#history
Questions about “history”.
200 articles
What is the original song behind Japan’s “Hotaru no Hikari”?
In Japan, it’s the farewell tune of graduation ceremonies and the music that tells shoppers the store is closing. Across the sea, though, it is sung on a very different occasion.
Is the ginkgo really a “living fossil”?
Every autumn, ginkgo trees turn city streets gold. This familiar tree hides a story stretching back to the age of dinosaurs, and a world-class discovery made in Japan.
What is the oldest money in Japan?
Generations of Japanese students learned one coin as “Japan’s oldest money.” Then a single excavation shook its claim to the title.
What is Rodin’s “Thinker” thinking about?
A man sits hunched, chin on hand. Everyone knows the pose for “deep in thought,” but surprisingly few people know what he is actually pondering.
Where do the colors of judo belts come from?
You start with a white belt and dream of one day tying on a black one. But when, where and how did this famous badge of skill come about?
Were sticky notes born from a failure?
Stick it, peel it off, stick it again. The little square of paper that now lives on every desk did not have an easy birth.
How many meals a day did people eat in Edo-period Japan?
Breakfast, lunch and dinner feel like the natural order of things. But when did that “natural order” actually begin?
Where does the Japanese phrase “ichika bachika” come from?
Japanese speakers say it when they leave everything to luck. But why “one” and “eight”? Why not two, or seven? The answer leads into the gambling dens of old Edo.
Which is older, Oxford University or the Aztec Empire?
Stone temples on one side, a university students still attend on the other. Asked which is older, most people’s instincts lead them astray.
When was zero discovered?
Zero, the number for nothing at all, seems utterly obvious. Yet it took humanity a very long time to get hold of it.
What is the oldest map in the world?
When did people first start drawing the land they lived on as if looking down from the sky? Join us on a journey in search of the oldest map.
Did Picasso really have an extremely long name?
The name of the 20th century’s defining painter is just three syllables. But read out the official name in the church records, and you can’t get through it in one breath.
Is an atom mostly empty space?
Desks, air and our own bodies are all made of atoms. Peer inside an atom, though, and you find a landscape nothing like what you might imagine.
Who coined the word “robot”?
Robots are at work everywhere from factories to outer space. Their name was born about a century ago, in an offhand exchange between two brothers.
Was a swimsuit really banned for being too fast?
There was a time when swimming world records fell one after another, as if a dam had burst. The real star, many said, was not the swimmers but their swimsuits.
How long have people been eating natto?
Those sticky, stringy beans are a Japanese breakfast staple. Ask where they came from, and famous warriors and saints start turning up. How far can we trust them?
When was the bicycle invented?
The bicycle is so familiar that we rarely think of it as an invention at all. Yet the very first one looked quite different from the bikes we ride today.
Did the Titanic’s lookouts really have no binoculars?
April 1912: in the darkness of the North Atlantic, a lookout spots an iceberg. What did he have at hand that night, and what was missing?
Where does the term “hat-trick” come from?
When a soccer player scores three goals in a game, it is a hat-trick. But what does a hat have to do with it? The answer lies in a different sport altogether.
What is the oldest writing in the world?
When, where and why did people first start writing down their words?
Where does the Japanese word “sayōnara” come from?
A goodbye Japanese children learn almost before anything else. One foreign writer called it the most beautiful farewell she had ever heard anywhere in the world.
Who wrote the “Happy Birthday” song?
It’s sung at birthday parties all over the world. But did you know the song has authors, and that until recently it was the subject of a copyright fight?
Why is tennis scored 15, 30, 40?
Not 1, 2, 3, but 15, 30 and then 40. Behind tennis’s puzzling way of keeping score lies a mystery nearly 600 years old.
Where does the word “hamburger” come from?
Cheeseburger, fishburger: “burger” now works like a dish name of its own. Trace the word back, though, and it has nothing to do with ham, or with buns.
Did people in the past really die young?
Hear that life expectancy in Edo-period Japan was in the thirties, and it sounds as if 40 was already old age. But was it really?
Is the word “jeans” named after a city?
Tough blue trousers that seem to hang in every closet. Trace their name, and the name of their fabric, and an old map of Europe unfolds.
