Curiosities Wonders category: 913 books
The New York Times Book of Science Questions & Answers
200 of the best, most intriguing and just plain bizarre inquiries into everyday scientific mysteries
Language: English
Release Date: January 18, 2012
Why is glass transparent? Why do cats purr? Why do men have nipples? These are but a handful of the thousands of questions that over the years have been asked and answered in The New York Times "Science Q&A" column. At last, the best and most interesting questions-and their replies-have...
Deceived Wisdom
Why What You Thought Was Right Is Wrong
Language: English
Release Date: November 1, 2012
Accessible, clear, and humorous, Deceived Wisdom answers questions people have pondered over for a lifetime, such as: Have you ever been informed that what you need to cool down is a nice cup of tea? And are you bored of being told that you have to let that red wine breathe first to improve its...
Who Knew?
Questions That Will Make You Think Again
Language: English
Release Date: September 1, 2017
Trivia that will make you ask, "Who knew?"
Why do elephants have such big ears? What's the difference between fog and mist? Who invented sliced bread? Be the smartest slacker in the break room, the brainiest guest at the wedding, and the cleverest cat at the cocktail party. Whether you're trying...
Know It All
132 Head-Scratching Questions About the Science All Around Us
Language: English
Release Date: February 24, 2015
A joy for science lovers, Know It All is your ticket to a grand meeting of curious minds!
New Scientist magazine’s beloved “Last Word” column is a rare forum for “un-Google-able” queries: Readers write in, and readers respond! Know It All collects 132 of the column’s very best Q&As....
Phantom Hitchhikers and Other Urban Legends
The Strange Stories Behind Tall Tales
Language: English
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Have you heard the one about…
• Walt Disney’s frozen body?
• Coca-Cola owning Santa Claus?
• Alligators living in New York City sewers?
We all love a good story. But where do the urban legends, conspiracy theories, and old wives’ tales we hear every day really originate?...
Mysterium
Unexplained and extraordinary stories for a post-Nessie generation
Language: English
Release Date: October 16, 2018
A CATALOGUE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY, THE STRANGE AND THE DOWNRIGHT CREEPY...
Discover the unexplained mysteries and unsettling oddities of the modern world, from a beach in British Columbia awash with human feet, to the 'tulpamaneers' who claim to be channeling the living spirit of My Little Pony....
by Jag Bhalla
Language: English
Release Date: June 16, 2009
Language: English
Release Date: June 16, 2009
"I’m not hanging noodles on your ears." In Moscow, this curious, engagingly colorful assertion is common parlance, but unless you’re Russian your reaction is probably "Say what?" The same idea in English is equally odd: "I’m not pulling your leg." Both mean: Believe...
Cracking the Cube
Going Slow to Go Fast and Other Unexpected Turns in the World of Competitive Rubik's Cube Solving
Language: English
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Ian Scheffler, journalist and aspiring “speedcuber,” attempts to break into the international phenomenon of speedsolving the Rubik’s Cube—think chess played at the speed of Ping-Pong—while exploring the greater lessons that can be learned through solving it.
When Hungarian professor...
by Paul Dickson
Language: English
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Language: English
Release Date: November 6, 2012
A smart, hilarious, and lavishly illustrated guide to the most euphemised word in the English language: Drunk
A record-breaking assemblage of 2,964 different ways to say "drunk." Tipsy, roasted, three sheets, whazooed and Boris Yeltsinned are just the beginning....With an introduction...
How to Buy an Elephant
And 38 Other Things You Never Knew You Wanted to Know
Language: English
Release Date: November 17, 2007
A manual of unusual skills, collected from numerous historical how-to guides—a treasury of quirky fun for trivia lovers.
While it’s possible to go through life not knowing how to tie a dhoti or carve an endless wooden chain, you never know when unusual skills will come in handy. And that’s...
Oddball Colorado
A Guide to Some Really Strange Places
Language: English
Release Date: September 1, 2002
A high-altitude alligator farm. A UFO watchtower. A monument to a headless chicken. While other travel guides tell you about tackling Pike’s Peak, skiing the back bowls, or rafting down the Arkansas River, this quirky regional resource offers unusual travel destinations and little-known historical...
Politics Weird-o-Pedia
The Ultimate Book of Surprising, Strange, and Incredibly Bizarre Facts about Politics
Language: English
Release Date: June 4, 2019
Government and politics might seem twisted today, but they’ve always been strange.
There’s something about public office that, throughout time, has transcended normalcy. Politics Weird-o-Pedia presents some of the oddest and most interesting political absurdities and tidbits from around...
London Urban Legends
The Corpse on the Tube and Other Stories
Language: English
Release Date: November 1, 2013
How long has a corpse been staring out at passengers on the tube? Was London Bridge really shipped abroad by an American thinking he’d bought Tower Bridge? Did the Queen really mix with the crowds as a princess on VE Day? And did Hitler actually want to live in Balham? Where are there razor blades...
Lost States
True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States That Never Made It
Language: English
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Everyone knows the fifty nifty united states—but what about the hundreds of other statehood proposals that never came to pass? Lost States is a tribute to such great unrealized dreams as West Florida, Texlahoma, Montezuma, Rough and Ready, and Yazoo. Some of these states came remarkably close to...