Mental Floss
In an effort to substantiate an old tale of an Inuit who crafted a knife out of feces, a Kent State University professor attempted to forge a similar tool from his own poop. The results stunk.
mentalfloss .com|
Dogs that dig into the ground after relieving themselves aren't trying to bury their waste. They're leaving a fecal message for other dogs.
mentalfloss .com|
A colossal volcanic eruption covered an ancient Mediterranean city in ash and preserved its remains until the present day—and no, we’re not talking about Pompeii.
Claire Cock-Starkey|
In the mid-1990s, a line of pellet-filled plush toys ignited one of the oddest speculative booms of the early internet. Beanie Babies, introduced by Ty Inc. in
Pierre Raymond|
This riddle comes from a book published in 1868—can you figure out the answer?
Paul Anthony Jones|
Half a century after the most famous ship in Great Lakes history vanished during a storm, the cause is still a mystery.
Benjamin Lampkin, Caitlin Schneider|
Winterizing isn’t exactly glamorous, but it’s an important task that can save you from a lot of trouble once the cold hits—and now is the time to get started.
Sam Hindman|
A little piglet named Billy Ray might have had something to do with it.
Jake Rossen|
The design for train tracks hasn’t changed much over the last 200 years, and jagged stones are essential to its success.
Marla Mackoul|
Alongside the famous magician, Mackenberg helped debunk hundreds of spiritualists during a period of intense mourning in the country.
Marley Jaeger|
The riddle below dates back to 1904—can you figure it out?
Paul Anthony Jones|
We might have co-living spaces to thank for this strange idiom.
Paul Anthony Jones|
John Humphrey Noyes wanted to build a heaven on Earth—but for Charles Guiteau, life at the Oneida Community was a living hell.
Erin McCarthy|
As anyone who’s seen the movie ‘Titanic’ already knows, the ship didn’t sink immediately. So how long was the process?
Ellen Gutoskey|
Phantom energy is the easiest line on your electricity bill to tackle—and it’s not as mysterious as its name suggests.
Lauren Dana|
Some of them rival the originals.
Michele Debczak|
Careful study of surviving documents and specimens, as well as a little science, have revealed a bit about the dodo.
Erin McCarthy|
From ‘cakewalk’ to ‘no can do,’ the origins of these common idioms and sayings are surprisingly dark.
Alvin Ward|
The ‘Misery’ star’s grandfather believed that Lincoln’s assassin lived another 40 years after he was supposedly killed by the government in late April 1865. His proof? The mummified corpse he kept in his garage.
Jake Rossen|
The specimen might be our greatest opportunity to unlock the mysteries surrounding how the bird behaved, how it lived, how it evolved, and how it died.
Erin McCarthy|
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