Who invented the ballpoint pen?
There is one in every pencil case, every bag and every office drawer. Who came up with the pen that writes so smoothly with nothing but a tiny ball at its tip?
Is the famous story of how potato chips were invented true?
A fussy customer and an irritated cook: the birth of the potato chip comes with a story you can’t resist retelling. But leaf through old cookbooks, and things get complicated.
Why do orchestras tune to an A?
Just before a concert begins, a single note stretches out through the chatter. That ritual-like moment holds both the design of the instruments and 300 years of history.
Was the QR code invented in Japan?
From ordering at restaurants to paying at the register, those black-and-white squares are everywhere now. Their birthplace is not where you might expect.
Did Vikings really wear horned helmets?
Norse warriors who crossed the seas and raided far and wide. Where did the fierce helmet we picture on their heads actually come from?
How do fireworks get their colors?
Great bursts of red, green and blue across the night sky. Those vivid colors are not painted on. And the fireworks people watched in old Edo looked completely different.
Did ninja really dress all in black?
A shadowy figure in black, melting into the night and racing silently across the rooftops. How much of the world’s favorite image of the ninja is true?
What makes a Stradivarius so special?
A single violin can fetch more than a billion yen. Everyone knows the name, yet what makes it so special is surprisingly hard to pin down.
Why is the sumo ring round?
Boxing rings and judo mats are square, yet sumo alone is fought on a round stage. Getting to that shape involved a long detour.
Where did Japanese hiragana and katakana come from?
Japanese is written with two sets of kana that stand for the same sounds. Why would anyone need two differently shaped scripts for the same job?
Did Michelangelo paint the Sistine ceiling lying down?
Stories from the Old Testament spread across a ceiling some 20 meters overhead. The way most of us picture Michelangelo painting this masterpiece turns out to be wrong.
Does air have weight?
You can’t see air or hold it in your hand. But if you gathered up all the air in the room you’re sitting in and put it on a scale, how far would the needle swing?
Was the word “quiz” really invented for a bet?
A Dublin theater owner bets he can make a meaningless word catch on in no time. That is the famous origin story of “quiz.” The records tell a different tale.
What makes the fizz in a carbonated drink?
The hiss when you crack the cap, the fine bubbles streaming up from the bottom of the glass. Where exactly are those bubbles born?
Why are keyboards laid out QWERTY?
On computers and smartphones alike, the top row starts Q, W, E, R, T, Y. It is not alphabetical, so where did this odd arrangement come from?
Does the Japanese word “saboru” come from French?
To “saboru” a class or a day at work. The word looks thoroughly Japanese, yet it spread about 100 years ago, sparked by one particular event.
Were the pyramids built by slaves?
Overseers cracking whips over crowds of slaves dragging huge stones. That scene is familiar from the movies, but did it ever really happen?
Where does the baseball term “strike” come from?
A batter lets a pitch go by without moving the bat, and it’s still a “strike.” That odd little word preserves the easygoing ways of 19th-century baseball.
Was sushi originally a way to preserve fish?
Fresh fish, vinegared rice, a single piece shaped by a chef’s hands. Hard to imagine today, but sushi over a thousand years ago was a completely different dish.
Did Edison invent the light bulb?
The light bulb is the first thing people name when they think of the great inventor. But trace the story of its birth, and a slightly different picture emerges.
How many stitches are on a baseball?
A curve of red thread racing across white leather. You have seen it countless times, but chances are you have never stopped to count the stitches.
Was chocolate originally a drink?
The crisp snap of a chocolate bar breaking in two. Measured against humanity’s long relationship with cacao, that familiar form is a very recent arrival.
Where do curling stones come from?
A round stone with a handle, gliding across the ice. You see them at every Winter Olympics, but where does the rock actually come from, and what kind of rock is it?
Why does a piano have 88 keys?
Rows of black and white keys stretch across every piano, and the count is almost always the same, whoever made it. So who decided?
Was Napoleon really short?
His name is still shorthand for the short man with big ambitions. But the record of his height hides a surprising trap.
How are seedless grapes made?
Seedless grapes you can pop straight into your mouth, skins and all. Behind that everyday convenience lies a long story of ingenuity by Japanese researchers and farmers.
