Damn Interesting

LATEST NUGGET:

Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar
Shortly after the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, U.S. President John F. Kennedy summoned his press secretary Pierre Salinger to the presidential ...

Written by Alan Bellows • 26 September 2019 • Read →
Long-Form:

Dead Reckoning

The 18th century misadventures of HMS Wager and her reluctant crew
Written by Alan Bellows • 12 Sep 2019 • Read/Listen →
Long-Form:

The Eponymous Mr. Ponzi

The little known story of an age-old scam.
Written by Michael Durbin • 02 Sep 2019 • Read/Listen →
Long-Form:

The Most Modern of Modern Sports

The secret runaway success of Kenneth Gandar-Dower’s racing cheetahs.
Written by Jennifer Lee Noonan • 15 Apr 2019 • Read/Listen →
Site News:

A Pregnant Pause

In January of 1963, husband and wife George and Charlotte Blonsky submitted a patent application for a revolutionary invention. George, a mining engineer...
Written by Alan Bellows • 29 Mar 2019 • Read →
Nugget:

Every Breath You Take

In June of 1965, a 27-year-old gentleman by the name of Angus Barbieri checked himself into the Maryfield Hospital in Dundee, Scotland. His complaint was...
Written by Alan Bellows • 25 Jan 2019 • Read →
Nugget:

Schumann Resonances

Three times a day, every day--roughly 9am, 2pm, and 8pm Coordinated Universal Time--an extremely low frequency electromagnetic pulse races around the Ear...
Written by Matt Castle • 04 Dec 2018 • Read →
Long-Form:

A Debaculous Fiasco

The most expensive, bizarre, and obscure work ever created by Dr. Seuss.
Written by Jennifer Lee Noonan • 06 Nov 2018 • Read/Listen →
Nugget:

The Original Ghostbuster

In the early 1980s, a certain Mr. Vic Tandy found himself working for a medical device manufacturer in Warwick, in the county of Warwickshire, England. W...
Written by Erin Anderson • 14 Aug 2018 • Read →
Long-Form:

Drawing the Shorter Straw

Visionary Argentine filmmaker Quirino Cristiani created full-length animated films between 1917 and 1931. He has since been all but forgotten.
Written by Marisa Brook • 31 Jul 2018 • Read/Listen →
Nugget:

Involuntary Indefatigability

Only one fictional character has ever been honoured with a front-page obituary in the New York Times: Hercule Poirot, one of Agatha Christie's two recurr...
Written by Marisa Brook • 21 May 2018 • Read →
Long-Form:

The Curse of Konzo

In 1981, an international group of doctors identified the devastating disease behind a perplexing outbreak of paralysis in northern Mozambique.
Written by Matt Castle • 02 May 2018 • Read/Listen →
Long-Form:

A Jarring Revelation

Amanda Theodosia Jones was a 19th-century poet, entrepreneur, and inventor who found inspiration in some unlikely places.
Written by Christine Ro • 30 Mar 2018 • Read/Listen →
Nugget:

Scraping Bottom

When Germany was divided in two after the Second World War, military leaders recognized the need for liaison between the Soviet-occupied East Germany and...
Written by Alan Bellows • 19 Mar 2018 • Read →
Nugget:

The Colors of Numbers

Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which certain sensory concepts are strongly linked to each other in seemingly random but persistent ways. Tho...
Written by Jennifer Lee Noonan • 12 Mar 2018 • Read →
Nugget:

Yankee Swap

One of the more controversial trades in baseball history was announced on 04 March 1973, just before the start of the 1973 baseball season. Mike Kekich a...
Written by Alan Bellows • 04 Mar 2018 • Read →
Nugget:

The Mystery Lake of the Himalayas

Nestled in a valley high in the Himalayas in northern India is a small lake named Roopkund, known locally as Mystery Lake. The area around Roopkund Lake ...
Written by Erika Nesvold • 19 Feb 2018 • Read →
Nugget:

