What no one tells you behind every story
How the world's big brands were born and what's behind the news everyone shares. Told calmly, with sources.
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Shakira sold a thousand records and now has a 6-meter statue: 10 things you didn't know
Her first album flopped, and so did the second. From "Pies descalzos" to the Guinness record for the highest-grossing tour by a Hispanic artist.
Karol G was going to be called Tomás: 10 things you didn't know about "La Bichota"
She was turned down on The X Factor, her dad is her manager and her stadium tour grossed more than 313 million dollars. This is how Carolina Giraldo reached the top.
Monopoly was invented by a woman, and she was paid 500 dollars
Lizzie Magie patented the game in 1904 to teach the dangers of hoarding property. The one who got rich from it was someone else: Charles Darrow.
Adidas and Puma: two brothers who hated each other and split a town in two
Adi and Rudolf Dassler made sports shoes together in their mother's house. In 1948 they split up, founded two rival brands and never spoke again.
Rolex has no owner: the story of the orphan who gave his brand to a foundation
No shareholders, no stock market and no billionaire behind it. Hans Wilsdorf created Rolex and, when he died, left the whole company to a foundation.
How a milkshake-machine salesman took over McDonald's
McDonald's has more than 40,000 restaurants, but the brothers who gave it their surname ended up without the company… and unable to use their own name.
The Nike sole that was born in a waffle iron
Nike's first great sole was made with a track coach's kitchen waffle iron. The waffle iron was ruined, but the idea worked.
Toyota started out making weaving machines
The world's best-selling car brand was born from a loom that stopped by itself whenever a thread broke.
Wrigley didn't want to sell gum: the gum was the free gift
William Wrigley sold soap and gave away other things to win over shops. Twice, the free gift became more famous than the product.
Coca-Cola was born in a pharmacy (and its recipe lives in a vault)
The most famous drink on the planet sold nine glasses a day in its first year. Today its secret formula is kept in a vault no one can open.
Before the bricks, LEGO made ironing boards
A Danish carpenter with no customers, a fire and a bet on plastic: this is how the world's most famous toy was born.
Play-Doh was born to clean walls
It was a dough for removing soot from wallpaper. When nobody needed it anymore, a teacher turned it into a toy. Even its smell is trademarked.
Nintendo started out selling gambling cards
Taxis, instant rice and hourly-rate hotels: Nintendo tried everything before video games. What saved it was a toy invented in someone's spare time.
Nokia, the "indestructible" phone brand, started out making paper
Paper, rubber boots, tires and cables. Nokia made everything before betting it all on mobile phones, and it became the queen of cell phones.
Samsung started out selling dried fish
A small shop in Korea, a black-and-white TV and a bonfire of 150,000 defective phones: this is how Samsung became a giant.
Lamborghini was born from a fight over a clutch
A tractor maker, a troublesome Ferrari and an answer he didn't like: this is how Ferrari's most famous rival was born.
7 inventions that were born by accident
A melted chocolate bar, unwashed hands and a messy lab. That's how the microwave, saccharin, X-rays, the Post-it and penicillin were born.
How an AirTag finds your keys without GPS
An eleven-gram disc with no GPS, no Wi-Fi and no cellular chip can find your things on the other side of the world. The trick: it uses strangers' phones.
The banana you eat is a clone (and that's a problem)
Almost every exported banana is an identical copy of the same plant, the Cavendish. A fungus once nearly wiped out the star banana, and the threat is back.
The 1960 study that set a date for the end of the world: Friday, November 13, 2026
It didn't come from a cult: it was published in the journal Science. A physicist calculated that on that day the planet's population would become infinite. And his curve was right for thirty years.
What would happen if all the men… or all the women disappeared?
Without men, almost no plane would take off. Without women, in a hundred years there might be no one left. A thought experiment with data from the ILO, the WHO and civil aviation.
Cuba, the key to the New World: from Columbus to independence (part 1)
Columbus called it the most beautiful land human eyes had ever seen. Today more than two million Cubans live abroad. The story begins with Hatuey, sugar and José Martí.
