Cover Story:

Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets

They say cheaters never prosper, but neither do people who sound like fools at social events! If you want to get the job, get the girl, or simply upgrade to a better class of friends, you're going to need something interesting to talk about. And that's exactly where mental_floss comes in. From Machiavelli to James Joyce's Ulysses, we'll have you sounding like an expert with minimal effort. So, go on, cheat a little. You have nothing to lose but your boring conversations.

Features:

Successions of a Dangerous Mind: Kim Il Sung's North Korean Dynasty (and Who Takes The Wheel Next)

By Greg Veis
For 46 years, Kim Il Sung wasn't just North Korea's ruler, he was its God. According to national legend, the rebel fighter singlehandedly liberated the country from Japanese oppression and gave Koreans back their pride. But what happens when God dies and all the propaganda he's left starts wearing thin? Greg Veis explores the story of two rising sons, one unstable country, and the power struggle that's about to unfold.

Judging a Book By Its Cover: 12 Book Designers Who Changed the Publishing Industry Forever

By Jason Tselentis
For 46 years, Kim Il Sung wasn't just North Korea's ruler, he was its God. According to national legend, the rebel fighter singlehandedly liberated the country from Japanese oppression and gave Koreans back their pride. But what happens when God dies and all the propaganda he's left starts wearing thin? Greg Veis explores the story of two rising sons, one unstable country, and the power struggle that's about to unfold.

Food Fights: 3 Reasons Why the Fastest Way to a Nation's Military is Through Its Stomach

By Chris Connolly
Who knew playing with your food could have such dire consequences? Take the Sioux Nation, for instance, whose members once ended up battling the U.S. military for control of some BBQ. Or the British, who've gotten into no fewer than three wars with Iceland over fish! Dig in as well-fed author Chris Connolly serves up the facts on history's wildest culinary conflicts.

scatter_brained:

Fruit

By Doug Cantor, Jeff Fleischer, John Green, & David K. Israel
We know how hard it is to maintain a strict intellectual diet. Deep-fried facts and candy-coated trivia can be so hard to resist. But that's why mental_floss is serving up a truly tasty, sweet-yet-satisfying fruit-themed alternative. From the origins of "peachy keen" (and other swell phrases), to history's sorest losers and their sour grapes, to 19 essential banana talking points-we've whipped up the ultimate healthy snack for your brain. Just make sure you rinse and peel before digging in.

Six Degrees of Ken Jennings:

Silly String and String Theory

By Ken Jennings

right_brain:

Masterpieces:

Rodin's "The Thinker"

By Elizabeth Lunday

Ralph Ellision's invisible Man

By Greg Barnhisel

left_brain:

How Nicotine Works (and Why Doctors Might Start Prescribing It)

By howstuffworks.com
It's no secret that nicotine's been running with a bad crowd. All those late nights hanging out behind the 7-Eleven with tar and carcinogens have given it a pretty bad rap. But what if nicotine's just misguided? What if you separated it from its no-good friends, and suddenly, nicotine could help doctors cure diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's? Howstuffworks.com explains how a little mentoring and some tough love might just reform this delinquent drug.

Mother Earth vs. Motherboards: Can Your Tech Trash Save the Planet?

Interview with Mary Carmichael

spinning_the globe:

50-Cent Tour:

North Korea

How Shin Sang Ok Got Kidnapped, Got a Film Deal, and Got the Hell Out of North Korea

By Jessica Royer Ocken

plus_the usual departments:

[Underground Education]

The Shocking Truth Behind History's Most Profitable Pirate

By Maggie Koerth

Ordinarily, "girl power" isn't measured in heavy artillery units. Then again, Cheng I Sao's no ordinary girl. After her husband's death in 1807, this former prostitute built a band of ocean-going ruffians into an army 80,000 men strong, making her history's most successful pirate. Dive in as mental_floss' own Maggie Koerth explains.

[10]

10: Jobs You Didn't Hear About on Career Day

By Laurel Mills