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Mental Floss
If you're just taking a jiffy to read this, I've got news for you: your time was up a long time ago. A lot of the measurement figures of speech we use have actual numbers behind them - read on to find out what you're actually saying when you ask for a smi
Stacy Conradt|
Most modern alphabets start with the letter “A,” or a near equivalent. It was also first in line in the ancient Greek and Phoenician—from which the Modern English alphabet is ultimately descended—alphabets, too. Being the gateway to the other letters and
Matt Soniak|
The Global Language Monitor estimates that there are currently 1,009,753 words in the English language. Despite this large lexicon, many nuances of human experience still leave us tongue-tied. And that’s why sometimes it’s necessary to turn to other langu
Bill DeMain|
Actor Bryan Cranston finally made his triumphant return as Breaking Bad’s Walter White last week. In honor of the critically acclaimed show’s fourth season, let’s take a look at five things you may not know about its Emmy-winning leading man. 1. He’s Go
Ethan Trex|
During America’s infancy, the government didn’t want to put President George Washington or any of the Founding Fathers on U.S. currency. Since government-issued coins had first appeared in the world, it was common for the faces of kings, queens and empero
Matt Soniak|
Indulge your inner goodfella by reading about some of the most gruesome and infamous mafia-related murders of all time.
David K. Israel|
When you hear the name Muzak, you probably think of the type of easy listening music one often encounters in elevators or while on hold at a call center. Where does the term Muzak come from, and where does the actual music originate?
Ethan Trex|
Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, William Taliaferro Close was the personal physician of President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. He was also the chief doctor of the army. When the President reportedly fled to France when Ebola threatened to spread across Africa li
Stacy Conradt|
You probably know that numismatists study and collect coins and currency, and you may even know that philatelists study and collect stamps. But other groups of collectors have their own less-heralded nouns, too.
Ethan Trex|
It appears the Third Reich pioneered one of the weirder sides of human sexuality—catering to the need of lonely men to have intercourse with inflatable
Erik Sass|
Dry ice—or solid carbon dioxide, as it’s more specifically called—is a staple item in middle and high school science classes. But it’s also easily obtainable for anyone who wants to experiment with it in the comfort of his or her own home. While you still
Allison Lex|
Only one in six Americans now have blue eyes, down from roughly 50 percent at the beginning of the 20th century
Jason Plautz|
© ALI HAIDER/epa/Corbis Back in May, The Washington Post reported that Libyan rebels had obtained funds by “liberating” government assets worth $505 million in the Central Bank of Libya’s Benghazi branch. Ali Tarhouni (pictured), the rebels’ minister of
Erik Sass|
Greetings, earthling. People all over the world—from Albania to Zimbabwe, from Belarus to Vietnam—generally answer their phones using some variation on the standard “hello”: Hallo? Alo! Halo? A lô! Hola? Alio! But as far as international salutations go,
Haley Sweetland Edwards|
The inventor of Silly Putty probably didn’t find the substance that silly. Not only did he not make any money off of it, he doesn’t even get a clean claim at the invention: at least two men have insisted it was his happy accident that resulted in the toy.
Stacy Conradt|
We’ve seen plenty of athletes—probably too many—try to become musicians. But what happens when it goes the other way?
Jason Plautz|
You ever wake up and have lots of crust in the inner corner of your eye? What is this stuff, and where does it come from?
Matt Soniak|
The first gasoline pump certainly didn't exist for the purpose of fueling cars - though Karl Benz was tinkering with the idea, cars weren’t even invented yet. Created in 1885, that first pump was there to dispense fuel for stoves and kerosene lamps. It su
Stacy Conradt|
I've never been a lip balm user. This is because I tend to avoid things that my friends find addictive -- and I've had friends who have been, dare I say, addicted to lip balm since elementary school. After a few hours without it, they're clearly jonesin
Chris Higgins|
These days, damp, rainy spells usually inspire us to curl up on the couch and watch an American Pickers marathon (tell me that's not just me). But back in 1816 - also known as "The Year Without a Summer" - the results were much different. The summer was r
Stacy Conradt|
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