A solar eclipse helped end a six-year war in 585 BCE. When the sky suddenly darkened during a battle between the Lydians and the Medes in modern Turkey, soldiers took it as a sign to cease fighting.

The ampersand symbol is formed from the letters in et—the Latin word for "and."

Russian cosmonauts used to pack a shotgun in case they landed in Siberia and had to fend off bears.

In Japan, letting a sumo wrestler make your baby cry is considered good luck.

Blood donors in Sweden receive a thank you text when their blood is used.

Volvo gave away the 1962 patent for their revolutionary three-point seat belt for free, in order to save lives.

Dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures. The average dog is as intelligent as a two-year-old child.

Long before rap battles, there was "flyting": the exchange of witty, insulting verses. The verbal throwdowns were popular in England and Scotland from the 5th to 16th centuries.

China owns all of the pandas in the world. If you want to rent them it will cost you a bit,more like $1 million a year

At the Humane Society of Missouri, kid volunteers comfort anxious shelter dogs by reading to them.

A reindeer's eyes change color through the seasons. They’re gold during the summer and blue in the winter.

Movie trailers were originally shown after the movie , which is why they were called "trailers"

Banging your head against the wall burns 150 calories for an hour