Your life in numbers
Your billion-second birthday is hiding in your thirties
A billion sounds impossibly large. In seconds, it is a milestone you can reach in an ordinary lifetime.
Read the story →A small read.
A bigger world.
Calendar surprises, space curiosities and practical ways to explore the history around you. Every article has a permanent link, a publication date and its sources.
Our changing feature selects from this collection. Seasonal articles are dated and labelled by country; they are not automatically refreshed news.
Calendar curiosities
Why your birthday keeps changing its weekday
Seven days in a week, 365 in most years: the tiny mismatch that keeps moving your birthday.
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A little space wonder
The Moon has been quietly moving away during your lifetime
Laser measurements reveal a slow change in the average Earth–Moon distance. Your lifetime gives that change a surprising scale.
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Practical curiosity · UK
Your house has a past. Here is how to start finding it
Begin with one address, a local archive and a question small enough to answer. A practical first visit to local history.
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Seasonal note · UK
The UK clocks changed on 25 October 2026. What actually changed?
The hour repeated, the day did not gain extra sunlight, and some household timers may still need checking.
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The world alongside you
What does “world population when you were born” really mean?
A huge personal comparison becomes more interesting when you know which parts are estimates and which are projections.
Read the story →ONE MORE LITTLE WONDER
Browse the journal ↗Stay curious.
A changing pick from our journal: surprising facts and practical ways to explore your world.
Your life in numbers
Your billion-second birthday is hiding in your thirties
A billion sounds impossibly large. In seconds, it is a milestone you can reach in an ordinary lifetime.
Published 26 October 2026 · Sources included
Read this little wonder →Calendar curiosities
Why your birthday keeps changing its weekday
Seven days in a week, 365 in most years: the tiny mismatch that keeps moving your birthday.
Published 26 October 2026 · Sources included
Read this little wonder →A little space wonder
The Moon has been quietly moving away during your lifetime
Laser measurements reveal a slow change in the average Earth–Moon distance. Your lifetime gives that change a surprising scale.
Published 26 October 2026 · Sources included
Read this little wonder →Practical curiosity · UK
Your house has a past. Here is how to start finding it
Begin with one address, a local archive and a question small enough to answer. A practical first visit to local history.
Published 26 October 2026 · Sources included
Read this little wonder →Seasonal note · UK
The UK clocks changed on 25 October 2026. What actually changed?
The hour repeated, the day did not gain extra sunlight, and some household timers may still need checking.
Published 26 October 2026 · Sources included
Read this little wonder →The world alongside you
What does “world population when you were born” really mean?
A huge personal comparison becomes more interesting when you know which parts are estimates and which are projections.
Published 26 October 2026 · Sources included
Read this little wonder →