BIG QUESTIONS

What Exactly Is Curling?

Here's a quick, stripped-down primer on everyone's favorite icy alternative to shuffleboard.

Do Olympians Have to Pay Tax on Their Medals?

Athletes in the Winter Games who win big might need to have a talk with their accountants: It's considered income.

Why Don't Valentine Hearts Look Like Real Hearts?

Images of two-lobed hearts are all over everything this month: candy, cards, decorations, etc. But why does the ubiquitous heart symbol not look anything like an actual human heart?

What's the Difference Between an Orchestra, a Symphony, and a Philharmonic?

Listen closely ...

Did Wilt Chamberlain Really Sleep With 20,000 Women?

In Wilt Chamberlain's 1991 book, 'A View From Above,' the basketball great claimed to have slept with 20,000 different women during his life. Let's check his math on the basketball legend's most famous statistic.

What Are Antibiotics Made Of?

Dek

How Does the Magic Yellow First-Down Line Work?

If you attend a Super Bowl party on Sunday, you’ll probably hear at least one casual football viewer ask, “How do they get that yellow first-down line on the field?”

There's a First World. There's a Third World. What's the Second World?

We often hear about the plights of the Third World, and most of us have our share of First World problems. But is there something in between—a Second World?

Why Are the Keys On a QWERTY Keyboard Laid Out As They Are?

The answer involves Morse code.

What Makes Pop Rocks Pop?

Those tiny candies pack a lot of pressure.

Why Does My Shower Curtain Liner Attack Me?

It cannot be reasoned with. It cannot be bargained with. It's coming for you.

How Do Tsunamis Work?

The earthquake-triggered waves are both destructive and unpredictable.

Does Einstein's Theory of Relativity Imply That Interstellar Space Travel is Impossible?

The answer is slightly counter-intuitive.

House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and Donald Trump arrive for a meeting with the House Republican conference.

What Does the Sergeant at Arms Do?

Both the House and the Senate have their own Sergeant at Arms, and their visibility is highest during the State of the Union address. But what do they do the other 364 days of the year?