How many elements are there?
Water, air and our own bodies are all made of combinations of elements. So how many elements are there in total? The latest count includes one that was born in Japan.
Is glass a liquid?
“Old church windows in Europe are thicker at the bottom, because glass is a slow-flowing liquid.” You’ve probably heard it. But is it true?
Is the Japanese word “pan” for bread Portuguese?
Toast for breakfast, a sandwich at lunch: in Japan it is all “pan.” Say that in an English-speaking country and you’ll get blank looks. Where did the word come from?
Did athletes at the ancient Olympics compete naked?
The athletes painted on Greek vases and carved in marble are almost always naked. Was that just artistic license, or is that really how they competed?
Was “escalator” originally a brand name?
We ride them every day in stations and department stores. But when, and by whom, was the name of this moving staircase coined?
Where did ramen come from?
Ever heard that the first person in Japan to eat ramen was a famous feudal lord? In recent years, records have turned up that go back even further.
What is the figure in Munch’s “Scream” screaming about?
Under a blood-red sky, a figure presses its hands to its face, mouth wide open. What that famous pose means is spelled out in a note the painter wrote himself.
Why are traffic lights red, yellow and green?
Red means stop, green means go. When and how did this rule, understood all over the world, come about?
How old is the Japanese word “yabai”?
“Yabai” is often held up as the ultimate youth slang. But leaf through old books and you find this word’s ancestor in a most unexpected era.
Where does the word “shampoo” come from?
We use shampoo almost every day. In Japanese the word is a loan from English, but trace it back and you end up in India. And at first it didn’t even mean washing hair.
Why are soccer balls made of pentagons and hexagons?
The black-and-white patchwork is still the very symbol of a soccer ball. Behind that combination lies an answer settled by mathematics.
What is actually shown in Hokusai’s “Great Wave”?
The blue wave from the famous Japanese print is known all over the world. It is easy to be swept up by the wave, but there is more in the picture than that.
What is the oldest company in the world?
A business that has lasted 100 years is already venerable. So when, and where, was the longest-running company in the world born?
When did Japanese people start saying “itadakimasu” before meals?
Hands together: “itadakimasu.” It feels like a Japanese tradition centuries old, but trace its history and a surprising picture emerges.
Where is Chopin’s heart?
The “poet of the piano” died in Paris at just 39. Yet part of him rests to this day in another country, far from his grave.
Was Gutenberg the first to print with movable type?
Gutenberg’s printing press is a fixture of every world history class. But look east, and the idea of setting type to print a page turns out to have a much older story.
Who invented instant noodles?
Just add hot water and wait. The world now eats more than 120 billion servings of instant noodles a year, but whose bright idea were they, and where did it come from?
Where does the Japanese word “zubon” (trousers) come from?
Japanese speakers wear “zubon” every day without knowing what language the word comes from. Look into it, and a small mystery with a petticoat awaits.
Why do golf balls have dimples?
A smooth ball seems like it should slice through the air better, yet golf balls are covered in little hollows. The reason goes back to battered old balls.
What do the colors of the Olympic rings mean?
Blue, yellow, black, green and red: everyone knows the Olympic symbol. But trace what its designer actually wrote about the colors, and a surprising answer emerges.
Where does the Japanese word “arigatō” come from?
Japanese speakers say “arigatō” many times a day. Yet the word originally expressed something quite different from gratitude.
What was the world’s first car?
The names usually credited with inventing the car belong to German engineers. Widen the meaning of “car” a little, though, and the story goes back much further.
Did Van Gogh really sell only one painting in his lifetime?
Today a single Van Gogh can fetch tens of millions of dollars. But while the artist was alive, the world saw his work very differently.
Is the Japanese word “arubaito” German?
Convenience stores, restaurants, tutoring: almost everyone in Japan works a “baito” at some point. Yet the word has an unusual backstory for a Japanese loanword.
Did tempura come from Portugal?
Tempura is a star of Japanese cuisine, yet its name sounds oddly un-Japanese. Its roots lead to Portuguese ships and a misunderstanding about a shogun’s death.
Can seeds thousands of years old still sprout?
