The plague devastated Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but gave peasant families an unexpected advantage at the dinner table.

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Aldi founders Theo and Karl Albrecht reportedly split their companies in two due to a disagreement over cigarettes. Here's the story behind the origins of Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd, and Trader Joe's as we know it today.
Why is purple associated with royalty? The answer dates back thousands of years to an incredibly expensive dye made from sea snails.
A lot of people think that the “mare” in “nightmare” refers to a horse—like the one ominously poking its head past the curtain in Swiss painter Henry Fuseli’s 1
The average person in ancient Greece wasn't fighting monsters—they might have been a farmer, a physician, or a practitioner of mousikē.
See which pasta dish is the favorite in every state, from Alfredo and stuffed shells to penne alla vodka, pesto, and more.
Some of the villains from the 1990s are the most iconic in film history. How well can you remember the movie title just based on the villain name?
August 19 marks a significant day in history. Put your trivia expertise to the test with today’s 25 questions.
From streetlight curfews and landline phone chains to Blockbuster runs, here are seven nostalgic summer traditions from the pre-smartphone era today’s kids will never experience.
Believe it or not, these jobs from the Middle Ages still exist in 2026.
The childhood nickname had a surprisingly simple origin.
From books on the power of affirmations to histories about JFK, Yoko Ono's library provides insights into the avant-garde artist's worldview.
From AWOL to snapshot, explore five common everyday words and phrases that actually originated as military slang and wartime terminology.
106 years ago, the fate of 17 million women rested in the hands of a man wearing a red rose and carrying a very important letter in his pocket.
From "paint the town red" to "mad as a hatter," many of our favorite idioms originated or were popularized in the era of Queen Victoria.
How deep does your knowledge of famous names go? We have a quiz for that! Identify the famous male first name.
There's nothing like a great fun fact to spark some conversation and remind you how little you know. Here are 100 interesting facts about history, entertainment, geography, and more.
The home that terrified and enamored its occupants in Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca' was based on real-life houses in the English countryside.
Test your knowledge with Mental Floss’s Trivia of the Day for August 18. How well do you know this day in history? How about general knowledge questions?
Find out which Greek mythology movies earned the highest Tomatometer ratings, from 'Orpheus' and 'Hercules' to Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey.'
Paul Schrader’s 'Taxi Driver' script didn't include "You talkin' to me?" Here is how Robert De Niro came up with one of cinema's most famous lines.
Discover the most and least pet-friendly cities in America based on WalletHub’s latest study comparing veterinary costs, dog parks, and pet-friendly rentals.
One film he considered a “gift,” while another felt “weird” to watch.
Here are four misconceptions about the legendary frontier hero you may know as Davy Crockett, from his actual name to whether he died fighting at the Alamo.