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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 10/02/2026

Cumin is an annual plant of the parsley family. Dried fruits of the cumin plant, which look more like seeds, are used as a spice in many different cuisines. If it helps, the difference between an herb and a spice has to do with which part of the plant is used. 🧵⬇️

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 09/02/2026

At the 1936 Olympics, Haiti and Liechtenstein discovered they essentially had the same flag. To avoid future confusion, Haiti added its national crest, and Liechtenstein added a yellow crown. Both are really, really ridiculously good-looking.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 30/01/2026

While working at Toronto’s Second City Theater, Catherine O’Hara was made Gilda Radner’s understudy. When Radner left in 1974, O’Hara became a member of the company, and her ability to imbue her comedic characters with depth and humanity launched a decades-long career.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 29/01/2026

An estimated one septillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) snowflakes fall worldwide every year. We may have come close this week.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 29/01/2026

Greenland sharks are believed to be the longest-living vertebrates on Earth. Researchers have determined that one female is around 400 years old. That means she was alive during the Napoleonic Wars, the Boston Tea Party, Charles Darwin, and ABBA winning Eurovision.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 22/01/2026

For no reason at all: how does salt melt ice? There is a layer of water above ice, which allows salt to dissolve into ions. Ions make it harder for water molecules to bond together into ice crystals. This is called 'freezing point depression,' and no, SAD lamps don't help.🧵⬇️

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 21/01/2026

Turns out cows may have beauty and brains.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 20/01/2026

Aquarius’s representation as a man pouring a stream of water out of a jug may be because in ancient times, the rising of Aquarius coincided with a period of floods and rain in the Middle East. Another conspiracy theory for them to consider.

Aquarius zodiac sign with dates and a quote about Aquarians avoiding emotional closeness, accompanied by vintage lemon illustrations.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 15/01/2026

When a container of mixed nuts is shaken, the largest nuts rise to the top. This phenomenon is known as the ‘Brazil nut effect,’ and there are a couple of mechanisms at play. Or: “Making physics fun with snacks.” 🧵⬇️

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 14/01/2026

A chicken can be placed in a hypnotic-like trance called “tonic immobility” by holding its head to the ground and drawing a straight line in the dirt from the tip of its beak outward on the ground. We don't know what to do with this information, either.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 14/01/2026

Protestors are currently flying an old version of Iran’s flag, both in Tehran and worldwide as their movement gains momentum. Here’s some information on the old flag, as well as Iran’s current one.

"Lion and Sun Flag of Iran"

The Lion and Sun emblem on Iran's flag symbolizes power and royalty, with added imperial crown and wreath for naval use, set on green, white, and red stripes representing faith, peace, and valor.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 12/01/2026

If lizards had legs, they'd kick you. (they do and they would)

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 08/01/2026

The Mercator projection is widely used for navigation charts, but is less practical for world maps, because the scale is distorted and areas farther away from the Equator appear disproportionately large.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 08/01/2026

A timeline of the January 2nd U.S. military mission to arrest and remove Venezuelan Pres. Nicolás Maduro and his wife. 🧵⬇️

Map illustrating the timeline and locations of the U.S. military operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in early January 2026.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 05/01/2026

Loons feed mainly on fish, crustaceans, and insects, which you could say are their heated rivals.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 26/12/2025

During his lifetime, Claude Monet painted more than 250 water lilies paintings, seemingly never stopping to say, “Enough. Enough for now.”

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 23/12/2025

Mistletoes are parasitic plants. Some have explosive fruits; some fling their babies to new branches they can infect. They can also cause abnormal growths called “witches’ brooms” that deform the branches and decrease the reproductive ability of the host. Romantic.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 22/12/2025

Florida upside down kind of looks like the Grinch. Who knew the 27th state, consisting of mostly geologically young, low-lying plains, had such strong feelings about Christmas?

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 22/12/2025

FYI: “Capricornus” usually refers to the zodiacal constellation, and “Capricorn” usually refers to the astrological sign. Capricorns would want you to get that right.

Old-fashioned printing press image alongside Capricorn zodiac dates and a caption that reads, "Capricorns organizing their thoughts into categories before texting"

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 21/12/2025

December 21 is the winter solstice, which means that in the Northern Hemisphere: - The path of the Sun is farthest south in the sky - The Sun travels the shortest path, giving the day the least daylight and the longest night - Things can only get lighter from here

Diagram breaking down the "Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn." More info here: https://www.britannica.com/science/winter-solstice

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 19/12/2025

All I want for Christmas is…a painting of a mouse riding a lobster. Christmas cards during the Victorian Era tended to be rather unusual, reflecting an offbeat sense of humor before Christmas iconography had solidified into what it is today. Let’s shake this tree down. 🧵⬇️

Victorian Era Christmas card featuring a mouse riding a lobster

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 19/12/2025

Feel free to use this as your OOO message for the rest of the year:

Drawing of Jane Austen, with her quoted as saying, "There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort."

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 17/12/2025

Reindeer generally stick to a plant-based diet, and in winter, they rely on high-carbohydrate lichens called reindeer moss, which they reach by digging craters in the snow. Bacon-wrapped scallops would certainly be a treat.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 16/12/2025

During most kidney transplants, the diseased kidneys are not removed. The new kidney is added to the lower abdominal area to allow easy connection to the bladder.