Echoes of NASA

On 13 May 1960, a NASA Thor-Delta rocket carried the agency's new Echo 1 satellite into a 1,000 mile orbit around the Earth. It was a 156.995 pound metal...
Written by Alan Bellows • 12 Feb 2018 • Read →
Nugget:

Cracking the Case

A lengthy study of 'crack babies' born to cocaine addicts in Philadelphia in the 1980s and 1990s ended in 2013 with an unexpected result. The average IQ ...
Written by Marisa Brook • 06 Feb 2018 • Read →
Nugget:

Water Proof

In 1936, Russian scientist Vladimir Lukyanov was confronted with the problem of devising a system to improve the quality of Russian concrete and the effi...
Written by Alan Bellows • 22 Jan 2018 • Read →
Nugget:

The Democratic People’s Republic of Begonias

An iconic sight in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the Kimjongilia. This hybrid begonia was bred by a Japanese botanist and presented to Sup...
Written by Christine Ro • 15 Jan 2018 • Read →

14 November 2019

Newborn baby hiccups could be key to brain development Newborn baby hiccups could be key to brain development
eurekalert.org
Video: Automatic Strike Bowling Ball [7:31] Video: Automatic Strike Bowling Ball [7:31]
youtube.com
Italian council is flooded immediately after rejecting measures on climate change Italian council is flooded immediately after rejecting measures on climate change
cnn.com
Zoonoses: The Diseases Our Cats and Dogs Give Us Zoonoses: The Diseases Our Cats and Dogs Give Us
blogs.discovermagazine.com
Researchers 3D-Printed Plastic Cubes With Complex Patterns That Make them Bulletproof Researchers 3D-Printed Plastic Cubes With Complex Patterns That Make them Bulletproof
gizmodo.com
Neo-Nazi 'Atomwaffen Division' Spreads Fear in Germany Neo-Nazi 'Atomwaffen Division' Spreads Fear in Germany
spiegel.de
The Influencer Scientists Debunking Online Misinformation The Influencer Scientists Debunking Online Misinformation
wired.com
The X-ray Craze of 1896 The X-ray Craze of 1896
daily.jstor.org
The Playboy and the Publisher: A Murder Story The Playboy and the Publisher: A Murder Story
crimereads.com
Apollo 12: The electrifying return to the Moon Apollo 12: The electrifying return to the Moon
newatlas.com
Handel and the Bank of England Handel and the Bank of England
bankunderground.co.uk
Bert Is Evil: The True Story Behind the Web's First Viral Hit Bert Is Evil: The True Story Behind the Web's First Viral Hit
billmeeks.com
Watch real-life Iron Man smash his jet-powered suit record by flying at 85 mph along Brighton Pier Watch real-life Iron Man smash his jet-powered suit record by flying at 85 mph along Brighton Pier
guinnessworldrecords.com
Puolanka: Finland's 'best worst' dying town Puolanka: Finland's 'best worst' dying town
bbc.com
The smell of old books could help preserve them The smell of old books could help preserve them
phys.org
This Is How Your Old Television Set Can Prove The Big Bang This Is How Your Old Television Set Can Prove The Big Bang
forbes.com
The great American tax haven: why the super-rich love South Dakota The great American tax haven: why the super-rich love South Dakota
theguardian.com
She went under for routine surgery, woke up as a different person, and became a great songwriter She went under for routine surgery, woke up as a different person, and became a great songwriter • (see also)
indiewire.com
How Did Plants Conquer Land? These Humble Algae Hold Clues How Did Plants Conquer Land? These Humble Algae Hold Clues
nytimes.com
Earth's odd rotation may solve an ancient climate mystery Earth's odd rotation may solve an ancient climate mystery
nationalgeographic.com
Proposed Interstellar Mission Reaches for the Stars, One Generation at a Time Proposed Interstellar Mission Reaches for the Stars, One Generation at a Time
scientificamerican.com
Could a Boeing 737 Land on an Aircraft Carrier? Could a Boeing 737 Land on an Aircraft Carrier?
realclearscience.com
Semiconductors: The humble mineral that transformed the world Semiconductors: The humble mineral that transformed the world
bbc.com
These snakes can jump—and scientists want to know why. These snakes can jump—and scientists want to know why.
nationalgeographic.com
A gifted physicist reduced to living in his car: what killed Hamid Alamdari? A gifted physicist reduced to living in his car: what killed Hamid Alamdari?
theguardian.com
So the Internet Didn't Turn Out the Way We Hoped. Now What? So the Internet Didn't Turn Out the Way We Hoped. Now What?
nytimes.com
Neutrinos Lead to Unexpected Discovery in Basic Math Neutrinos Lead to Unexpected Discovery in Basic Math
quantamagazine.org

