Breaking eye contact during a toast is supposedly bad luck

The US Navy prohibited sailors from toasting with water

A 1986 manual stated that "Tradition is that the object of a toast with water will die by drowning." The superstition is rooted in ancient Greek mythology, where the dead in the underworld drank from the River Lethe to forget their previous lives. As such, the Greeks believed toasting someone with water to be a way of cursing them to the underworld.

Experts suggest memorable toasts tell stories

According to Riaz Meghji, a Canadian media personality, unsuccessful toasts are riddled with inside jokes and stock phrases. Great toasts, he says, tell an emotional story that commemorates the occasion.

Englishmen in the 17th century mixed their blood into wine to show devotion

In order to demonstrate their love for a woman, some young Englishmen would stab themselves in the arm and mix the blood into their wine. They'd then toast the object of their affection and drink to their honor.

In Japan, elders lead toasts

Older family members and colleagues, or senpai, are expected to take the lead at formal gatherings, pouring drinks and offering toasts. Younger people should accept pours by holding their glasses with both hands and waiting to drink until their older adults have done so. Finally, before drinking, participants should say “kampai!”

A Spanish New Year's Eve tradition is eating 12 grapes at midnight

When midnight hits, participants in Spain, as well as Mexico and some Latin American countries, are encouraged to eat a grape for each of the clock’s strikes. (We’re assuming they’ve got some nice grandfather clocks!) The tradition is intended to bring good luck in the new year. The idea is believed to have originated in the 1890s, but took off when Spanish grape farmers had a surplus harvest.

In Ghana, newly married couples jump over a broom to ward off evil and welcome new beginnings

Weddings are surrounded by rituals, no matter how simple. These include slathering the couple with food, feathers, and soot and parading them around town in Scotland; Chinese tea ceremonies filled with gratitude; and breaking fine porcelain in Germany. Every family has their own rituals, and wealthy couples are more likely to engage in more lavish ceremonies.

Superstitious actors believe ‘Macbeth’ is cursed

Actors playing in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”—a story filled with ghosts, witches, and magic—call it the “Scottish play” out of superstition, a tradition since the play’s first production.

'Blackout challenge' can cause brain damage or death in under 5 minutes

A social media trend that encourages viewers to asphyxiate themselves until they lose consciousness in the hopes of feeling "high" or euphoric has garnered the interest of teens and adolescents, with dangerous results. Variations of this deadly challenge have been adolescent trends every few years.

Toasting with ‘cheers!’ comes from Anglo-French

Etymologists trace the word back to about 1200 CE, when Anglo-French became the vernacular after the Norman Conquest of 1066. “Chere” meant “the face,” or an expression, often of joy. After that, it was used in the 18th century as a form of encouragement before becoming a common toast in the 20th century.

Explore real-life events linked to Friday the 13th

Though no statistics support the idea that Friday the 13th is more unlucky than other dates, the myth persists. See a grim collection of unfortunate events that occurred on the date throughout history.

Daylight Saving Time is linked to a rise in heart attacks and strokes

Losing an hour of sleep with seasonal time changes is not good for our health and it’s linked to risks for the first couple days of Daylight Saving Time, including a short-term rise in heart attacks and strokes. Scientists theorize these elevated risks are linked to the disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm.

Elizabeth I removed her eyebrows to draw attention to her chest

The queen thought that this kind of grooming (which sometimes even included shaving some of her forehead) would cause viewers to find her face blank and, as a result, look south to her breasts.

Watch experts blindly taste test Champagne and other sparkling wines

Champagne’s prestige typically comes with a high price. So is it worth it? Professional wine judge Dr. Matthew Horkey invites a Champagne expert and a producer to a blind taste test to find out. The individuals try sparkling wines from across the world and do their best to sniff out (sip out?) which is the real-deal Champagne.

Shorter, more frequent touches are better than longer, rarer ones

That's according to a 2024 meta-analysis of 137 studies on touch. It found that as long as the touch is consensual, the identity of the toucher mattered little for adults, and there was even a benefit to receiving "touch" from objects like weighted blankets or robots. For newborns, however, the identity of the toucher did matter, and the greatest benefit came from parental touch.

The average person can only detect someone is lying 54% of the time

Scientific research shows that avoiding eye contact or fidgeting—behaviors typically associated with deception—do not reliably communicate dishonesty. Polygraph tests are considered "junk science," with the best means of detection relying on evidence and contradictions.

Tennis match interrupted by 'Cotton Eye Joe'

Tennis players require extreme focus as they volley on the court, and officials typically enforce significant noise standards during play. So it was quite a shock when the 1995 hit "Cotton Eye Joe"—as recorded by Swedish Eurodance band...

Criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling are very likely to lead to relationships failing

The Gottmans, both psychologists and long-time relationship counselors with dozens of books and articles between them, are renowned for their approach to fostering healthy relationships. This video outlines negative relational attitudes—what the Gottmans call “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”—that are correlated with relationship failure, and how to avoid them.

Eating competitions can ruin a stomach's elasticity

Competitive eaters make room for all that food by toying with the stomach's ability to expand and contract. Still, doctors warn that repeated stress can destroy that ability, leading to further issues.

'The minute you start talking about what you're going to do if you lose, you have lost.'

- Diplomat George Shultz (1920–2021)

Just because leftovers look and smell okay doesn’t mean they’re safe to eat

Despite what the sniff test is telling you, older leftovers should probably be trashed. Pathogens that cause illness don’t usually affect the taste, smell, or appearance of food (though if they look bad, you should chuck them as well). Scientists recommend tossing leftovers within a few days even if they appear to be fine.

Watch how doctors examine leprosy patients for signs of vision impairment

Clinicians must screen for symptoms of eye and vision damage in leprosy patients, including loss of sensation, reduced blink reflex, and inability to close or keep the eyes closed.

The deadliest fireworks accident in history was Marie-Antoinette's wedding

In 1770, a fireworks display in Paris celebrating the marriage of Marie-Antoinette to the Dauphin, later known as Louis XVI, resulted in as many as 3,000 deaths. Most casualties were caused by trampling from a panicked crowd of thousands rushing away after some fireworks were blown into the spectators.

Americans spend an average of nearly $500 per year on tipping at restaurants and bars

The habit runs contrary to economic rationality: Why pay more for a good or service you have already received when it isn’t mandatory? Researchers found that people tip, in part, to avoid the psychological pain of not fitting in.

'A good friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have.'

- Irish Proverb

Leaning Italian tower could fall after nine centuries

Italian officials have secured the area around one of two 12th Century towers in Bologna, fearing its leaning could lead to collapse. Could it fall? Read up on the city's efforts to secure it here.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

11 people died from firework injuries in the US in 2024.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

The Mona Lisa's celebrity status and repeated restorations have obscured what made the painting so revolutionary for its time

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

In preparation for this weekend's Eurovision finale, which is something like the World Cup of pop music, here's a young Céline Dion performing (for Switzerland?) at the 1988 competition.

Stars appear to twinkle because turbulence in the motion of molecules in Earth's atmosphere causes light to bend and wiggle rapidly on its way to the surface—a phenomenon called scintillation.

See a ranking of the best (and worst) Federal Reserve Chairs since 1914 out of the 16 men and women who have held the office since.

Salvador Dalí believed he was his own dead brother, who had died nine months before he was born

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

The Dracula character, now seen as the vampire archetype, was inspired by a seafood-induced nightmare its creator experienced.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

Visualize the path of every solar eclipse from 1900 to 2099 and see what each looks like when observed from different locations on Earth.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Urushiol, the oily toxin in poison ivy, can remain allergenic on clothing for years.

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.