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Mental Floss
Twenty years ago, it was impossible for most of us to listen to JRR Tolkien read Elvish or see Zelda Fitzgerald grin at a camera or hear an inebriated Hemingway shout about pigeons. But today, these and other rare recordings of famous authors are just a m
Joy Lanzendorfer|
"The grand ballroom of the Roosevelt Hotel won't serve food like that again this year," wrote Herbert B. Nichols in the Christian Science Monitor on January 17, 1951. In fact, it probably hasn't served food like that ever since.
Hannah Keyser|
Whenever Ankylosaurus is mentioned—in basic cable documentaries, cheap time-travel novels, or elsewhere—you might as well just start counting the seconds until somebody inevitably compares it to a tank. Equipped with defensive plating and a formidable tai
Mark Mancini|
Owning a casino isn't much of a gamble. In almost every game, the casino has a statistical advantage—so for every one gambler raking it in, there’s more than enough people leaving with empty pockets to net an enormous profit. But between the rolling dice
William Herkewitz|
But making videos wasn’t all glamour. Behind the scenes, the long days were filled with vomit, blood, and diarrhea. Here’s a brief look at the injuries and ailments behind some of the decade’s most iconic videos.
Mandy Savoie|
Were those prices as cheap as they sound in retrospect, or were they on par with what we’d pay today?
Kara Kovalchik|
In honor of Flip a Coin Day, here are four big decisions that came down to a simple question: Heads or tails?
Erik van Rheenen|
SCENEPAST has a library of more than 700 pinpointed film and TV locations to explore.
Rebecca OConnell|
And why do we rarely see 'second' or 'third' churches?
Matt Soniak|
Our primer on fermentation and some flavor compounds common to beer.
Clair McLafferty|
Lawyer, statesman, president, gadfly, New Englander: John Adams was a lot of things, but boring wasn't one of them.
Arthur Holland Michel|
Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes, and here are some examples of how deep show creators had to dig.
Christian Bond|
Two years after the sinking of the Titanic the world was gripped by news of yet another horrific maritime disaster—but developments behind the scenes foreshadowed something even worse.
Erik Sass|
Aaron Gordon|
These headlines were kind of boring. You'll never guess what happened next.
Arika Okrent|
They join you for breakfast every morning. Shouldn’t you get to know them better?
the mag|
Peter Tork was kind enough to take time out prior to the band’s May 30th show in Detroit to chat with Mental Floss about his life and some of the Monkees’ most iconic tunes.
Kara Kovalchik|
Kevin Lincoln|
A little fiscal etymology.
Arika Okrent|
Let it be known: Humans are not the only ones whose egos are bolstered by booze.
Jessica Hullinger|
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