mental_floss » Mark Juddery

10 Famous People Who Turned Down a Knighthood

Of all the honors that the Queen of England bestows on her subjects, a knighthood is easily the most coveted. To British citizens, few titles could be greater than having a “Sir” or “Dame” in front of their name. So what kind of person would turn down such a title? Surprisingly enough, many notables have [...]

10 Not-So-Famous People We Lost in 2011

It's been a solemn year for celebrity deaths. But there were also those influential, inspiring, or simply fascinating people who were not nearly as famous, but should be saluted nonetheless for their great feats.

11 Classic Songs That Were Banned

Radio stations have censored or banned records for almost as long as they have been playing them. (Billie Holliday’s 1939 song “Strange Fruit,” which helped to inspire the civil rights movement, was banned by many Southern stations.) But since the coming of rock’n'roll in the 1950s, famous pop songs have been banned from airplay, or [...]

9 Things Everyone Should Know About North Dakota

North Dakota made a man out of Teddy Roosevelt and now has a bustling economy. And it might not even be a state.

8 Movie Star Life Stories (That Were Completely Made Up)

8 Movie Star Life Stories That Were Completely Made Up

Here are eight actors and actresses whose life stories (or significant parts thereof) were as fictional as the movies they starred in.

5 Memorable Moments in Comic Book Censorship

Mark Juddery takes a look at what happened when comic book characters ran afoul of The Comics Code.

Spider-Man’s 8 Boldest Moments

Spider-Man is the most important comic book superhero of the past 50 years – and the main reason is because he’s always been daring. Even when he was introduced in 1962, by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he was a brave concept: a superhero motivated not by altruism (like Superman and most others), [...]

Remembering 10 People We Lost in 2010

Mark Juddery takes a look back at 10 people we lost in 2010 who are worth remembering — even if you've never heard of them.

10 Disabled Comic Book Superheroes

One of the great things about comics is that characters can be physically disabled, yet still be superhuman. Here are some of the great disabled superheroes. 1. Dr. Mid-Nite This DC Comics hero was introduced in 1941, teaming up with do-gooders like the Flash and the Green Lantern throughout World War II. Originally physician Dr. [...]

10 Famous Lost Films

10 Famous
Lost Films

If you stumble upon one of the following movies, perhaps hidden in a warehouse or under the floorboards, please let someone know.