Almost Facts

When you think about the speed of light, you probably picture a solid, unshakeable constant—299,792,458 meters per second, etched in stone. But what if I told you that this seemingly fixed number once danced wildly on the edge of error, swaying between measurements that were far from flawless? The notion that light’s speed could have … Read more

There’s something oddly poetic about discoveries that happen by accident—moments when someone’s curiosity, coupled with unexpected circumstances, opens the door to a whole new world. The story behind the invention of the X-ray isn’t some grand tale of meticulous planning; it’s a mix of serendipity, sharp observation, and a pinch of disbelief. That glowing screen, … Read more

Plastic—it’s everywhere now, right? From your coffee cup lid to the car dash to the packaging on almost everything you buy. Yet, it wasn’t always the default. Hard to imagine now, but plastic was nearly left on the sidelines, barely making a commercial dent for decades after it was first invented. What’s wild is that … Read more

Long before we envisioned dinosaurs as the scaly, gigantic reptiles stomping across prehistoric Earth, some early scientists seriously considered they might have been mammals. It sounds bizarre now, but the line between these ancient creatures and mammals was once far blurrier than today’s textbooks imply. The journey through scientific missteps and leaps offers a fascinating … Read more

It’s almost hard to believe today, as Bitcoin stands tall among digital currencies, that it once teetered so precariously on the brink of irrelevance. Imagine a currency that nearly vanished before it even got a foothold — that’s Bitcoin in its first year. If you rewind to 2009 and 2010, the landscape was entirely different. … Read more

There was a time, way back in the 1800s, when Harvard University—an institution synonymous with prestige, intellect, and longevity—was teetering on the brink of closure. It sounds almost unthinkable today, right? The thought that a bastion of American education could have simply disappeared into history might surprise anyone who associates Harvard primarily with ivy-covered walls, … Read more

The story behind the SAT’s math section is far from what most people assume. You’d think math, with its numbers and formulas, has always been an integral part of this exam designed to assess a student’s readiness for college. But interestingly, the SAT almost didn’t include math at all. How did a test that now … Read more

When you hear the word “Nobel Prize,” you probably picture the glitzy ceremony in Stockholm, the famous golden medals, and the world’s brightest minds rewarded for reshaping humanity. But have you ever stopped to wonder if this illustrious prize could have had an entirely different name? It sounds odd at first, but the Nobel Prize, … Read more

Isaac Newton’s monumental impact on science is undeniable. His laws of motion and universal gravitation laid the foundation for centuries of physics. Yet, what’s rarely mentioned is how Newton’s towering legacy, as brilliant as it was, nearly smothered the next great upheaval in science—quantum theory. Imagine a revolution so profound that it could have been … Read more

The Concorde was this dazzling symbol of what air travel could have been, a supersonic phoenix rising from mid-20th-century dreams. It zipped passengers across the Atlantic faster than the speed of sound, shaving hours off the journey from New York to London. It wasn’t just a plane; it was a statement—futuristic, glamorous, and undeniably bold. … Read more