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Mental Floss
You know the stories of the great players who have shaped the Super Bowl, but how well do you know the man who made the big game possible? Pete Rozelle spent 29 years as the NFL's commissioner, so in honor of the Super Bowl, let's take a look at a few th
Ethan Trex|
Bill Parcells was one of the first coaches to be doused with celebratory Gatorade after a win. But who came up with the idea? Here are the answers to some burning questions about this fairly new tradition.
Ethan Trex|
When you look up at the night sky, almost every star appears to fluctuate rapidly in brightness, or blink in and out, or shift positions slightly. The little stars are twinkling, twinkling (the scientific term is scintillation or astronomical scintillatio
Matt Soniak|
This is sort of a trick question, as they technically didn’t wear “helmets,” but leather “flight caps” that covered the head and ears. These kept the pilots from getting too cold or going deaf while flying with their cockpit canopies open, which they some
Matt Soniak|
With all we've accomplished, it's easy to forget that people aren't always the dominant species. Here are eight stories of man-eating animals that remind us we really are still part of the food chain. 1. The Ghost and The
Rob Lammle|
Margaret Thatcher was the tough-talking Conservative face of British politics throughout the 1980s. You may know about her policies, but how well do you know the woman who was nicknamed "The Iron Lady"?
Ethan Trex|
It seems impossible to think that a city could have an underground rail system that most people don't even know about. But that's the case with these four secret subways hidden beneath the bustling streets of some of America's biggest cities.
Rob Lammle|
We often write their names on the "Pay to the Order of" lines of our donation checks, but how well do we know the inspiring people behind some of our favorite charities and foundations? A lot of charitable foundations are named after the celebrities or
Ethan Trex|
If you're doing any air travel this winter, chances are you'll end up spending quite a bit of time sitting in airports. During those layovers, your mind may wander.
Ethan Trex|
It's every pizza delivery driver's worst nightmare. Once upon a time, you could have paid for your food order with a nice, fresh $10,000 bill.
Ethan Trex|
Where to start a post about LeBron James and renaissance except in the dark ages of the basketball town where I live. Some context first: The last championship in our city was in 1964. Not that anyone is counting but you could sooner make money deliverin
Bud Shaw|
It's Elvis' 75th birthday! I'm sure he's out there celebrating somewhere with a Fool's Gold sandwich. To celebrate his birthday here on the _floss, we thought we'd forego the calories and check out some rather interesting cover versions of his songs inst
Stacy Conradt|
You don't earn a nickname like "Mr. Las Vegas" without leading a pretty interesting life. Let's take a look at five things you might not know about the child star who became one of America's most beloved crooners. 1. He Got an Early
Ethan Trex|
If you're reading this post, you probably love trivia and game shows as much of the rest of us _flossers. So chances are you've watched at least one episode of Cash Cab on Discovery Channel, right? And chances are you've wondered whether it was rigged or
David K. Israel|
One thing I learned watching the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street DVD: Oscar the Grouch was originally orange. Jim Henson decided to make him green before the second season of Sesame Street. How did Oscar explain the color change? He said he went on vaca
Jason English|
Kate Erbland|
Kate Horowitz|
The world has plenty of strange species that at first glance appear to be hybrids of unrelated species because they have attributes that surprise us.
Miss Cellania|
In the quaint times before they had Twitter and YouTube at their disposal, NFL teams could only express themselves in one way: through terrible, terrible songs. For a stretch between 1985 and the early 1990s, group songs featuring football teams were at
Ethan Trex|
Most of us remember our college roommates as partners in crime who ate all our Easy Mac. Some famous athletes may remember their roommates as "that four-time Super Bowl winner who slept on the bottom bunk," though. Here's a look at 11 famous roommate p
Ethan Trex|
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