BIG QUESTIONS

Why Are Legal Pads Yellow?

The legal pad got its start in 1888, and it's still a best-seller at office supply stores. But why exactly did that yellow tint become popular?

How Does a Fortune Cookie Proposal Work?

Cookie image via ShutterstockMy girlfriend loves a good romantic comedy (to be fair, she’ll watch mediocre and bad ones, too). So on weekend afternoons, our TV is often tuned to whatever quirky love story TNT/TBS/USA is running on a constant loop. Usually

Who Was Murphy and Why Is There a Bed Named After Him?

The Murphy Bed, also known as a wall bed, fold down bed or pull down bed, is a bed that’s hinged at one end so it can be folded up and stored vertically against a wall or in a closet.

Can Gay Discharged Soldiers Get Back Into the Army Now?

© James Berglie/ZUMA Press/Corbis"Don’t Ask, Don't Tell" was the official U.S. policy on homosexuals in the military for the last 18 years. It barred open homosexuals from serving, but prohibited the discrimination, harassing or outing of closeted homosex

Hitler on Ice: Did the Nazis Have a Secret Antarctic Fortress?

Did the Nazis Have a Secret Antarctic Fortress? Like many conspiracy theories, there are some elements of truth to it all. But whether the facts can be woven together into one cohesive narrative without having to make great leaps of logic is another matte

Why Are There Gideon Bibles in Hotel Rooms?

The Gideon Bible is not some special version or translation of the Bible that hotels really like (the books are usually plain old King James Versions); they're named for the group that distributes them.

If You Cannibalize a Person With an Illness, Will You Get Sick?

Reader Sarah wrote in to ask, “If you eat a person who has an infectious disease, will you get the disease too? A morbid question I thought of while sitting in a doctor’s office and was too shy to

Why Is Chocolate Bad for Dogs?

Chocolate is toxic to dogs and a number of other animals because it contains alkaloid chemicals called methylxanthines - namely, theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine) and caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine).

What Is Point Blank Range?

Point-blank is the range at which a given weapon/ammunition combination can be fired at the center or vital area of a given target and hit it without the shooter having to adjust the elevation of the weapon to account for the effect of gravity on the proj

Do Immigrants Still Come Through Ellis Island?

Nope. The last immigrant to come through Ellis Island was Arne Peterssen, a 48-year-old merchant seaman from Narvik, Norway.

Why Does the Sound of Running Water Make You Have to Pee?

Reader Bill wrote in to ask, “Why does the sound of running water make me want to pee—and sometimes

How Does Duty Free Work?

If you’re traveling abroad for a vacation anytime soon, you’ll get to enjoy the fun and excitement of passing through Customs on your way home. Let’s take a look at a few of the other rules regarding duties and declarations, and see what's up with the dut

What Makes a Grand Jury So Grand?

You hear the term all the time, but is there really anything special about grand juries? Not on the surface. Like a regular trial jury, a grand jury is selected and sworn in by a court, and are often, in fact, pulled from the same pool of people as trial

What Makes Bloodhounds Such Great Tracking Dogs?

Reader rccola20 wrote in to ask, "Are bloodhounds really that much better at tracking than other dog

Do Little Half and Half Creamers Ever Go Bad?

So I'm up in Seattle this week, staying at a hotel some blocks from the original Starbucks (which, it turns out, isn't REALLY the original, but rather the second location, which was situated better for marketing purposes, but who's counting).

Why Do Drive-Up ATMs Have Braille on the Buttons?

This question was submitted by reader Lindsey. It also may have been part of a Starburst advertising campaign in the

Where Did the Term "Pink Slip" Originate?

The Short Answer: No one knows, but the search has been interesting.The Long Answer: Getting a pink slip usually means you're fired.

Why Don't You Hear Someone's Accent in a Song?

Ever wonder how singers manage to loser their accent when they sing? Is it there, but we just don't hear it, or is there a reason behind it?

Who Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?

Various people had their hands on it, but the credit for the bulk of the pledge goes to Francis Julius Bellamy, a Baptist minister from New York.

What's So Special About the Cat's Pajamas?

Yesterday reader Nyghtbeauty asked, "What’s so special about 'the cat’s pajamas'?" We decided to find

Why Do People Say "Holy Mackerel"?

Stephanie and her curious two-year-old want to know why we sometimes say “Holy Mackerel!” Unfortunately, the answer is about as clear as the tomato sauce Brits like to douse the fish

How Do Magic Eye Pictures Work?

Magic Eye's granddaddy was the random dot stereogram invented by neuroscientist and psychologist Bela Julesz in 1959 to test people’s ability to see in 3D. Julesz would generate one image of uniform, randomly distributed dots. Then, he’d select a circular

How Does China Enforce Its One-Baby Policy?

Most people have heard that in China, you're only allowed to have one kid. But does that apply to everyone? And how is that enforced? How did this whole thing start?

Why Do Dogs Walk in a Circle Before Lying Down?

The circling thing is a relic of domestic dogs' wild past, a bit of hard-wired behavior that hasn't been bred out yet. Biologists and dog experts say that it might just be a strange quirk for domestic pooches, but for wild dogs and wolves, circling before

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