Haiti was the richest colony in the world: how its history began (part 1)
Today it's the poorest country in the Americas, but just over 200 years ago it was "the pearl of the Antilles". From the Taíno to the revolution that defeated Napoleon.
France made Haiti pay for its freedom: the 1825 debt (part 2)
Fourteen warships, a royal order and 150 million francs. Haiti had to pay for its own independence, and the last payments were made in 1947.
Haiti under the Marines and the Duvaliers: occupation and dictatorship (part 3)
In 1915 the U.S. Marines arrived and stayed for nineteen years. Then a doctor became a dictator and handed power to his son.
The earthquake, an assassination and the gangs: how Haiti got to where it is today (part 4)
The first free elections, a military coup, the 2010 earthquake, cholera, the assassination of a president and a capital in the hands of gangs.
Flávio Bolsonaro is now in Miami: how he left Brazil despite having his passports canceled
The former candidate landed with his family at a private-jet airport in Miami, after crossing into Argentina. This is what's now confirmed and what isn't yet.
Trump approves Flávio Bolsonaro's arrival and the U.S. will give his family visas
"I would approve. I think they're fine people," said Trump, who also cast doubt again on Brazil's election result. This is how Lula's government responded.
Flávio Bolsonaro in Miami: can he be arrested, extradited or stripped of his Senate seat?
Lawmakers from Lula's party are asking for his preventive arrest and an Interpol red notice. We explain what could happen with his case, his Senate seat and a possible asylum claim.
Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or at a historic ceremony in London
The Bayern Munich English striker won his first Ballon d'Or at 33, ahead of Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. Messi finished fifth.
Apple acknowledges iPhone Duo screen defects just days after launch
Cracks next to the fold, bright lines and dead pixels. Apple admits that "a small number of units" of the iPhone Duo have problems with the inner screen.
Dove turns the scent of its classic soap into its first perfume
After years of requests on social media, Dove is launching a perfume that smells like its famous beauty bar. It costs $19.57, and the price hides a message.
"Salvia messii": a sky-blue and white flower discovered in Peru is named after Messi
Peruvian scientists described a new plant species in the Andes. Its flowers have the colors of Argentina's national team, which is why it bears Lionel Messi's name.
NASA changes plans: Artemis III won't go to the Moon, but it still wants to land there in 2028
The next mission in the Artemis program will be a roughly 14-day rehearsal in Earth orbit. The goal of walking on the Moon again remains set for 2028.
The Euclid telescope was looking for distant galaxies… and discovered a comet
A European telescope built to study dark matter stumbled upon an unknown comet, about 1.3 billion kilometers from Earth.
The world's heaviest pumpkin: 1,431 kilos and a record that lasted just one week
A Rhode Island farmer grew the first pumpkin over 3,000 pounds. It beat a world record that had been set just seven days earlier.
"D-rex": a giant fungus with roots going back 65 million years is discovered in China
It grows up to 50 centimeters tall and weighs more than two kilos. It's the largest known fungus in its group, and farmers in Yunnan had seen it before scientists did.
Ships sunk in 1944 hide 1,505 types of bacteria in their fuel
Scientists analyzed the fuel still left in two Japanese ships sunk in World War II. They found a world of bacteria, some related to ones that "eat" oil.
"Goodbye, Labubus; hello, Bimbitos": Bimbo joins the plush keychain craze
The Bimbo Bear, a slice of bread and a donut turned into surprise keychains. This is how Bimbo is jumping on the collectibles trend started by Labubu.
Lula wins a fourth term in Brazil: how the election went and what comes next
Lula narrowly won the runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro. Here's how they got there, what happened on voting day and what his critics warn about.
Bukele and the four technicians missing in Haiti: what we know
Four burned bodies turned up in Haiti. The New York Times said they could be the Salvadorans; Bukele replied: "They are not our men."
María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela: how it happened and what could come next
Seven attempts, a canceled boat and a denied landing. After exile and the Nobel Peace Prize, María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela.
Cuba in 2026: the most absurd things about living there, with data
A nine-dollar monthly wage, twenty hours without power and your own cow that you're not allowed to kill. Eight verified facts about life in Cuba.