Seeds have lain asleep in the mud of ancient ruins for thousands of years. Add water, and might they wake up? Meet the people who brought ancient plants back to life.
Were animals the first to ride in a balloon?
People were rising into the sky in hot air balloons 120 years before the Wright brothers’ airplane. So who were the very first passengers to climb aboard?
Are Olympic gold medals made of solid gold?
Gleaming on the podium, it is the crystallized dream of every athlete. Learn what makes it shine, and you may never see a medal the same way again.
Why do Japanese people say “moshi moshi” twice on the phone?
Japanese speakers answer the phone with “moshi moshi” almost without thinking. But why twice? The trail leads to Meiji-era phone exchanges and a fox legend.
Was the three-point seat belt patent free to use?
The first thing we do in a car is click the seat belt shut. Where did that familiar diagonal-plus-lap design come from, and how did it end up in cars all over the world?
Was the Sahara once green?
The Sahara, the world’s largest hot desert, is sand and rock as far as the eye can see. Yet beneath the sand and in the shelter of its rocks lie traces of a completely different landscape.
Where do the names “do, re, mi” come from?
Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti: almost everyone learns these seven syllables in music class. But where did the names actually come from?
Why is table tennis called “ping-pong”?
Played in hotel game rooms and at the Olympics alike, table tennis has a friendlier second name. Behind it lies a surprising story about who owned a word.
Why do bullet trains have such long noses?
The newer the bullet train, the longer and sleeker its nose. And it isn’t just because a long nose looks cool or fast.
What did “goodbye” (Japanese “gubbai”) originally mean?
Japanese speakers know “goodbye” as gubbai. Taken apart, it seems to be “good” plus “bye”—but what exactly is good? The word, it turns out, once looked completely different.
When was the wristwatch invented?
Today wristwatches are on wrists everywhere. Yet until about a hundred years ago, a man wearing one seems to have been a slightly embarrassing sight.
What did the Japanese word “dōmo” originally mean?
It works as a thank-you, an apology, or a quick nod in passing. Yet on its own, “dōmo” doesn’t actually say what it is you mean.
How does a steel ship float?
Drop an iron nail into water and it sinks at once, yet ships built from tens of thousands of tons of steel float. The difference comes down not to the metal, but to its shape.
Is spaghetti Napolitan an Italian dish?
Sweet, red spaghetti stir-fried with ketchup. Its name points to the Italian port city of Naples, but try ordering it there and you will be met with puzzled looks.
Was the can opener invented after the can?
Cans, but nothing to open them with. That awkward situation lasted for decades. So how on earth did people get into their canned food?
Is the Japanese word “donmai” made-in-Japan English?
It’s what Japanese teammates shout after a mistake. It sounds like English, but shout it in an English-speaking country and it may not land as you expect.
When was the Great Wall of China built?
The Great Wall snakes endlessly over the mountains of northern China. Many credit it to the First Emperor, but the wall we see in photos dates from a much later age.
Did Beethoven name the “Moonlight” Sonata?
A quiet rocking accompaniment, a slow melody rising above it: the famous first movement. Where its lovely title came from has been the subject of a recent discovery.
Where does the Japanese word “ohayō” come from?
It’s the shortest greeting of the day. Yet this word, heard even in workplaces at night, may not have started out as a morning word at all.
What was the first computer?
Computers now fit in our pockets. Try to name the very first one, though, and the trail runs from 19th-century blueprints to wartime secrets and into a courtroom.
Why is the Milky Way called a “river” in Japan?
Looking up at the same band of light, some peoples pictured a river and others spilled milk. The names we give the night sky reflect the stories of those who gaze at it.
Did Archimedes really shout “Eureka”?
A genius makes a great discovery in the bath and runs into the street naked. The most famous story in the history of science comes with more than a few question marks.
Who was the Caesar in Caesar salad?
Romaine, grated cheese and croutons. Is the “Caesar” behind this familiar salad really the great Roman general? The story leads to an unexpected border town.
When did curry arrive in Japan?
Curry rice is a favorite of Japanese kids and adults alike. But Japan’s very first published recipe lists an ingredient you would never expect.
How do airplanes fly?
