The world, one wow at a time

Big numbers. Clear insights. A smarter way to see the world.

The Week's Wow· running 1 week

CO2

How can a lake suddenly release a deadly cloud of gas?

Carbon dioxide seeping in from deep underground built up in the bottom water of Lake Nyos in Cameroon. In 1986 it came out in a sudden release. Engineers later fitted pipes to let it out gradually.

Explore →

Latest Wows

World

108 days

Was France still using the guillotine when Star Wars came out?

World

TURNIPS

Why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween?

Tech

QWERTY

Was QWERTY really designed to slow typists down?

Tech

8 corners

Why do shipping containers look so similar?

World

VOCs

Why do old books have that smell?

Africa

1,400 m

How can a country's lowest point be 1,400 metres above sea level?

Economy

$189B

Gaming makes more money than global box office and recorded music — combined

The world's video game industry generates about three times the annual revenue of the global box office and recorded music industries put together.

Explore →

Myths, checked

Famous numbers, followed back to the source.

World

35,000?

You make 35,000 decisions a day. Nobody can find the study that says so.

Tech

90%?

"90% of the world's data was created in the last 2 years" is still everywhere. The maths doesn't add up.

Energy

94%

A pound of beef takes 1,800 gallons of water. Almost all of it is rain.

Tech

~4×

TikTok doesn't publish how many videos are watched each minute. Widely quoted estimates differ by nearly 4×.

Energy

4%+

Data centres now consume more power than most countries

of US electricity consumed by data centres in 2024

Explore →

Tech

View all 21 →

38 pK

Was a tower in Germany really the coldest place in the universe?

20 edits

Did scientists really bring back the dire wolf?

71%

What is glass actually made of?

Economy

View all 19 →

1938

A 1938 ad campaign helped turn diamond engagement rings into a modern tradition

$627M

The most expensive meal in history was two pizzas

$656B

Migrants send home far more money than every country's foreign aid combined

Energy

View all 20 →

250 yrs

A Pennsylvania town has been on fire underground since 1962

6 min

In 2018, a political dispute made Europe's clocks run six minutes slow

99%

A wind farm looks enormous, but the turbines use almost none of the land

World

View all 39 →

1650s

Why do we wear ties?

42.195 km

Why is a marathon exactly 42.195 km?

7.6%

Why does sleep paralysis make it feel like someone is in the room?

Africa

View all 19 →

+90%

Nigeria's economy grew 90% overnight without producing anything extra

90%

An African skyscraper stays cool with no air conditioning — by copying termites

108x

The fastest ant on Earth sprints across sand hot enough to kill it

Africa

$1.43T

Africa handles two-thirds of the world's mobile money

52% of all accounts. 66% of the value. 74% of the transactions.

Explore →

Every Wow, by topic

TechEconomyEnergyWorldAfrica