Curiosities

On Halloween, Oct. 31, 2025, a claim (archived) began circulating online that U.S. President Donald Trump spent $3.4 million in taxpayer funds on a "Great Gatsby"-themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.  The claim circulated as a month-long...

<!--qv q:id=96 q:key=vcaa:In the market for a house? You might tell your realtor you want a two-story home. Headed for your job downtown? Your office might be in a five-story commercial building.-->In the market for a house? You might...

The 2,200-year-old coin is made of 99 percent pure gold and features an animal's face on one side and Celtic symbols on the other.In July 2025, a metal detectorist near Leipzig, Germany, made a stunning discovery: the oldest coin...

Modern vampires have a particular look. They’re often dark, mysterious, and incredibly charming. But vampires haven’t always had this image: they were actually often described as bloated, corpse-like, and terrifying in older folklore. So, what made the image of vampires change...

Claim: The Australian government was reviewing a citizen-led petition asking to bar U.S. President Donald Trump, his family and his administration from entering the country in October 2025. Rating: In October 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that the Australian government was...

<!--qv q:id=9o q:key=vcaa:Every Halloween, around 160 million people go trick-or-treating in the United States alone, giving kids and grown-ups alike the chance to show off their costumes and decorations to the neighborhood. -->Every Halloween, around 160 million people go trick-or-treating...

Many of the bones were discarded in canals or moats, suggesting they were seen as disposable and not revered as human remains.Sawada et al. 2025One of the skulls analyzed during the study has two perforations and appears to be...

Claim: An image authentically shows an official rendering of U.S. President Donald Trump's planned ballroom expansion dwarfing the White House. Rating: In the months after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to build a large ballroom at the White House in July...

<!--qv q:id=9o q:key=vcaa:Also known as “vampire power” or “standby power,” phantom energy refers to the electricity your devices consume even when they appear to be off—think TVs waiting for a remote signal, game consoles in sleep mode, set-top boxes...

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of America’s major defenders against foreign threats. The truth, however, is that we don’t always get to see much of the work that the agency does to protect the country. But, every once...