Hundreds of tonnes of aircraft held up by nothing but air. And the familiar explanation you learned in school may be a little shaky.
Why is a marathon 42.195 kilometers?
Not 40 kilometers, not 42, but an odd number with a tail of meters. The marathon’s awkward distance carries the story of one particular race.
Why doesn’t the Mona Lisa have eyebrows?
Study the world’s most famous portrait closely and you notice something missing. What could have happened to it over 500 years?
Why does static electricity give you a shock?
In winter, touching a doorknob or a car door becomes a little nerve-racking. That sudden sting is a tiny lightning bolt driven by thousands of volts.
Why is the sour umeboshi called an “alkaline food”?
Japan’s pickled plums are sour enough to make you pucker, yet they’ve long been held up as a model “alkaline food.” The reason involves setting food on fire.
Why don’t elevators fall?
In the movies, an elevator whose cable snaps plunges straight down the shaft. Real elevators, though, carry on a trick invented more than 170 years ago.
Where did the stones of Stonehenge come from?
A ring of colossal stones about 5,000 years old stands on an English plain. Where were stones weighing tens of tonnes hauled from? Modern science has been answering that question piece by piece.
Is pencil lead made of lead?
We call it “lead,” and the Japanese word for pencil contains the character for lead. But trace that black core back and you reach 16th-century English shepherds.
Did goats really discover coffee?
Goats eat some red berries and start to dance: the world’s favorite coffee origin story. Follow it back and you find a late record and people praying all night.
Why does a round of golf have 18 holes?
Not 10, not 20, but 18. The number written into every golf course plan grew out of a small decision by the golfers of one Scottish seaside town.
Did Alexander Graham Bell invent the telephone?
Behind the name in the textbooks stand a rival who filed papers at the patent office on the very same day, and a man who tried to send voices down a wire years earlier.
Are tomatoes and potatoes related?
One bears red fruit on its branches; the other swells into tubers underground. These two vegetables look nothing alike, yet they share a surprisingly deep connection.
When did Mount Fuji form?
Japan’s highest peak, a perfectly shaped cone. Beneath that elegant silhouette lie several “earlier Mount Fujis.”
Who wrote the Iroha poem?
The Iroha is a poem that uses every Japanese kana sound exactly once. For centuries it was attributed to one famous monk. Does that story hold up?
Was Einstein bad at math?
Even the great genius was hopeless at school math, or so the encouraging story goes. How much of it is true?
Do plants sleep at night?
When the sun goes down, the plants in your garden may quietly change shape. Meet the “night face” of plants, which has intrigued people for more than 2,000 years.
Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
Generations of students learned nine planets, ending with Pluto. Why did a world that had been a planet for 76 years suddenly lose its place one day?
Who invented braille?
Station handrails, can lids, elevator buttons: the tiny rows of raised dots found all over town began with one boy’s ingenuity.
Is blood type linked to personality?
“You’re so organized—you must be type A.” In Japan this is everyday small talk. But when, and from where, did the idea take hold?
Was the croissant born in France?
Few things say “Paris morning” like this crescent pastry. Trace its family tree, though, and you meet a legendary siege of Vienna and a former officer’s bakery.
What is the G string in “Air on the G String”?
Bach’s serene melody turns up at weddings and in commercials. But what exactly is the “G string” in its title, and why did it end up in the name at all?
Why is “The Last Supper” so badly damaged?
On a monastery wall in Milan is the world’s most famous supper scene, and its surface is astonishingly battered. What happened to it over 500 years?
Were mummies really sold as medicine?
The ancient Egyptians preserved their dead for an eternal sleep. Who could have imagined those bodies would end up on apothecary shelves in faraway lands?
Did people in the Middle Ages think the Earth was flat?
Sailors terrified of falling off the edge of the sea, and Columbus insisting the world was round. Everyone knows the picture, but who painted it, and when?
How did people keep things cold before refrigerators?
Life without a refrigerator in the kitchen is hard to imagine today. Before electricity, people went to astonishing lengths to get their hands on a little cold.
Was basketball really born from peach baskets?
Why does a basketball hoop hang at exactly 3.05 meters, such an oddly specific height? The answer lies in a gym more than 130 years ago.
Is the tongue “taste map” real?
