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Elephant Recorded Peeling a Banana With Its Trunk for the First Time

In this video, Pang Pha the elephant is shown peeling a banana using only her trunk—a first for the species.

Retro Video Reveals What High School Was Like in the 1970s

To see how much the high school experience has changed in the past 50 years, check out this video from the 1970s.

See How People Reacted to 'Dungeons & Dragons' in the 1980s

With 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' hitting theaters, it's easy to forget the game's controversial past.

How did these delicious drinks make their way into your cup?

A Brief (But Complicated) History of Coffee and Tea

Collectively, coffee and tea have been credited as catalysts for everything from the Enlightenment to the Opium Wars.

Don't worry, this really is the Japanese flag.

Misconceptions About Japan

In the minds of many people in the West, Japan is a crowded, tech-obsessed country with unfamiliar habits and unhinged game shows. But how much do those perceptions align with reality?

Gallaher's Cigarettes recommended a hack that involved setting butter on fire.

25 Weird Old-Timey Life Hacks

From raw beef for wrinkle prevention to cleaning paintings with potatoes, here are some of the most memorable life hacks from days of yore.

“The Paper Airplane Guy” Teaches You How to Fold a Record-Breaking Flying Machine

John Collins's paper airplanes can spin, flap like birds, and make 360-degree turns.

A small sampling of our 50+ regional dish selections

One Beloved Dish From Each U.S. State

You probably know about Chicago's deep dish pizza and New York City's famous bagels, but what's the signature regional dish in Alabama? Or Idaho?

DEET might not exist without military research.

9 Inventions That Came From the Military

From bug spray to Epipens, you might be surprised to learn just how many items taking up shelf space in your home were originally developed for the front lines.

How the TV Dinner Revolutionized American Life

How the humble TV dinner changed American life in the mid-20th century.

How Do Airplanes Stay in the Air? Watch and See

If you can’t wrap your head around the physics of air travel, this video will illustrate it for you.

A Bewitching History of Magic

As host Justin Dodd discusses in this episode of The History of Fun, magic has transformed from a little-respected sideshow to a multimillion-dollar industry.

Cutting vinyl records is a precise process.

Watch the Captivating Process of Cutting Vinyl Records

The types of songs cut on vinyl may be changing, but the way the physical records are made has stayed the same.

The wreck of the RMS Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Watch Newly Released Footage of the ‘Titanic’ Wreck Shot in 1986

In honor of the 25th anniversary of James Cameron’s ‘Titanic,’ WHOI has released never-before-seen footage of the real-life shipwreck.

Know how to respond the next time someone tells you the bogus origins of the phrase 'bring home the bacon.'

12 Widely Repeated Phrase Origins, Debunked

The stories behind these phrase origins are amazing. Too bad they’re not true—and too bad they’re often repeated as fact. Here’s the real scoop behind the expressions.

Most of this advice is hopelessly outdated.

20 Questionable Pieces of Old-Timey Relationship Advice

From the dangers of being a “sexual vampire” to the best ways to charm your in-laws, here’s what relationship advice looked like in the past.

A Salty History of Pretzels

From Lenten fare to street food, pretzels have come a long way.

Drone captures rare moment moose sheds antlers in Canadian forest

Drone Captures Rare Footage of a Moose Shedding Its Antlers

Moose shed their antlers each winter, but the event is seldom captured on video.

The Hope Diamond is beautiful—and some also believe it's cursed.

16 Supposedly Cursed Objects and Places

From chairs and cars to mummies and creepy paintings, these supposedly cursed things are said to bring death, doom, or just plain old bad luck upon anyone within reach.

Even serious Sriracha fans might not be aware that the history of hot sauce goes back thousands of years.

How Hot Sauce Became the World’s Favorite Condiment

Hot sauce wasn't always considered a staple of pantries around the world. If you've ever wondered who invented Tabasco sauce, or what Scoville Heat Units really measure, read on.

Some countries aren't messing around when it comes to baby names.

37 Outlawed Baby Names From Around the World

IKEA is beloved around the world, but there’s at least one place where it’s illegal to name your baby after the furniture store: Its home country of Sweden.

Megafauna like woolly mammoths dominated during the ice age.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

From what causes ice ages and how many we’ve had, to the species that thrived and the ones that died, here’s what you need to know.

Which offbeat attraction do you want to visit?

The Coolest Offbeat Attraction in All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.)

Let’s take a roadtrip through the country, with stops at a self-flushing latrine, a collection of human brains, and much more.

How Far Could You Throw a Baseball on Another Planet? Watch and See

On Pluto, you might be able to toss it over the equivalent of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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