We know that pearls can be formed in oysters, but how? These precious spheres are actually formed as a defense mechanism against foreign objects.

"Hydroxyzine" is the only word in the English language that uses X, Y, and Z in consecutive order.

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot by an unemployed saloonkeeper during a campaign stop, but the former president insisted on delivering his speech as scheduled.

Over 9,000 FedEx trucks were used for the sole purpose of delivering "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" for its release on July 8, 2000.

Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was remembered for his extravagance. He had one coat with 123 diamond buttons.

The application form to become an official presidential candidate is only one page long. It takes about 4 minutes to complete.

According to AfricanAncestry.com, Martin Luther King Jr.'s paternal side traces to Ireland. The results were based on DNA from his son, Martin Luther King III.

Some companies reportedly add urea, a compound also found in urine, to cigarettes. Urea is believed to reduce benzapyrene, formaldehyde, and improve the taste, and can actually be found in other household products like toothpaste and chewing gum.

You may be familiar with the act of reading tea leaves, but have you heard of scatomancy? Scatomancy is the study of bowel movements, yes, excrements or poo, to predict someone's future or fortune. It has been practiced since ancient times.

Twelfth-century ruler King David I of Scotland was described as a polished man. During his reign, he remitted three years taxation for those who improved their house, dress, and table manners.

Xanthophobia is a term used to describe the fear of the color yellow.

A tiny L and V, Leonardo Da Vinci's initials, can be found in the right pupil of the Mona Lisa.

When rapper Jay Z was 12, he shot his 16-year-old drug-addicted brother for stealing his ring. The two made amends, and his brother did not press charges and instead apologized for what crack had done to him.

It took 17 years and 2,600 people to build the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, which at 35 miles long beats Japan's Seikan as the longest rail tunnel in the world.

Carnegie Wave Energy, a company in Australia, is using a CETO system to generate zero-emission electricity and desalinate water with wave power.

During his second inaugural address, Barack Obama pressed for the movement toward equality to include "our gay brothers and sisters." It was the first time any president has used the word "gay" as a reference to sexual orientation in an inaugural address.

Similar to other birds, penguin don't have teeth. They do have backward facing spines to guide their food down their throat.

The experience of drinking coffee really comes from its smell. If you hold your nose as you take a sip, you'll notice, more strongly than ever, its sour and bitter taste due to organic acids present.

Rapper Eminem reached out to Elton John about getting clean, and Elton followed through by checking up on him once a week.

You already know that we all respond to music differently, but psychologists at the University of Barcelona conducted a study and discovered that 5% of the subjects didn't show any emotion even when they listened to tunes they liked. Those who don't gain pleasure from music, at least in the usual sense (moving to the beat or getting chills), are classified as having musical anhedonia.

This photo features the wedding of an 103-year-old man to his 99-year-old bride. From Paraguay, they moved in together in 1933 and finally tied the knot after 80 years, 8 children, and 50 grandchildren.

Mike Tyson was arrested 38 times by the time he turned 13.

During the American Civil War, soldiers would escape their realities by drinking, gambling, and enjoying "horizontal refreshments," a term for visiting prostitutes.

In 2011, the United Nations reported that disconnecting people from the Internet is a human rights violation and against international law.

Four hundred students (pre-K to eighth grade) from the St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington, Virginia built a satellite over the span of 3 years. The small satellite, called a CubeSat, was deployed in May 2016.

Hundreds of researchers are using gold nanoparticles for various reasons, and some doctors are using it to extend the lives of cancer patients.

Scientists estimate that 150-200 species (plant, insect, bird, and mammal) become extinct every day. This rate is unlike anything we've seen since dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago.

The Indian village of Shani Shingnapur has no permanent doors on their buildings. This way of life is how they show their faith in Lord Shani, the god of Saturn, who they consider the guardian of the village.

Who could forget Fez from "That 70s Show"? Did you know that his name is actually an acronym for "Foreign Exchange Student"?