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Counterintuitive facts, quiz deep dives and knowledge stories.
How Deep Is Lake Baikal Really? Nearly Five Eiffel Towers
Lake Baikal is about 1,640 m (5,380 ft) deep, nearly five Eiffel Towers stacked up. Its floor sits below sea level, and it holds roughly 20% of the planet's liquid fresh surface water.
How Far Away Is Space? Closer Than You Think
Space begins just 100 km above sea level by the most common definition. That is closer than you think, and there is no fixed border at all.
How Long Is a Day on Venus? Longer Than Its Year
Venus needs about 243 Earth days to spin once, but only about 225 to orbit the Sun. The Sun even rises in the west there. Here's how that works.
How Big Is the Mona Lisa, Really?
Most people expect a huge painting. The real Mona Lisa is barely bigger than a poster. Real dimensions, the 1911 heist, and more surprising facts.
How Long Is the Longest Film in the World?
Most people guess four to eight hours. The longest film in the world runs 857 hours, or 35 days straight. Here is what it shows and which movies come close.
How Fast Was Usain Bolt Really?
100 meters in 9.58 seconds works out to 23.35 mph. The math is right. The answer is still wrong. Between meter 60 and 80, Usain Bolt hit 27.79 mph. That is speeding in most neighborhoods.
How Far Is Africa from Europe?
At the narrowest point, only about 14 kilometers (9 miles) separate Africa and Europe. From Tarifa in Spain you can see Morocco with the naked eye. And two Spanish cities sit on African soil.
How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?
About 117 billion people have ever been born. Only around 7 percent of them are alive right now. The myth that the living outnumber the dead is busted. The numbers behind this will surprise you.
How Fast Does the Earth Spin, Really?
At the equator you are spinning at about 1,674 km/h, faster than the speed of sound. At the North Pole you barely move at all. Here is why you never feel it, and why a day is not actually 24 hours long.
How Many Ants Are There on Earth?
Researchers ran the numbers in 2022: around 20 quadrillion ants live on Earth. That's 2.5 million per person. Together they outweigh every wild bird and mammal on the planet.
How Deep Is the Deepest Hole in the World?
The deepest hole in the world goes down 12,262 meters. Drilled in Russia, stopped at 180 °C. Deeper than the Mariana Trench, yet only 0.2 percent of the way to Earth's center.
How Many Stars Can You See With the Naked Eye?
Most people guess millions. The real answer is about 2,500. Across the entire sky there are only 9,096 stars bright enough for human eyes to catch.