Jonah Lomu: the wing who helped rugby turn professional
A new documentary argues that even Jonah Lomu's own coaches underestimated how sick he was while he made rugby a global sport.
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Eiffel Tower staff walk out after order to hide women
Eiffel Tower staff struck for a day after managers hid female colleagues during a Hindu group's visit, and city officials have opened an inquiry.
Circle puts USDC on Chelsea's shirts for the new season
Circle, the firm behind the stablecoin USDC, is now Chelsea's shirt sponsor, as regulators race to catch up with stablecoins.
Seven in ten adults may feel like a fraud at least once
Imposter syndrome is the belief that your success is undeserved. It is not a diagnosis, and research suggests around 70% of adults feel it at some point.
Most who fled US slavery began the Underground Railroad alone
The Underground Railroad was no one system. Most freedom seekers set out alone. Where help existed, it came from Black communities, churches and river crews.
The first known state hack began with a 75-cent error
In 1986 astronomer Cliff Stoll chased a 75-cent gap in a lab's computer bill and found German hackers who had sold their access to the KGB.
Mickey 17 needed $300m to break even. It was never close
Warner Bros gave Bong Joon Ho final cut, $118m and a $4m playoff ad for Mickey 17. The film he wanted reached cinemas, and it lost money.
Germany's Basic Law lets judges ban a party outright
Germany's constitution lets its Federal Constitutional Court ban a political party outright, though it has done so only twice since 1945.
Ryanair is cutting seats to Spain's cheapest city to fly to
Which? found Santiago de Compostela the cheapest Spanish city to fly to from London. Ryanair has since said it is closing its base there.
How does a free-to-play game actually make money?
Free-to-play games earn nothing on download. Ads, loot boxes and cosmetics, seen at Warframe, Space Ape and EA, are how they still turn a profit.
In a California lab, a wooden block became the mouse
Douglas Engelbart's team at Stanford Research Institute tested a cannonball trackball, a joystick and a light panel. A wooden box on wheels beat them all.
An owl's feathers break up sound at three points
A comb along the leading edge, a velvet nap on top and a soft fringe at the back break up the noise an owl's wing would otherwise make.
Samsung kept its cross-owned web as Korean rivals moved on
The Lee family controls Samsung through affiliates that own each other. Most South Korean chaebols swapped that web for holding companies. Samsung did not.
Dolly Parton was a songwriter first
Dolly Parton, who died aged 80, came to Nashville to write songs. Jolene, I Will Always Love You and 9 to 5 turned that trade into a career.
Minecraft's best diamond level is Y -59, not Y 11
Mine at Y -59 for diamonds in current Minecraft, not the old Y 11. Trusted guides agree on where ore peaks, though not on the safest depth to dig it.
The first vaccine began with a cowpox sore
In 1796, Edward Jenner scratched cowpox matter into an eight-year-old boy's arm, then tested him against smallpox itself.
TV Licensing knocks on 2m UK doors, and fewer answer
UK licence fee dodgers face a doorstep visit and, at worst, prosecution. Visits rose by half in 2024 while prosecutions fell, MPs found.
A design student sketched Nike's swoosh for $35
Carolyn Davidson billed Nike $2 an hour for 17.5 hours of work on its new logo in 1971. Phil Knight's first reaction was that he didn't love it.
New York traded taller towers for public plazas
Since 1961, New York has let developers add floor space in return for plazas open to all, but a 2000 study found 41% of them had no real public use.
Ne Zha 2 took $2.26bn, almost all of it in China
Ne Zha 2 became 2025's biggest film and the top-grossing animation ever, yet about 1% of its $2.26bn came from outside China.
Winning native title in Australia brings a right to negotiate
Australian native title rests on traditional law and custom that continues today. A win brings a right to negotiate. The first compensation came in 2019.
Hand-made pointe shoes can last a busy dancer one day
Pointe shoes are built by hand on a last from layers of fabric and glue, and a busy dancer can get through a pair in a single day of work.
In Morocco's souks, banter comes before the better price
In a Moroccan souk nearly everything is negotiable. The price a shopper pays turns on banter, patience, and whether a guide on commission is standing there.
UK and US mortgage rates climb again as war unsettles markets
Mortgage rates rose again on both sides of the Atlantic in 2026, with US 30-year fixes past 7% and UK two-year fixes averaging 5.63%.