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Mental Floss
Installment #4: After the Second Moroccan Crisis, as European leaders confronted the suddenly very real possibility of a continent-wide war, internal political tensions in Germany moved into the foreground. The sweeping victory by left-wing Social Democra
Erik Sass|
Blizzard image via Shutterstock Forty years ago this week, the deadliest blizzard on record ripped through the lower Caucasus and into Iran, where it left 4,000 people dead. The Blizzard of 1972, as this hellish storm has come to be known, wasn’t your ru
Haley Sweetland Edwards|
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Mars has long fascinated people. One of the few objects in the night sky to show a visible color and the only one that wandered, it was a natural draw. As astronomy blossomed and scientists realized that it was another wo
Calli Arcale|
Cat image via Shutterstock The other night, I watched a YouTube video featuring a woman standing on her bed, holding a cat upside down by its feet, then repeatedly dropping the cat onto the mattress. Amazingly, every time the cat was released, it immedia
Bill DeMain|
If the ceremonial coin toss before Sunday’s Super Bowl turns up heads, everyone enrolled in the Papa John’s customer loyalty program will win a free large one-topping pizza and a two-liter bottle of Pepsi Max. Thousands of other fans will collect on a 50-
Scott Allen|
© Anthony J. Causi/Icon SMI/Corbis Sunday will mark the 17th time that NBC has broadcast the Super Bowl, tying it with CBS for the most in NFL history. Here’s a brief history of the Super Bowl on TV. The AFL-NFL World Championship Game Simulcast In 1967
Scott Allen|
Apple's "1984" ad actually ran once before it "premiered" on 1984's Super Bowl—it ran late at night in December 1983.
Chris Higgins|
February may be the shortest month of the year, but there is certainly no shortage of unusual holidays to celebrate. February 4th: Ice Cream for Breakfast
Laura Turner Garrison|
Of all the honors that the Queen of England bestows on her subjects, a knighthood is easily the most coveted. To British citizens, few titles could be greater than having a “Sir” or “Dame” in front of their name. So what kind of person would turn down suc
Mark Juddery|
For everyone who is or was a teen, here are some scientific explanations for why they behave that way.
Kathy Benjamin|
So I'm up in Seattle this week, staying at a hotel some blocks from the original Starbucks (which, it turns out, isn't REALLY the original, but rather the second location, which was situated better for marketing purposes, but who's counting).
David K. Israel|
Here are a few fascinating points in the history of the great musical equalizer.
Jill Harness|
Here are six of the coolest, strangest, and most endangered animals repping countries today.
Maggie Ryan Sandford|
This question was submitted by reader Lindsey. It also may have been part of a Starburst advertising campaign in the
Matt Soniak|
Some of the world’s most famous, civilization-altering discoveries happened by accident. Take Penicillin, for example. The guy who discovered it, Sir Alexander Fleming, simply forgot to clean up his work station one night and returned to discover the worl
Haley Sweetland Edwards|
Installment #3: After the Second Moroccan Crisis, Europe’s political and military leaders were hurriedly making preparations for a possible continent-wide war – but some of the fiercest power struggles were internal. The tension caused by these domestic p
Erik Sass|
From its start in 1963, Doctor Who has heavily featured the future and the past -- but stories based on current events have also been part of the series. While it isn't quite Law & Order, sometimes we do get to see Doctor Who: Ripped from the Headlines!
Calli Arcale|
The Short Answer: No one knows, but the search has been interesting.The Long Answer: Getting a pink slip usually means you're fired.
Matt Soniak|
Here are six legendary animals that lived a lot longer than most pets.
Kathy Benjamin|
Everyone's favorite board games get a whole lot more fun when they're super-sized. (Also: the pieces are harder to lose.) We've gathered up a collection of jumbo variations on classic board games—if you think we've missed a good one, let us know in the co
Andréa Fernandes|
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