Sweet at the tip, bitter at the back. Remember that diagram from a textbook? It’s the story of a small misunderstanding that began with a paper more than a century old.
What does the “short” in shortcake mean?
In Japan, the strawberry cake is a fixture of birthdays and Christmas. But is the “short” in its name about size? A dictionary turns up an unexpected answer.
Who really said “Let them eat cake”?
A queen dismissing a starving people with one careless remark: it is one of history’s most famous lines. Trace it to its source, though, and the story stops adding up.
Did the paint tube give birth to Impressionism?
Unscrew the cap, squeeze, and the paint is ready to use. This everyday tool is often said to have changed the history of art. How true is that?
What kind of piece is 4′33″?
A pianist walks on stage and sits at the keyboard, and then no note ever sounds. What was the twentieth century’s most notorious piece of music really asking us to hear?
Was carbonara really a charcoal burners’ dish?
Egg, cheese and black pepper: Rome’s famous pasta carries a name that means “charcoal burner.” Follow that name back, and some unexpected people and times come into view.
How long has soy sauce been around in Japan?
Sashimi, simmered dishes, rice with raw egg: none would be the same without it. Its story leads to a legendary Zen monk and the Dutch ships that took it abroad.
Did the Romans really have a “vomitorium” for throwing up?
Stuffed at a banquet, you slip off to a special room, empty your stomach, and go back for more. A famous tale of Roman excess hides a surprising trap.
Is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot shrinking?
A giant red swirl floats on the face of Jupiter. This storm has raged for nearly two centuries, and lately it has been changing in a way no one can miss.
Was rugby born from a schoolboy breaking the rules?
A boy grabs the ball mid-game and runs with it, and a new sport is born. It is the origin story every rugby fan knows, but it has some serious holes.
When was the zipper invented?
Jackets, bags, pencil cases: we open and close zippers almost every day. Getting this little mechanism right took more than 20 years of trial and error.
What was Vermeer’s blue made from?
That deep, clear blue is one of the first things people notice in Vermeer’s paintings. Where did a seventeenth-century Dutch painter get it? The journey starts in mountains far to the east.
When was the umbrella invented?
On a rainy day, an umbrella is indispensable. But trace its long history back far enough, and it turns out it wasn’t made for rain at all.
Was imitation crab invented in Japan?
Imitation crab turns up in salads, sushi rolls and lunch boxes everywhere. Its story began with a failed attempt to make an entirely different food.
Is Japan the only country that sings Beethoven’s Ninth at year’s end?
Every December, the “Ode to Joy” rings out in concert halls all over Japan. It looks like a uniquely Japanese year-end ritual, but its model came from somewhere unexpected.
Did people use bread as an eraser before rubber?
Make a mistake, and you rub it out with an eraser. It seems obvious today, but people once made do with something from the kitchen table.
Do honeybees talk by dancing?
In the pitch-dark hive, one bee starts to whirl and shimmy, and her sisters gather around. Packed into those moves is information of astonishing precision.
Why did ukiyo-e become so popular in Europe?
Woodblock prints bought casually in Edo captivated Monet and Van Gogh. And the famous “packing paper” story of how it all began—is it true?
Why does baseball have nine innings?
Most ball games are timed, but baseball has no clock. So when, and how, did the game come to be measured in nine innings?
Is the Japanese word “boikotto” really someone’s name?
Athletes boycott tournaments; shoppers boycott products. The word is just as familiar in Japanese, and it began with something that happened one autumn in 19th-century Ireland.
Were carrots originally purple?
Carrots are bright orange, surely. Yet if you could peek into a carrot field a few centuries ago, the roots you pulled up might have been a very different color.
Did Mozart write “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”?
Children everywhere sing this melody, and a rumor says Mozart composed it. Trace its real origins and some surprising lyrics appear.
Was the Statue of Liberty once copper-colored?
The Statue of Liberty is famous for its blue-green color. But that color was never chosen by the sculptor.
How many Sunflowers paintings did Van Gogh make?
London, Amsterdam, Munich, Tokyo: museums around the world display Van Gogh’s Sunflowers. So just how many of them are there?
Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean?