13 November 2019

Feral Hogs Find and Destroy Cocaine Worth $22,000 Hidden in Woods Feral Hogs Find and Destroy Cocaine Worth $22,000 Hidden in Woods
newsweek.com
How Ellis Island shepherded millions of immigrants into America How Ellis Island shepherded millions of immigrants into America
nationalgeographic.com
The next graphene? Shiny and magnetic, a new form of pure carbon dazzles with potential The next graphene? Shiny and magnetic, a new form of pure carbon dazzles with potential
sciencemag.org
Experts crack mystery of ancient Egypt’s sacred bird mummies Experts crack mystery of ancient Egypt’s sacred bird mummies
theguardian.com
Unknown virus discovered in humans Unknown virus discovered in humans
phys.org
Scientists Find a Spot Where No Life Can Survive. That's Bad News for Alien Hunters. Scientists Find a Spot Where No Life Can Survive. That's Bad News for Alien Hunters.
livescience.com
How to Peer Through a Wormhole How to Peer Through a Wormhole
nytimes.com
This Spacecraft Will Detect if Exoplanet Skies are Cloudy, Hazy or Clear This Spacecraft Will Detect if Exoplanet Skies are Cloudy, Hazy or Clear
blogs.discovermagazine.com
Salk scientists show that when you eat may be as important as what you eat Salk scientists show that when you eat may be as important as what you eat
massivesci.com
Open Source Code Will Survive the Apocalypse in an Arctic Cave Open Source Code Will Survive the Apocalypse in an Arctic Cave • (see also)
bloomberg.com
Japan's Asteroid Probe Is Finally Returning to Earth With Its Precious Cargo Japan's Asteroid Probe Is Finally Returning to Earth With Its Precious Cargo
gizmodo.com
Behind Los Angeles’ Bitter War to Abolish the Olympics for Good Behind Los Angeles’ Bitter War to Abolish the Olympics for Good
thedailybeast.com
Intel is still struggling with the truth about its processor security flaws Intel is still struggling with the truth about its processor security flaws
theverge.com
How the Dumb Design of a WWII Plane Led to the Macintosh How the Dumb Design of a WWII Plane Led to the Macintosh
wired.com
American Gothic: On America’s unease with the darkness in its past American Gothic: On America’s unease with the darkness in its past
laphamsquarterly.org
Fastest star ever found is being flicked out of the Milky Way Fastest star ever found is being flicked out of the Milky Way
newatlas.com
Ultima Thule renamed to avoid Nazi link (the name is now 'Arrokoth') Ultima Thule renamed to avoid Nazi link (the name is now 'Arrokoth')
earthsky.org
Is There Life on Super-Earths? The Answer Could Depend on Their Cores Is There Life on Super-Earths? The Answer Could Depend on Their Cores
realclearscience.com


Suggest Older →

⇧
HALP
Sorry to interrupt. It seems you've really digging into our curated links. We put a lot of effort into finding these gems. Please consider donating so we can keep up the effort. Would you like to know more?
Sorry to interrupt. It seems you've read at least whole articles now. Yay! This is a reader-supported project, and you can get stuff for donating. Would you like to know more?
Hello! This site is an independent project. We despise advertising so we ask for direct support from readers. If you donate you can get stuff. Would you like to know more?