Cover Story:

An A-Z Guide to 46 Outlaws!

The fellers at mental_floss decided it was 'bout time someone done cleaned up this joint. So we rustled up a posse and scared us up the most rotten apples history had to offer. From Al Capone to Miss Cleo, Bonnie and Clyde to Henry Kissinger, we've got all the roughest, toughest (and occasionally dumbest) good-fer-nuthin's from A to Z. But because we know that bad boys tend to set folks' hearts a-flutterin' and make their knees go all week, you should be forewarned. Keep an eye on yer daughters and lock up yer doors, 'cause the outlaws are comin' to town!

Features:

It's a Blunderful Life: Embarrassing Moments in Engineering

By Mark Fischetti
Donald Trump's hair? Michael Jackson's nose? While they might be the best known "engineering disasters" in the world, they're certainly not the biggest. From the $15 billion spent on a sinking airport to a pedestrian bridge so rocky it made dignitaries sick, Mark Fischetti digs up some of the boldest, most expensive, and most regrettable engineering moments in modern history.

5 Freds You Should Know

By Ryan Wallace
Really, the title says it all, right? Good. Because we thought of a lot of titles that didn't. Better Off Fred, Voices in My Fred, Fred the Wealth, Fred Dawn, Best Freds Forever, Hunt for Fred October, The Best Fred Since Sliced Bread … We could keep going, but we're afraid our editor will get Fred up with the idea. O.k., seriously, we're stopping now. Just turn to page 52 and get yourself acquainted before we think of more.

Vanishing Act: Explaining the Mystery of the Maya

By John W. Hoopes
We've misplaced a lot of things over the years: car keys, glasses … our dignity. So, suffice to say that when people told us the Mayan civilization was "lost," we immediately assumed they were just looking in the wrong place. "Check under the couch cushions!" we cried. "Try the garage!" But to no avail. Thankfully, that's when anthropologist John Hoopes stepped in. Turns out the Maya didn't disappear at all, and their civilization didn't need any supernatural help to topple. So, what did happen? John Hoopes has got the dirt, and he's spilling all the Maya's little secrets on page 60.

scatter_brained:

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

By Paul Davidson
All we wanted was a pleasant little Scatterbrained about pop music. So we told that nice Paul Davidson boy to get us some behind-the-scenes dish on George Gershwin. You know, find out what makes the Andrews Sisters and Lawrence Welk tick. But the next time we turned around, there was Paul—sporting blue suede shoes, love beads, a Mohawk, a flannel shirt, and Hammer pants. He said he'd "discovered rock ‘n' roll," and wanted to tell us about everything from the craziest drummers to the weirdest merchandising schemes to the hardest working groupies in the biz (whatever that means). But the kid might be on to something. It's only rock ‘n' roll, but we've gotta admit, we think we like it.

left_brain:

Mad Scientist of the Month: Tycho Brahe

By William S. Kirby
Abandoned by his parents, kidnapped by an uncle, given to drink and ill-advised duels—Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe's life could have made any scientist go mad. But, as William Kirby reveals, Brahe took all his "crazy" and channeled it into some of history's most astronomical achievements. Maybe that's because Brahe always had a best friend to lean on in times of trouble—his trusty pet moose.

How Hypnosis Works

By Kevin Bonsor, HowStuffWorks

spinning_the globe:

50-Cent Tour:

Guatemala

Your Guatemala Cheat Sheet

right_brain:

5 Literary Theories You've Never Understood (Until Now)

by Dr. Julie Steward
In the age of the Victorian gingerbread, Antoni Gaudí was something of an architectural fruitcake. His unorthodox forms and artistic flourishes earned him both rabid fans and fierce detractors. But in the 21st century, he’ll probably be best remembered for Sagrada Familia, the whacked-out, sky-scraping cathedral he obsessed over for the majority of his life. Read on as Elizabeth Lunday explores one of Barcelona’s most celebrated (and most incomplete) masterpieces.

Masterpieces:

Raphael's "The Madonna of the Pinks"

By Robert Cumming