Some people assume the tower was built leaning on purpose. The real story is an 800-year saga of whether it would fall or stand.
What was the first photograph?
We snap dozens of photos a day on our phones. But taking the very first one in the world called for extraordinary patience.
Why was volleyball invented?
Volleyball is a school gym staple the world over. Yet it was not dreamed up for energetic young athletes at all, but for a very different crowd. The story begins in the US about 130 years ago.
Why did Leonardo da Vinci write backwards?
A genius who filled thousands of pages with reversed writing. You may have heard it was a secret code to keep his ideas safe. What is the real story?
What happened to the Venus de Milo’s arms?
Armless, she became one of the most famous sculptures in the world. Where did the Venus de Milo’s arms go—and what were they doing in the first place?
Who was the “Elise” of Beethoven’s Für Elise?
Almost everyone who has taken piano lessons has played it. Yet the identity of the woman whose name is in the title has puzzled scholars for 200 years.
What is the world’s oldest joke?
When did people start trying to make each other laugh? Trace the first jokes ever written down, and you land on a surprisingly familiar subject.
Why does bowling use ten pins?
Knock down all ten pins in their triangle with one ball and it’s a strike. But that familiar number “ten” comes with a rather dubious legend attached.
Did vending machines exist in ancient times?
Drop in some coins, press a button, and out comes a cold drink. Trace the idea behind the vending machine back far enough and you end up nearly 2,000 years ago.
Why is home plate a pentagon?
First, second and third base are all squares, yet home plate has five sides. In fact, this base has changed shape twice: from a circle, to a square, to a pentagon.
Did people in Edo-period Japan bathe every day?
In Japanese period dramas, the cramped tenement houses have kitchens but no bathrooms. Even so, the people of old Tokyo seem to have been remarkably fond of keeping clean.
Does the Moon have earthquakes?
No air, no oceans, and volcanoes that seem to have gone quiet long ago. Yet the ground on the Moon turned out to be far from still.
Did the Olympic torch relay exist in ancient times?
Fire kindled from sunlight in Greece, then carried to the host city by thousands of hands. It looks ancient, but its origins are surprisingly recent—and complicated.
Why does an ambulance siren change pitch as it passes?
A siren sounds high as it approaches and drops the moment it passes. To test this effect, a 19th-century Dutch scientist put musicians on a train.
Where does the name “mayonnaise” come from?
Mayonnaise goes on everything from salads to okonomiyaki. Trace its name and you reach the story of a war, or so it is said. But the tale is not quite that simple.
What is the “curse of the ninth”?
Beethoven, Bruckner, Dvořák, Mahler: one great composer after another left a Ninth Symphony as his last. Is it really a curse?
Why is a square boxing ring called a ring?
A boxing ring is plainly a square, yet a “ring” is a circle. The mismatch between shape and name goes back more than 200 years.
Why do sumo wrestlers throw salt?
Before the bout, a white spray arcs from a wrestler’s hand. It’s a familiar sight, but that handful hides a long history—and a surprising amount of salt.
Why has Roman concrete lasted so long?
Modern concrete can start to crumble within decades, yet ancient Roman buildings are still standing after nearly 2,000 years. The secret was hidden in the material itself.
How do batteries make electricity?
The little batteries in our remote controls and clocks are packed with a discovery that began more than 200 years ago, with a twitching frog’s leg.
Why does a soccer match last 90 minutes?
Forty-five minutes each way, everywhere on Earth. Who decided that, and when? The story begins in a London park, in rain and hail.
Why was the Mona Lisa stolen?
In the summer of 1911, the world’s most famous painting vanished from the Louvre. Except that, before it was stolen, it wasn’t yet the world’s most famous painting.
How many digits of pi have been calculated?
3.14159… and on forever. For more than 2,000 years, people have chased the next digits of pi. How far has the record gone?
When was the toothbrush invented?
We pick up a toothbrush every morning and night without a second thought. Before it existed, how did people keep their teeth clean?
Was hook-and-loop fastening inspired by a plant?
Shoes, bags, even blood pressure cuffs: we rip it open and press it shut every day. The idea behind this fastener was lying beside a country path.
Did the name “Impressionism” begin as an insult?
