Issue Contents

Sept-Oct 2006: The 5th Annual 10 Issue

Cover Story:

The 10 Issue

We're sorry, Number 10, but this has got to stop. We've made four fantastic themed issues together--and we'll always look back on those fondly--but that's all in the past. It's time to move on now. It's not you, Number 10. It's us. Wait. What's that behind your back? Flowers? And a collection of lists about everything from the most amazing coins on Earth to holidays Hallmark hasn't ruined? Is all that for us? Oh, 10, you shouldn't have. C'mere, ya big lug. You know we could never stay mad at you.

Features:

10 Facts About Iraq (That You Won't Hear on the Nightly News)

By David Axe
Sure, you know the Iraq of the headlines--the Iraq that's broken and frustrated and desperately trying to piece itself back together. But do you know the Iraq that David Axe knows? In a land where airlines are thriving, sheep are riding shotgun, and citizens are guzzling orange soda, one thing is certain: The news camera may never blink, but it sure does miss a lot of the details.

10 Coins that Aren't Boring

By David A. Norris
If you think coin collecting ranks right up there between turnip carving and rectangle spotting on the All-Time Most Boring Pastimes list, then David A. Norris would like a word. From Spanish pirate money, to racketeered coins, to an enormous harpoon-like penny that could probably kill a zebra, get ready to change all your thoughts about change.

10 Religious Holidays Not Yet Exploited By Hallmark

By Michael Kress
Looking to take the day off, but all your excuses are feeling stale? Well, why not turn to God? Or, more specifically, gods? Thanks to lots of hard work and plenty of compulsive interfaith hopping, religion expert Michael Kress is serving up the lowdown on 10 little-known holidays worth marking on your calendar. From Buddha's Birthday to Mormon Pioneer Day, here's to putting the "fun" back in fundamentalism.

10 TV Shows That Changed The World

By Mark Juddery
TV or not TV? That is the question. And while many a parent has flat-out stated that it's nobler not to waste your time in front of the small screen, Mark Juddery makes a pretty strong argument for why doing homework and getting fresh air are overrated. After all, if a soap opera could topple a dictator and a sci-fi program could enthrall Martin Luther King, Jr., then maybe it's time we put television back on the pedestal where it belongs.

10 Most Important Days in the History of the Universe

By Lawrence M. Krauss

Einstein Lives! 10 Places You'd Never Think to Find Albert

By Kenn McCracken and Wade Kwon

scatter_brained:

College

By Kelly Ferguson, Jeff Fleischer, John Green, & David K. Israel
They say your college years are the best of your life, but who's got that kind of time to make cherished memories? That's why we're squeezing four years of fun, education, and "broadened horizons" into nine easy-to-read pages. From how to survive orientation, to study abroad programs your parents definitely won't be thrilled about (i.e., bullfighting school), to why some colleges are OK with a little plagiarism on the football field, mental_floss has recruited four trusty big men to give you the complete university tour. Live it, love it, and don't forget to send us a tuition check when you're finished.

right_brain:

10 Shocking Stories About America's First Ladies

By Cormac O'Brien
If you thought lecherous presidents and unethical cabinet members were the only Washingtonians worth gossiping about, perhaps you should take a closer look at the plight of the desperate White House wife. From suspected murderers, to public tantrums, to uncontrollable shopping addictions, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is starting to look a whole lot more like Wisteria Lane. Read on as Cormac O'Brien spills all.