Our 35 Most Popular Stories of 2016

From scientific breakthroughs to behind-the-scenes facts about your favorite TV shows from the 1980s, our readers have a thirst for all sorts of knowledge. Fortunately, our editors and writers share that quality. For proof, look no further than our 35 most popular stories of 2016. In case you weren't obsessively refreshing mentalfloss.com all year, here's what you missed:

1. Olive Oatman: The Pioneer Girl Who Became a Marked Woman, by Meg Van Huygen

2. Scientists Think They Figured Out What the Appendix Does, by Jordan Rosenfeld

3. 19 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of IKEA Employees, by Jessica Hullinger

4. 12 Fun Facts About 'You Can't Do That on Television,' by Jennifer M. Wood

5. What Ever Happened to Waterbeds?, by Jeff Wells

6. How Scientists Are Preparing for the First Ever ‘All-American’ Eclipse, by David W. Brown

7. Scientists Find Non-Gluten Cause of Wheat Sensitivity, by Kate Horowitz

8. We’ve All Been Playing Uno Wrong, by Stacy Conradt

9. Zomething Different: A Brief History of Zima, by Jake Rossen

10. There’s an Oscar Among These C-3POs. Can You Spot It?, by Jennifer M. Wood

11. 9 Apps All Young Adults Should Have on Their Phones, by Shaunacy Ferro

12. The Tragic History of RC Cola, by Jeff Wells

13. 11 Twisted Facts About 'The Far Side,' by Mark Mancini

14. 22 Things You Owned in the ‘90s That are Worth a Fortune Today, by Shaunacy Ferro

15. West Michigan Is Home to a Giant Lavender Labyrinth, by Caitlin Schneider

16. A More Accurate World Map Wins Prestigious Japanese Design Award, by Shaunacy Ferro

17. 8 Under-the-Radar Costco Perks You’re Probably Missing Out On, by Kate Rockwood

18. Study Confirms What We Already Knew: Living Near Water Can Reduce Stress, by Kate Horowitz

19. 7 Mysterious People Without a Past, by Meg Van Huygen

20. 9 of the Most Isolated Towns on Earth, by Michele Debczak

21. Police Sketches of Literary Characters Based on Their Book Descriptions, by Andrew LaSane

22. Trash for Cash: An Oral History of Garbage Pail Kids, by Jake Rossen

23. 42 of the Least Popular Baby Names from 100 Years Ago, by Arika Okrent

24. 9 Movies That Were Supposed to Be Sequels to Other Movies, by Rudie Obias

25. How Starter Jackets Came Unraveled, by Jake Rossen

26. What is Imposter Syndrome, and What Can You Do About It?, by Jordan Rosenfeld

27. Why Is It 'Eleven, Twelve' Instead of 'Oneteen, Twoteen'?, by Arika Okrent

28. How One Earthquake Erased an Empire and Changed the Course of Human History, by David W. Brown

29. Where Are They Now? The Key Players in The O.J. Simpson Trial, by Jennifer M. Wood

30. 9 Musicians Who Refused to Let “Weird Al” Yankovic Parody Their Songs, by Rudie Obias

31. The Photographer Who Captured America’s Dark Side, by Lucas Reilly

32. 15 Eerie Things About Japan’s Suicide Forest, by Kristy Puchko

33. These 10 Famous Songs Were All Written About the Same Woman, by Roger Cormier

34. Here's One Way to Rid Your Facebook Feed of Fake News, by Michele Debczak

35. Her Name Was Skeeter: The Mystery of the Missing Muppet, by Jake Rossen