Almost two years ago was the first time this interesting Google snippet or search engine trick called “I’m feeling curious” popped into my internet browser.

I discovered the trick and many similar ones from Google only to realize it would make an excellent topic for a blog. That’s how the IFC Technology blog got started.

You can read the whole story on my about page or discover more fun Google Easter Eggs such as Google Gravity, Google Feud, I’m feeling lucky, Askew, Google In 1998, Spinner, Solitaire and my very own Google Easter Egg infographic.

On this page, I will take a closer look at the Google trick or Easter Egg that gave me the idea for this blog. I’m almost 100% sure you won’t find a combination of this information anywhere else – almost.

What is “I’m feeling curious” and how can you use it in 2019?

I’d like to think of this Google trick as probably the most educational one that exists. It’s a complete boredom buster and not in a time-wasting kind of way. Instead, it helps you learn interesting facts and build general knowledge while having fun.

Google is all about information, so when you do a search for the notorious curious trick, you are presented with a fact box containing a random question, an answer to the question and the source of the information or a website link. It’s like learning random facts, one at a time, when you least expect it. To me, that’s the best way.

To use this trick, all you have to do is go to Google.com, type in the search bar the words shown in the image below and you can consume exciting facts to your heart’s content. I’ve seen this trick work on other Google browsers as well, such as Google.co.uk, Google.co.in, Google.co.za, and more.

What’s cool is that you can hit the “Ask another question” button basically as many times as you like and get almost unlimited question and answer boxes presented to you.

It’s nearly impossible to tell how many facts this search trick can display. Google probably gets the information by scraping content from reputable websites or using their own archives. The internet is an endless void of information, and Google has access to all of it. If you haven’t tried it before, here’s a fact I was presented with about sign language used in different countries.

This is an entertaining way of broadening your capacity for general knowledge. If you were to spend 5-10 minutes every day using these fun facts, I’m sure you’ll gain an incredible level of common knowledge.

How and when did this Google trick get started?

As with most technological developments, I’m a bit out of sync. It seems that as soon as a trend starts to fade away, I discover and use it. It’s no different with this one. According to Google trends ( screenshot is shown below), the trick seems to have been added to the search engine around September 2015.

You can see the massive spike in search results around that time. It only landed on my radar early in 2017. The graph goes back to 2004. However, it’s apparent that it only got started in 2015. Here’s the trend for this search term:

As to who within Google came up with this idea and added it to the search engine, nobody knows. Unlike Google Gravity which I mentioned at the beginning of the article, which was part of a project at Experiments With Google initiative, this search engine addition has no clear path of history that I can find online.

The only data I can find about it is either via trends or other news articles. It’s safe to assume it was an initiative started by Google.

Here are some of the fun facts I liked the most:

I thought I would further demonstrate this unique search engine boredom buster’s power by listing a few points or questions & answers I enjoyed.

Fact #1: What does it mean to throw the baby out with the bathwater?

Thankfully, like the fact states, this is just an idiomatic expression and not something people do in real life.

Fact #2: How many miles per hour does the earth go around the sun?

Science buffs, this one is for you.

Fact #3: What did Bruce Lee study?

Bruce Lee is an all-time martial arts favorite of mine. He was an incredible athlete, and I love his movies. Finding out what he studied was pretty cool.

Fact #4: What causes red hair?

People with red hair or “Gingers” are most like to call them are rare. However, did you know how likely you are to be born with red hair?

Fact #5: Can a goalkeeper score by throwing the ball?

I’m a big soccer fan and love playing Fifa on Playstation. I’ve attempted scoring goals with the goalkeeper many times before, but not this way. How often would it be if a goalie could score a goal that way?

What’s next for this trick?

I’m the kind of person that can get bored pretty quickly, even with something like feeling curious. Other people might sit for hours in front of their computer, consuming every little piece of information presented to them by this trick. However, I’ve not been able to use it for more than five minutes. Don’t get me wrong, it can be fun. I’ve just not always been known as a general knowledge buff.

In a technology world where things can often get very mundane, it’s nice to see something that’s not just created to waste time. This search engine trick can actually provide value to you as a person, especially in an educational capacity.

I hope you enjoyed this short post! Please be sure to check out my other posts under the “Google Easter Eggs” menu tab. If you liked this post, I have a feeling you’ll like the other Google Easter Eggs as well. Now, all that’s left for you is to try it out for yourself. If you’re in the United States, this Google Search link will take you to it. Otherwise, just type in the following words into your Google search bar: I’m feeling curious.

FAQ