HowStuffWorks

HowStuffWorks is a website dedicated to explaining the way many things work. The site uses photos, diagrams, video and animation to explain complex terminology and mechanisms in easy-to-understand language.

History

In 1998, former North Carolina State University professor Marshall Brain started the site as a hobby. In 1999, Brain raised venture capital and formed HowStuffWorks, Inc. In March 2002, HowStuffWorks was sold to the Convex Group, an Atlanta-based investment and media company founded by Jeff Arnold, founder and former chief executive officer (CEO) of WebMD. The headquarters moved from Cary, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia. HowStuffWorks originally focused on science and machines, ranging from submarines to common household gadgets and appliances. After adding a staff of writers, artists, and editors, content expanded to a larger array of topics.

In November 2004, HowStuffWorks moved its entertainment section to Stuffo. However, in 2006, the team disbanded and the site now redirects visitors to the site's entertainment channel.

The domain howstuffworks.com attracted at least 58 million visitors annually by 2008, according to a Compete.com survey.

There have been four HowStuffWorks books including two hardcover, illustrated coffee table books, called HowStuffWorks, and More HowStuffWorks, and two unillustrated paperbacks, How Much Does the Earth Weigh? and What If?. HowStuffWorks puts out an educational magazine called "HowStuffWorks Express" for middle school students. The company has also released a series of HowStuffWorks trivia "LidRock" discs — CD-ROMs sold on fountain drink lids at Regal Theaters.

Howstuffworks recently acquired Mobil Travel Guide and Consumer Guide.

Howstuffworks.com spun off its international division when they went public (Nasdaq:HSWI) via an acquisition of INTAC, a China based company. In March 2007, HSW International launched its Portuguese website with headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Portuguese term for the site is Como Tudo Functiona, which means "how everything work". In June 2008, the Chinese site was launched with headquarters in Beijing, China. The URL roughly translates to "Knowledge Information Web".

On October 15, 2007, Discovery Communications announced it had acquired HowStuffWorks for US$250 million.