The bright paintings of Monet and Renoir are loved all over the world. Yet on the day their group got its name, a newspaper was laughing at their work.
What does the “shoku” in Japanese “shokupan” mean?
All bread is for eating, so why is only Japan’s square white loaf called “eating bread”? A name seen at breakfast tables every day turns out to be surprisingly hard to explain.
How did Beethoven compose when he couldn’t hear?
For a musician, the ears are everything. So how did Beethoven, who lost his hearing little by little, manage to write huge works like the Ninth Symphony?
When were eyeglasses invented?
We wear them every day as if they were part of our face. Thanks to one friar’s sermon, we know surprisingly well when this little device was born.
How did the Moon form?
It is the most familiar object in the night sky, yet scientists are still debating how it came to be. The clues came from rocks that astronauts brought home.
Who was the model for Girl with a Pearl Earring?
A girl glances back over her shoulder, straight at us. For more than 350 years she has held viewers spellbound, yet she has no name—and, in a sense, not even a pearl.
Was the Palace of Versailles really built without toilets?
Behind the glittering facade, the story goes, courtiers relieved themselves in the gardens and hallways. What was it really like at Versailles?
Why are railway tracks 1,435 mm apart?
Much of the world’s railway network runs on tracks an oddly specific 1,435 mm apart. Have you heard that the measurement goes back to the chariots of ancient Rome?
Was the barcode born on a beach?
The black-and-white stripes that beep at every checkout are everywhere. But when, and how, did someone first think of them?
What is the oldest zoo in the world?
A family day out to see the elephants and giraffes. But when did people first start gathering unusual animals and keeping them?
Why did samurai wear the chonmage topknot?
The familiar samurai hairstyle from period dramas: the top of the head shaved, the rest tied into a topknot. Come to think of it, why shave just part of your head?
Where do figure skating jump names come from?
Axel, Lutz, Salchow. The jump names you hear in every figure skating broadcast have a slightly odd ring to them. As it turns out, most of them share something in common.
Where does the Japanese phrase “pin kara kiri made” come from?
Japanese speakers use “pin” and “kiri” all the time, yet both are written in katakana and few can say what they mean. In fact, neither may have started out as Japanese at all.
Why do runners go counterclockwise around the track?
From school sports days to the Olympic 400 meters, runners always bend to the left. But at the very first modern Olympics, they went the other way.
Were the pyramid workers paid in beer?
There’s a story that in ancient Egypt, beer served as a paycheck. Peek into the records of the craftsmen who built the royal tombs, and a surprising picture of daily life emerges.
Which is older, the Kojiki or the Nihon Shoki?
Japan’s two oldest books carry its myths and the early history of its emperors. Which of the pair came first? The answer depends a little on how you look at it.
Were fortune cookies born in Japan?
The folded cookie with a fortune inside arrives at the end of countless Chinese-American meals. It is often taken for a traditional Chinese sweet, yet you rarely see it in China. So where did it come from?
Can you swim any stroke in a freestyle race?
Say “freestyle” and everyone pictures the front crawl. So what would happen if you entered a freestyle race and swam breaststroke or backstroke? Would you be disqualified?
Where does the Japanese word “taifū” come from?
Typhoons strike Japan almost every year. But why is the Japanese word written with the character 台, meaning “stand” or “platform”? Follow a word on its long voyage back and forth across the seas.
Who invented the red card?
A single red card held high by the referee. Even people who know nothing about soccer understand it. The idea was born on a street corner, after one chaotic sending-off.
Is the curse of Tutankhamun real?
The tomb of the boy king famous for his golden mask. Have you heard that, after it was opened, the people involved died one after another in mysterious ways?
Why is human body temperature around 36–37°C?
The idea that “normal” is 37°C was popularized by a German doctor more than 150 years ago. Now it seems that normal itself has been slowly slipping.
Did ketchup start out as fish sauce?
It goes on fries, burgers and Japanese omelet rice alike. But follow the name of this red sauce back far enough and you reach a condiment that looks nothing like tomatoes.
When did the rank of yokozuna begin?
Yokozuna is the summit of professional sumo. Today it is the highest rank on the ladder, yet it started out as something that was not a rank at all: a single rope.