Tweet that reads: "Tell me something that's none of my business."

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 15/12/2025

Happy Hanukka/Chanukah/Hannukah! Because it’s a transliterated word from Hebrew, there are many different spellings for the holiday (24, according to the OED). All are acceptable, but if it’s spelled with a “Ch,” the first sound is still “H” (cc: Smokey Robinson).

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 13/12/2025

Happy 100th birthday to Dick Van Dyke. Among his diverse jobs in show business, from 1947–53 Van Dyke and a partner played in nightclubs with a comedy pantomime act, billed as the Merry Mutes. Lucky for us, he didn't stay mute very long. www.britannica.com/biography/Di...

britannica.com

Dick Van Dyke | Biography, TV Show, Films, Mary Poppins, & Facts | Britannica

Dick Van Dyke is an American actor and comedian known for his affable charm, comedic timing, and loose-limbed physical comedy. He is most celebrated for his roles in the TV shows The Dick Van Dyke Sho...

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 12/12/2025

Counting the number of times a cricket chirps in 14 seconds and adding 40 will tell you the temperature in Fahrenheit. Your phone will also give you this information.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 11/12/2025

Yule ≠ Christmas Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals, with origins among the ancient Norse thousands of years ago. Although today it’s heavily associated with, and even confused with, Christmas, the celebration existed long before Christianity. 🧵⬇️

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 09/12/2025

Medieval alchemists associated the 7 known metals with the 7 classical planets: Gold- the sun Silver- the moon Quicksilver- Mercury Copper- Venus Iron- Mars Tin- Jupiter Lead- Saturn Because of this association, quicksilver is still called "mercury" today.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 05/12/2025

velociraptor = distanceraptor / timeraptor

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 03/12/2025

Who DOESN’T unwind with facts about tortoises, Greek gods, and the world’s oldest manufactured instrument??

Spotify Wrapped: Your listening age is 43,000!
You've been listening to A LOT of the Geißenklösterle Flutes, vulture-bone instruments used by some of the earliest Homo sapiens in what is now southern Germany

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 02/12/2025

One hundred years of Grand Ole Opry. Grand Ole Opry is a country music show in Nashville that debuted as a radio broadcast on November 28, 1925. It is the longest-running weekly radio program in the world, and it put Nashville on the map as the center of country music. 🧵⬇️

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 01/12/2025

There are thin tubes that connect the corner of your eye to your nose. The tears that don’t run down your face will drain into your nose, which is why your nose runs when you cry. Keep the tissues close as you pivot to romantic holiday movies this season.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 28/11/2025

Among Native Americans and First Nations peoples, the planting combination of corn, squash, and beans is known as "Three Sisters." In Central America and Mexico, the practice is known as milpa, and it dates back thousands of years. 🧵⬇️

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 26/11/2025

One popular Thanksgiving tradition is making a wish while breaking the fulcrum of the turkey, more commonly known as the wishbone. 🧵⬇️ (NOT HIM)

Photograph of the dog Wishbone holding a rose between his teeth

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 24/11/2025

On November 24, 1971, a man using the name Dan Cooper boarded a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle. This marked the beginning of a legendary but unsolved heist, a cold case that’s among the most infamous criminal mysteries in American history. 🧵⬇️

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 23/11/2025

Since Sagittarians can be hard to pin down, we thought you’d want to know that the zodiacal constellation of Sagittarius can be found in the southern sky between Capricornus and Scorpius, at about 19 hours right ascension and 25° south declination.

Sagittarius zodiac sign with dates and a vintage sailing ship illustration symbolizing restlessness.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 21/11/2025

19th-century scientists reading Joseph Lister's idea that surgeons could prevent infecting their patients by washing and disinfecting their hands before surgery:

Photograph of Ethan Slater saying "That can't be right."

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 21/11/2025

We hope everyone flies free this weekend. BTW, the name Elphaba is a reference to "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum.

Comparison infographic of The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Wicked: Part 1 (2024) highlighting runtime, book origins, awards, and production details.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 20/11/2025

Never beating the “they have an unhealthy amount of illustrations of British family crests from the early 14th century” allegations.

Illustration of rolls of arms, early 14th century

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 19/11/2025

A flamingo named Frankie recently escaped a British wildlife sanctuary and has been spotted in Northern France. Frankie flew the 172 miles despite her clipped wings. FWIW, here’s how far that is. Ed. note: You cannot drive through the English Channel.

Map of the distance between Cornwall, England, and Northern France

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 18/11/2025

If the forest can rebuild after being burned, so can you. (Ideally in less than 150 years.)

Diagram of secondary succession as ecological recovery after wildfire outline diagram.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 17/11/2025

Astronaut Chris Hadfield said outer space smells like gunpowder and burnt steak. Yankee Candle, your newest seasonal scent has arrived.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 14/11/2025

Octopuses have nine brains—one in their head and one in each of their eight arms, which are all capable of acting independently. But humans invented Extra Toasty Cheez-Its, so our brains are pretty cool, too.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica @britannica.com · 13/11/2025

Moss: Private Investigator Due to their unique traits, mosses have been used as forensic evidence to determine how a crime occurred, sometimes even linking a person to a very specific location. 🧵⬇️

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