Facts
The Avesta: The Scripture of One of the World’s Oldest Religions, Most of Which Was Lost
Zoroastrianism shaped ideas found in many later faiths, yet most of its sacred book, the Avesta, did not survive. What remains is a precious fragment.
Facts
Curious facts, history & religious texts
Facts
The Buddhist Canon Is Called “Three Baskets” — and One of Them Was Once Written on Gold
The Tripitaka, Buddhism’s vast canon, gets its name from how its teachings were stored. Its history of preservation is as fascinating as its contents.
Facts
The Sikh Holy Book Is Treated as a Living Guru — and It Contains Voices From Many Faiths
The Guru Granth Sahib is unique: it is regarded as a living teacher, set largely to music, and includes verses by Hindu and Muslim saints.
Facts
The Jain Scriptures Built an Entire Philosophy Around a Single Idea: Do No Harm
Jainism’s sacred texts, the Agamas, place non-violence at the center of reality — and follow the principle to conclusions as rigorous as they are radical.
Facts
The Vedas Were Memorized for Centuries Before Anyone Wrote Them Down
The oldest layer of Hindu scripture survived for centuries through memory alone, preserved by an astonishing system built to keep every syllable perfect.
Facts
Why Does a Week Have Seven Days? It Has Nothing to Do With Nature
Years, months and days come from the sky. The seven-day week does not — it is a human invention traced to Babylon, the planets, and the day names.
Facts
Why Onions Make You Cry — and How to Stop It
A cut onion launches a tiny chemical weapon into the air, evolved to punish anything that bites it. The science also reveals exactly how to defeat it.
Facts
No, You Can’t See the Great Wall of China from Space — and Other Myths We Keep Repeating
The Great Wall is long but narrow — which is why the “visible from space” claim falls apart. Where the myth came from, and what astronauts actually say.
Facts
The Bhagavad Gita Is a 700-Verse Conversation Held in the Middle of a Battlefield
One of the world's most-read spiritual texts is a dialogue that takes place in the seconds before a war — and that setting is the whole point.