Greetings, earthling. People all over the world—from Albania to Zimbabwe, from Belarus to Vietnam—generally answer their phones using some variation on the standard “hello”: Hallo? Alo! Halo? A lô! Hola? Alio! But as far as international salutations go, “hello” is a relative newcomer. It went global just in the last century or so, kit and caboodle with the spread of the telephone. It originally comes from either Old High German or French, according to the folks at the Oxford English... READ ON
With the season of backyard barbecues upon us, we thought you could use a history lesson on everyone’s favorite lawn ornament. From the plastic bird's birth to its modern perch atop the pyramid of campy Americana, here’s the quick-and-dirty on the hot pink queen of kitsch. The Birth of a National... READ ON
1. The oldest documented bikinis—haute, bandeau-style little numbers—show up in a 1,700 year old Roman mosaic entitled Chamber of the Ten Maidens. A bevy of ancient, bikini-clad babes are depicted playing sports. 2. Earlier this year, Brooklyn-based designer Andrew Schneider invented the first solar powered bikini—the “iKini”—which produces enough electricity to power an iPod during a sunny day at the beach. Just remember to unplug it, the inventor says, before taking a dip. 3. The... READ ON
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court threw out a colossal class-action suit against Wal-Mart on behalf of about 1.5 million female workers, who claimed the retail behemoth had discriminated against them in both promotions and wages. The court didn’t say whether or not Wal-Mart had indeed discriminated against the ladies—only that the suit could not continue as a class-action suit. The court’s decision has shined a spotlight on other large class-action cases, the future of anti-discrimination... READ ON
In Spring of 2010, Haley Sweetland Edwards took us on a tour of Yemen for the Spinning the Globe section of mental_floss magazine. Here's her explanation of the current situation, followed by an excerpt from last year's Yemen... READ ON
5 Questions: Boys Behaving Badly
Lesser-Known Founding Fathers
How big is Big Bird? 8 feet, 2 inches.