The "brain-eating amoeba" in Yucatán: what it is and how to protect yourself
Naegleria fowleri enters through the nose and almost nobody survives. In October it forced authorities to ban access to the water at six lakes in Mérida. This is what you need to know.
North Korea: 12 absurd (and verified) facts about the world's most closed country
A president who has been dead for thirty years, banned words, a hotel with no guests and the "manure battle". Plus what's going around online that is false.
Messi receives the Princess of Asturias Award: Spain's ovation three months after the final
Spain beat him in the World Cup final and, three months later, gave him a standing ovation in Oviedo. Why he won, the tribute to his father and why he gave no speech.
The Kim Kardashian robbery in Paris: the "grandpa robbers" and the one-euro compensation
Five men dressed as police officers, a four-million-dollar ring and a gang of people in their sixties. Almost ten years later, the case ended with compensation of a single euro.
The iPhone Duo, the first iPhone that folds: how much it costs and what it's missing
Apple launched its first foldable iPhone, and the most expensive model costs almost 3,200 dollars. It sold out in Mexico on day one, but it has a problem CNN pointed out.
What would happen to Cuba's 9-dollar monthly wage if its economy opened up?
A month's work in Cuba is worth about 9 dollars. Poland and Vietnam already went from a closed economy to an open one: this is what happened to their wages.
Kylie Jenner and the 50-million-dollar Fantasy Bra
4,410 diamonds, a 75-carat yellow diamond and the return of a tradition that hadn't been seen in eight years. And it wasn't worn by one of the brand's models.
Movistar disappears in Argentina and Tuenti returns: what changes for 6 million lines
Six million Movistar customers in Argentina are switching to Tuenti, the name of a Spanish social network that had already died. What happened and what you need to do.
News explained
See allTrump approves Flávio Bolsonaro's arrival and the U.S. will give his family visas
"I would approve. I think they're fine people," said Trump, who also cast doubt again on Brazil's election result. This is how Lula's government responded.
Flávio Bolsonaro in Miami: can he be arrested, extradited or stripped of his Senate seat?
Lawmakers from Lula's party are asking for his preventive arrest and an Interpol red notice. We explain what could happen with his case, his Senate seat and a possible asylum claim.
Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or at a historic ceremony in London
The Bayern Munich English striker won his first Ballon d'Or at 33, ahead of Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. Messi finished fifth.
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Brand stories
See allShakira sold a thousand records and now has a 6-meter statue: 10 things you didn't know
Her first album flopped, and so did the second. From "Pies descalzos" to the Guinness record for the highest-grossing tour by a Hispanic artist.
Karol G was going to be called Tomás: 10 things you didn't know about "La Bichota"
She was turned down on The X Factor, her dad is her manager and her stadium tour grossed more than 313 million dollars. This is how Carolina Giraldo reached the top.
Monopoly was invented by a woman, and she was paid 500 dollars
Lizzie Magie patented the game in 1904 to teach the dangers of hoarding property. The one who got rich from it was someone else: Charles Darrow.
Adidas and Puma: two brothers who hated each other and split a town in two
Adi and Rudolf Dassler made sports shoes together in their mother's house. In 1948 they split up, founded two rival brands and never spoke again.
Rolex has no owner: the story of the orphan who gave his brand to a foundation
No shareholders, no stock market and no billionaire behind it. Hans Wilsdorf created Rolex and, when he died, left the whole company to a foundation.
How a milkshake-machine salesman took over McDonald's
McDonald's has more than 40,000 restaurants, but the brothers who gave it their surname ended up without the company… and unable to use their own name.
Country histories
See allCuba, the key to the New World: from Columbus to independence (part 1)
Columbus called it the most beautiful land human eyes had ever seen. Today more than two million Cubans live abroad. The story begins with Hatuey, sugar and José Martí.
Haiti was the richest colony in the world: how its history began (part 1)
Today it's the poorest country in the Americas, but just over 200 years ago it was "the pearl of the Antilles". From the Taíno to the revolution that defeated Napoleon.
France made Haiti pay for its freedom: the 1825 debt (part 2)
Fourteen warships, a royal order and 150 million francs. Haiti had to pay for its own independence, and the last payments were made in 1947.