Curiosities

In summer 2025, a claim spread online that organic produce was no longer safe after Apeel — a chemical coating backed by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates — was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We found the claim...

<!--qv q:id=ap q:key=vcaa:While some people may define literacy in strict terms as proficiency in reading comprehension, there’s often much more to it than that. To be literate opens the door to parse information, think and act with credulity, and...

Often referred to as the "Venice of the Pacific," Nan Madol was history's only city ever built on a coral reef, and it served as a royal capital for the Saudeleur dynasty of Micronesia from around 1200 until the...

Claim: Online photographs show Ivan Stepanov, a Russian tourist, saving a drowning bear beneath the Tallac Bridge in South Lake Tahoe. Rating: A seemingly heartwarming story of an animal rescue spread like wildfire across social media in August 2025. The story, accompanied...

<!--qv q:id=an q:key=vcaa:You don’t need to construct an official set to work wonders with LEGO. Some of the most out-of-the-box creations made with the building blocks include a mobility device for a wobbly turtle and a working xylophone. In...

In a time of segregation and widespread racism, juke joints offered a brief refuge for Black sharecroppers and rural workers — and left an unforgettable mark on music history.Even in the darkest of situations, people have always managed to...

Claim: Marine animal trainer Jessica Radcliffe was attacked and killed by an orca in front of a large crowd. Rating: ContextThe claim was allegedly influenced by a real event from 2010 in which an orca trainer was killed on the job....

<!--qv q:id=am q:key=vcaa:Gas stations and convenience stores are normally associated with the stench of fuel and cheap coffee, not high art. But you might have noticed that filling your tank can sometimes lead to getting an earful of Bach,...

From the xenophobia of World War II propaganda to the perpetuation of racist stereotypes, these posters were distributed in shockingly recent times.America is no stranger to propaganda posters, flyers, or cartoons. From official propaganda created by the government during...

Note: This story contains disturbing images. In late July and August 2025, a series of social media posts spread the claim that 27-year-old Palestinian man named Adel Madi had died of starvation and malnutrition. A report from Turkish state-run news agency...