Company names you may have been mispronouncing

These famous brands used to have different names

Did you know that Nike used to be called Blue Ribbon Sports? Or that Google was originally named BackRub? Getting a brand's name right is a tough job; there's an entire cottage industry of brand naming agencies to prove it. See which brands got it right the first time—and which ones might be better off with their current names—in this article.

Find 36 hidden messages in these household name company logos

Brand logos are designed to represent a business's core values and products in a unique, differentiating way. We experience this branding mechanism regularly, and hundreds of businesses are recognizable to us via only this one symbol, even when...

'Genericide:' Learn how too much brand awareness can hurt a company's trademark

When a brand becomes so popular that consumers regularly call the product by the brand name like a noun or verb, that trademark becomes generic because consumers no longer associate a specific brand with a certain product. A generic product can hurt a company's right to trademark or even cause companies to lose it. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Understanding the structure of the Chinese phonetic alphabet

Translating Chinese names from Chinese to English characters is a complex process, one in which the original name’s meaning can become muddled. This article uses graphics to explain the structure of Hanyu Pinyin, the most commonly used Chinese phonetic alphabet. Visualize how the Pinyin romanization system can lead to name ambiguity, and therefore make it challenging to identify individuals based solely on Pinyin.

A list of MBA jargon, complete with a ‘corporate BS generator’

From the classroom to the boardroom, MBA students hear plenty of corporate jargon in their lifetimes (think: “bandwidth,” “turnkey solution,” “modularize,” and more). This website—a relic from the internet—includes an MBA jargon dictionary and a corporate BS generator tool that creates helpful phrases for office life, like “incubate synergistic e-markets.”

Can Shein escape its Chinese roots?

Many Chinese companies are currently facing issues as they spread into global markets today. Shein, a Chinese clothing retail company, now accounts for half of fast-fashion sales in America. But its parent country has created issues, causing concern for people abroad about data security and supply-chain ethics. While Shein has moved its headquarters to Singapore and avoids selling in China, they continue to face scrutiny from Americans.

Visualize every brand that AB InBev owns

The giant beverage holding company AB InBev owns many, many more brands than just Budweiser and Bud Light. From Africa to Asia and beyond, this image helps visualize the immense number of brands that AB InBev is responsible for.

Dinosaur names have shifted from ancient languages to pop culture references

Early dinosaur names used Greek and Latin roots, often just attaching “-saurus” (lizard) to another word describing a notable trait. Over time, this convention has evolved to incorporate the names of where the discovery was made, local languages, and even celebrities.

In 2025, Apple devices couldn't send audio messages with the phrase 'Dave & Buster's'

The transcription engine in iOS 18, which converts speech to text in the Messages app, had been incorrectly processing phrases with the ampersand ("&") symbol. The error was corrected via a bug fix after extensive user error reports.

Extreme Games rebranded as X Games for global appeal

In 1996, ESPN shortened “Extreme Games” to “X Games” to make the name easier to translate for international broadcasts and to strengthen branding as the competition expanded to global markets.

Five surprising things your GPS can do

You’d be surprised at all the things that GPS—the global positioning system that underlies all of modern navigation—can do. Here's a quick breakdown.

Explore a list of well-known monopolies

Many American monopolies popped up during the rapid industrial growth of the Gilded Age. Industries like steel, tobacco, railroads, and telecommunication have all been monopolized at some point in history.

The S&P 500 is composed of 500 companies, but has more than 500 total listings

Since some large companies have dual-class stock structures (like Alphabet and Fox Corporation), there are multiple listings on the S&P 500 for the same company. S&P Global has banned and then reversed bans on companies with dual-class structures multiple times since first allowing dual-class stocks in 2014.

There's no right way to say 'taco'

While Americans ("tah-co") and Brits ("tack-oh") might argue about the correct pronunciation, both are understood in Spanish-speaking countries. Linguists note that the word's pronunciation is ever-evolving and informed by various cultural, psychological, and historical factors.

Translating ‘Harry Potter’ required creativity across 60+ languages

This Vox video explores how translators adapted JK Rowling’s wordplay, invented spells, and cultural references—reimagining names and magical terms while attempting to preserve humor, rhythm, and meaning for readers around the world.

Crypto history's is full of bizarre stories

Digital currencies based solely on misspellings of former President Joe Biden’s name have skyrocketed, and backers of a token based on a Shiba Inu wearing a hat raised $690K to get their logo on the Las Vegas Sphere.

Common mistakes we make about the world map

Maps have long loosely approximated what the world actually looks like. Here's a few common errors that persist due to outdated conceptions of the world.

Always forget a face? The science of face-blindness

Faces and names don't always go together in some people's minds. While everyone forgets other peoples's names occasion, people diagnosed with prosopagnosia can't recognize faces, much less names. Even friends can family members can appear to be strangers. This article covers the diagnosis and issues attendant to prosopagnosia and its sufferers.

Samsung makes much more than smartphones

Samsung is best known for its highly popular smartphones and related consumer electronics. But the business, first created in 1938, is a conglomerate invested in container shipping, tank building, and even real estate construction like the Burj Khalifa. Its annual $200B in revenue comprises 20% of South Korea's gross domestic product. Watch this video for more on this diverse, enormous company.

McDonald's intentionally avoids using the word 'milkshake'

The restaurant's US menus use an abbreviated term: the simple "shake." Conspiracy theorists suggest this means the chain doesn't use actual milk, but the truth is a bit more complicated and—much to their displeasure—mostly related to dairy regulations.

The story of Boeing's unraveling

Long lauded as one of the world's greatest aviation companies, Boeing has taken a nosedive in the last decade after major mass casualty crashes of its planes and high-profile scandals, which have led to numerous investigations, the temporary grounding of some of its planes, and a huge hit in its value. Listen to this first episode of a series telling the story of Boeing's fall.

Some argue that America is too dependent on consulting

Many major companies in America—not to mention the federal government—spend thousands of dollars a month paying to contract major consulting firms.

Not all companies with bank-sounding names are actually FDIC-insured banks

When purchasing a certificate of deposit, it's important to know if you are purchasing a “deposit” product issued by an FDIC-insured bank.

Explore 25 of the world's richest universities beyond the US

This article from The College Post highlights 25 of the wealthiest universities outside the United States. It showcases institutions like King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the University of Oxford, and the University of Hong Kong. Learn more about the global landscape of higher education funding.

A 2025 study explored the common words to describe body odor across 17 countries

The work identified the 25 most frequent words used to describe body odors across languages, ranked by frequency, and found that "sweaty" topped the list, followed by "sour" and "stinky."

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

Some Pokémon have been named after real and fictional organisms, while some real-world species have been named after Pokémon, such as Chilicola charizard and Binburrum zapdos.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

Lesser-known phobias include turophobia, or the fear of cheese, and nomophobia, the fear of being without your cell phone.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

The term 'algorithm' originated from the Latinized name of al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced Arabic numerals and the decimal-based numeral system to Europe and whose treatise 'Al-Jabr' gave algebra its name.

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

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

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

Learn how monoclonal antibodies, which mimic the body's antibodies, can fight diseases like Ebola.

A pickleball's loud 'pop' sound can reach 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a hammer hitting a nail

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'