DESIGN

An athlete holds up a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

How Much Gold is in a Gold Medal?

The amount of gold in Olympic medals is regulated, and there’s a lot less than there used to be.

Why Does Deodorant Have Two Caps?

Deodorant sticks often come with one outer cap and one inner cap, but the purpose of that extra inner cap isn’t really clear.

The pools at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are built with speed in mind.

How Olympic ‘Fast Pools’ Are Designed for Maximum Performance

Learn the science behind the most advanced swimming pools out there.

Olympic fans take selfies in front of the iconic rings in Paris.

What Do the Olympic Rings Mean?

Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, intended the rings to represent nations “united by Olympism.”

Impress your crafty friends by actually knowing how their sewing equipment works.

What's the Purpose of the Little Strawberry Attached to Pincushions?

The fabric strawberry is more than just a cute accessory to an already cute accessory. It also serves as an important tool.

LEGOLAND New York Is Hiring a Master Model Builder

Of all the LEGOLAND jobs, this is probably the most hands-on.

The Man Who Saved the Skyscraper

Fazlur Khan and the idea that would turn architecture on its head.

Pick-up truck beds have surprising versatility.

Why Do Pick-Up Truck Beds Have Grooves on the Sides?

Pick-up truck beds are here to make your life easier—if you know how to use them.

Not Bob Kramer’s knives—his are much nicer.

Watch a Master Bladesmith Forge a Knife from a Meteorite

“[It’s] like baking a cake,” Bob Kramer says. “Only the temperature is 1500°F.”

The Digital Text2Color Tool Helps You Find the Perfect Shade

This color matching tool is great for verbally inclined people.

Why Do Milk Jugs Have Those Inverted Circles?

The concave circles built into the sides of plastic milk jugs are an important part of their design.

Why Does Honey Come in Bear-Shaped Bottles?

The adorable bear honey bottle design helped launch Dutch Gold Honey to national success. Here’s how it came to be.

10 Facts About ‘Parasite’

There’s more to the upstairs-downstairs tragicomedy than the stranger in the basement.

Andrew Jackson has been on the $20 for less time than you think.

Andrew Jackson Hasn’t Always Been On the $20 Bill

America's seventh president has been on the $20 bill for less time than you might assume.

Pills come in orange containers for a clever reason.

Why Do Prescription Pills Come in Orange Bottles?

Those orange bottles are no accident—they were specifically designed to keep both medications and people safe.

Why Are Dairy Products Usually at the Back of a Grocery Store?

Grocery stores are intentionally designed in a way that makes you want to spend more money. The long trek to the dairy section is part of it.

Every color in the Pride Flag stands for something—and here's what it all means.

What Do All the Colors in the Pride Flag Stand For?

The Pride Flag first appeared in 1978, but it's evolved a lot since its initial conception. Here's what all the colors really stand for.

Why ALDI Covers Its Packaging in Giant Barcodes

ALDI’s in-house products are covered in barcodes, and consumers benefit.

The 50th anniversary cover of Peter Benchley’s ‘Jaws.’

“[It] Looked Like a Penis”: The Origin of the Iconic ‘Jaws’ Art

A nude swimmer and a phallic-looking fish nearly sunk one of the most recognizable book covers of modern times.

Angkor Wat reflected in one of its waterways.

10 Facts about Angkor Wat, the World’s Largest Religious Temple

Angkor Wat is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Here is what we know of its story, from its countless carvings to feats of engineering.

Why Do So Many Maple Syrup Bottles Have a Tiny Little Handle?

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

Yves Klein: The Artist Who Invented a Color

Picasso and his Blue Period have nothing on Yves Klein, who created art almost exclusively in a shade of his own invention.

Freddie Mercury’s Beloved London Estate Is on the Market

Attention all Queen fanatics with at least $38 million to spare: Freddie Mercury’s former London home can be yours!

How Did the White Picket Fence Become a Symbol of the American Dream?

The white picket fence has become a cliché for suburbia. Blame archers.

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