights to 'talk' to other drivers.

If you notice a truck driver flashing their lights, they're likely trying to communicate some important information about the road ahead.

It's easy to make a case for The Nile as the longest river in the world, but measuring a river isn't that easy.

It’s an issue so complicated that river length isn't even considered a useful measure anymore.

It's Chick-fil-A's pleasure to serve you.

If you say “my pleasure” before your Chick-fil-A cashier has a chance to utter it, you won’t score free food.

People like to get bright and whimsical with their Easter bonnets.

Western culture has linked Easter with new threads for centuries.

The cost of gasoline at the pump is up across the United States, but no state appears to be feeling the sting more than California.

Trucks need to be weighed because the DOT says so.

There are two main reasons: taxation and safety.

Yeah, we're not so sure about those toppings, either.

You can thank the cardboard industry.

Even the most well-respected dictionaries consider ‘mistrust’ and ‘distrust’ interchangeable. But people do tend to use them a little differently.

Restaurant employees probably won’t make you wash dishes to settle the debt. Here’s what they might do instead.

The Oscars celebrating nominees named Oscar may sound silly, but it's happened more than you think.

The Chicago River gets a colorful makeover every St. Patrick's Day.

It wouldn’t be a St. Patrick's Day celebration in the Windy City without the Chicago River sporting a (temporarily) emerald green tinge.

The smallest bone in your body is one of a set of three whose collective name literally means ‘small bones.’

Contrary to popular belief, plastic surgery’s name origin has nothing to do with breast implants being made of plastic.

The roughly three-minute limit dates back to the early 20th century—but the digital music landscape is affecting the custom.

It doesn't matter if you're wearing your shoes or someone else's—but it does matter how tall you are.

How many steps it takes to walk a mile depends on your height and speed—but there is an average number.

Shampoo bottles tell you to 'rinse and repeat,' but washing hair twice in a row only makes sense for some people.

BIG QUESTIONS

How Do You Pronounce 'Caramel'?

Why Do We Make Weird Faces When We Taste Something Sour?

What Happens If You Resign From the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?

AM vs. FM Radio: What’s the Difference?

What Makes Sour Candy So Sour?

How Does Jelly Belly Create Its Weird Flavors?

Why Is a Softball Called a Softball?

Why Does ‘Spick-and-Span’ Mean ‘Really Clean’?

Why Do Truck Drivers Flash Their Lights at Oncoming Traffic?

What Is the Longest River in the World?

Why Do Chick-fil-A Employees Say “My Pleasure” Instead of “You’re Welcome”?

What's the Deal With Easter Bonnets?

Why Is Gas So Expensive in California?

Why Do Trucks Have to Be Weighed?

Why Do Round Pizzas Come in Square Boxes?

Mistrust vs. Distrust: What’s the Difference?

What Really Happens If You Can’t Pay Your Restaurant Bill?

Has Anyone Named Oscar Ever Won an Oscar?

How Do They Dye the Chicago River Green for St. Patrick's Day?

What’s the Smallest Bone in the Body?

Why Is It Called ‘Plastic’ Surgery?

Why Are So Many Pop Songs Roughly Three Minutes Long?

How Many Steps Are in a Mile?

Should You Really 'Rinse and Repeat' When Shampooing Your Hair?