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Mental Floss
Cyndi Lauper and Lou Albano gave professional wrestling a huge promotional boost in the 1980s, but some of us remember the golden days when wrestling was gritty showmanship without the million-dollar production budgets. See how many of these stars of yest
Kara Kovalchik|
From presidential kisses to witchcraft to events that may or may not have actually even occurred, plaques are rich and often underestimated sources of history that’s weird, funny, or just plain creepy.
Maureen Monahan|
See what happens when show business meets real business.
Jennifer M Wood|
Chris Higgins|
English spelling is hard. It's hard for kids to learn it, and it's hard for adults who have already learned it to remember how to do it right. It would be nice to have some consistent, general rules to go by, but alas, there are few. Maybe none. Even the
Arika Okrent|
What happens when you consider the larger cost of everyday annoyances? Statistics!
Amanda Green|
Just as today pirates walk into cinemas around the world and record movies from the screen to sell as knock-off DVDs before a major release, so back in the 1600s unscrupulous businessmen would walk into the pit at plays and commit an equivalent act of pir
Chris Stokel-Walker|
Chris Higgins|
"The intelligence office of the 509th Bombardment group at Roswell Army Air Field announced at noon today, that the field has come into possession of a flying saucer." So started the Daily Record front-page story 66 years ago that launched a thousand UFO
Erik van Rheenen|
Miss Cellania|
Some of these objects do have modern counterparts. Most serve needs we no longer have.
Therese Oneill|
By adding shm- to words, you can be simultaneously grumpy and cute. But there are some words that cause confusion about how the shm- should best be attached.
Arika Okrent|
The use of miniatures in these films is so subtle that we’re still kicking ourselves for believing that cars can fly, and that cities were harmed in the making of these movies.
Erik Sofge|
Judy Dutton|
Blushing is an involuntary reaction that seems to serve no purpose beyond making an embarrassing situation even worse.
Caisey Robertson|
Some of the greatest creators of all time have ponied up their own cash to see their works in print.
Clay Wirestone|
Hello Kitty and Godzilla aren’t the only unassuming critters to brutally conquer the Land of the Rising Sun.
Ethan Trex|
On a cloudy spring day, a little spider scales a tall blade of grass. At the peak, the spider arches up, points its abdomen up to the sky and begins releasing strands of silk from its silk glands. Tens of thousands of strands fill the air, fanning out and
Matt Soniak|
Will McGough answers today's Big Question.
Will McGough|
The golden years of tennis balls can be filled with purpose.
Jessica Bloustein Marshall|
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