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Mental Floss
Installment #34: By September 1912, Europe was divided into two alliance blocs, knit together by treaties both secret and public: on one side there was the alliance between France and Russia, which was augmented by the increasingly friendly entente cordia
Erik Sass|
The National Muscular Dystrophy Association announced that in 2011, for the first time since 1966, Jerry Lewis would not be headlining the annual MDA Telethon for "Jerry's Kids." After earning more than $2 billion, the show was going on without him. Here'
Eddie Deezen|
"American Pie” Written and performed by Don
Bill DeMain|
They don’t, technically. It’s actually their larvae, or caterpillars, that eat clothes, not the adult moths.It’s only a relatively small group of moths, the family Tineidae, that have any interest in your clothing. Throughout much of the US, you’ll only f
Matt Soniak|
by Brendan Spiegel 1. The Convention Turned
the mag|
Alternate history, long popular with fiction writers, has also been explored by historians and journalists. Here are some of their intriguing
Mark Juddery|
While they might be bright red when they hit your dinner plate, crabs and lobsters are usually brown, olive-green or gray when alive and in the wild (at least in the mid-Atlantic U.S.; crustaceans farther south come in a variety of vibrant colors).
Matt Soniak|
How they got their names, and what they were almost called.
Rob Lammle|
In colonial times, it was considered ungentlemanly, corrupt, and downright sleazy to openly solicit votes through campaign speeches and advertisements. Instead, upstanding politicians engaged in an old and cherished tradition called “swilling the planters
Julia Davis|
It's hard to understand just how far medical science has progressed over the last hundred years ... until you look at what passed for standard, advisable treatment back then. Here are 19 doctor-approved ideas from Mother's Remedies: Over One Thousand Trie
Adrienne Crezo|
by Seth Colter Walls Just 13 years after President Richard Nixon’s resignation, a heroic opera about him seemed like a sure flop. Today, it’s part of the global
the mag|
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard identified 57 areas that people who reached the higher levels of Scientology would be able to control. Here are some of the things he and the current organization’s leadership claim will make you unlike any people ever to come bef
Kathy Benjamin|
Installment #33: By the end of August 1912 the situation in the Ottoman Empire was catastrophic, as ethnic conflict in the Balkans spiraled out of control, giving the Balkan League – a loose alliance of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece – the prete
Erik Sass|
Today is the 78th birthday of Kenny Baker, the actor inside R2-D2 in each of the six Star Wars films. So let's learn a bit more about him.1. He Doesn’t Have A Ton of Affection For His Fellow DroidBaker has, on a number of occasions, described his less tha
Colin Patrick|
Oops, you just said: Testicles.
Romy Oltuski|
When the Curiosity rover landed on Mars, we were all excited. Victory! The engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the many companies that worked with it saw seven years of effort pay off in one nail-biting event. It was glorious! But then I sta
Miss Cellania|
After a few beers at the bar, even the most ridiculous ideas start to seem like The One That Will Make Millions. Sometimes, though, those ideas actually pan out. Here are a few reasons to take your next tipsy brainstorming session a little more seriously.
Stacy Conradt|
Most of us are aware that you can trademark a slogan, a logo, and a name, but did you know that it is also possible to trademark a sound? Of course, in order to get approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, said sound must “uniquely ide
Kara Kovalchik|
While some of these students were eventually awarded their diplomas, the content of their speeches was deemed too hot for commencement.1. Kaitlin
Adrienne Crezo|
Alton Brown’s Nog of AgesRecipe Courtesy Alton Brown,
Alton Brown|
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