Cover Story:
The 25 Most Important Questions in the History of the Universe
People magazine has its 50 Most Beautiful People. Time has a Person of the year. And mental_floss ... well, we wanted a highly coveted (and arbitrarily numbered) list of our own, too. So, after a rigid selection process, we're proud to reveal the 25 Most Important Questions in the History of the Universe. Congratulations to lucky winners such as "Can a pregnant woman drive in the carpool lane?" and "Was turkey a bird or a country first?" Sure, the word on the street is that the chicken/egg question was pretty angry it didn't get a nod, and "the meaning of life" was a little upset as well, but hey, you can't please all the questions all the time.
Features:
A Snitch in Time: Tattletales who Changed the World
by Christopher Connelly
IThe Heads on Mount Rushmore. Billy the Singing Bass. Sure, they all have big mouths, but it takes more than large lips and giant jaws to make a top-notch tattletale. A real snitch needs cunning, determination, and just a touch of troublemaking mischievousness. From Judas Iscariot to Deep Throat, Christopher Connelly rats out the tellers behind history's greatest tattlers.
Take Me to Your Litter: Why Garbology is More Than Junk Science
by Diane McDilda
Who says digging through trash is only for hobos and stalkers? These days, landfills are labs for top archaeologists and anthropologists like Dr. William Rathje, whose dumpster discoveries are attracting the attention of government and big business alike. Yeah, we could have made one of those "it's a dirty job ..." jokes here, but we suggest heading straight for the finer writing available on page 50 instead.
The Ice Road Cometh: The Mission to Build a Highway to the South Pole
by Jeffrey D. Warren
Paved with packed snow and good intentions, a road to the South Pole is fast becoming reality. But don't plan that Spring Break road trip to Antarctica just yet. Before it can be finished, the ice highway will have to overcome snow swamps, tractor-swallowing crevasses, and angry environmentalists. Jeff Warren delivers the cold, hard facts.
scatter_brained:
First Call for Alcohol!
by John Green
John Green really took one for the team on this one. When we asked him to research and write this issue's Scatterbrained on cocktails, we also told him we weren't going to settle for any run-of-the-mill Bud Light, or even some Smirnoff. We wanted only the rarest, rawest, most body-jolting facts he could get his hands on. We're talking moonshine research here, people. So make sure the authorities are nowhere in sight, hand over your car keys to a friend, and toss back some stiff shots of the best trivia this side of the Mississippi. From White Russians to schtick bars to James Bond's martini faux pas, there's enough here to entertain you under the table. Bottoms up!
right_brain:
Masterpieces:
D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers
by
Kathleen Dixon Donnelly
Van Gogh's "The Starry Night"
by Robert Cumming
left_brain:
Mad Scientist of the Month: Pythagoras
by Paul Davidson
Everyone knows low-carb diets seem to fly these days, but if someone told you 20 years ago that they were planning to shed pounds by eating nothing but bacon, you'd probably have thought they were certifiable. Yup, it's pretty clear there's a fine line between crazy and ahead of your time, and the ancient whiz kid Pythagoras walked that tightrope like a Flying Wallenda. And while going on a spiritual quest to Egypt, avoiding meat like the plague, and forming a cult wouldn't have been that out of place in the 1970's, these habits stood out a tad in ancient Greece. No wonder he pulls rank as this month's Mad Scientist.
What's in a Number? How Social Security Cards Work
by Marshall Brain, HowStuffWorks
spinning_the globe:
50-Cent Tour:
Antarctica
Your Antarctica Cheat Sheet
by Miho Kubagawa
Recently, we caught on to the glory that is work-related tax deductions. Coincidentally, this was around the same time we decided mental_floss needed to do a story on Hawaiian vacations. Unfortunately, the IRS didn't see it our way, and we were soon left scrambling for a story that didn't appear so "illegal." Hence, we settled on Antarctica. Not exactly Club Med, but the frozen continent did pack a few surprises. After all, where else can you hunt for meteorites, get rewarded with beer for helping your community, and run in the world's coldest marathon? The 50-Cent Tour has the scoop on these and other attractions. Just don't tell the feds.
plus_the usual departments:
[10]
Animal Phrase Origins
[know_your dough]
What's Causing China's Economic Boom?
[underground_education]
Why Pirates Were a Government's Best Friend
[the_dead guy interview]
Amelia Earhart
[the_quiz]