How It Works

Welcome to How It Works, the magazine that explains everything you never knew you wanted to know about the world we live in. Loaded with fully illustrated guides and expert knowledge, and with sections dedicated to science, technology, transportation, space, history and the environment, no subject is too big or small for How It Works to explain.

WELCOME • Issue 217

Global eye

GLOBAL EYE • Showcasing the incredible world we live in

WISH LIST • The latest tech for SUMMER

HOW TO WIN THE WORLD CUP • The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in history, bringing cutting-edge technologies, training techniques and superstar athlete biology to football’s ultimate spectacle

ON BOARD THE ORION SPACECRAFT • Discover what happened in the space capsule during the recent Artemis II mission, as a group of astronauts travelled around the Moon

WHAT IF… EARTH HAD TWO MOONS? • Our planet only has one natural satellite, but if things had happened differently, might it have had two? And if so, what difference would it make?

WORLD’S LARGEST STEAM LOCOMOTIVE • See inside Big Boy 4014, an enormous steam engine that weighs more than a full Boeing 747

20 BIGGEST MYSTERIES ABOUT PLANET EARTH • There’s still a lot to be discovered about the place we call home

HOW THE SAHARA DESERT FORMED • This vast, arid expanse has gone through several changes throughout Earth’s history. Here’s why it switched from a leafy paradise to hot desert dunes

WHAT ARE THE BLOOD FALLS? • In Antarctica, this crimson waterfall emerges from a bloody pool deep under the ice

HOW SPORTS CHEATS CHEAT • What happens when athletic competitiveness turns into foul play?

HOW CLAY IS MADE INTO POTTERY • The science behind the shaping, glazing and firing of vases, pots and bowls

HOW ANTISEPTICS WORK • These chemical compounds are pathogen destroyers that can save lives

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE EXPLAINED • How this famous 250-year- old document formed the basis of a new nation and changed the world

WHAT ARE PRIEST HOLES? • These hidden places were a lifeline for Catholic priests during the 16th century

ALL ABOUT THE TOUR DE FRANCE • Discover the science and technology at the core of one of the world’s toughest road races

WHAT ARE SEA MINES? • These hidden military weapons float just beneath the waves

BRAINDUMP • Amazing answers to your curious questions

THE LIBRARY • The latest book releases for curious minds

BRAIN GYM • Give your brain a puzzle workout

HOW TO… • Practical projects to try at home

INBOX • Speak your mind

How It Works

FAST FACTS • Amazing trivia that will blow your mind