Ellen Gutoskey

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Ellen Gutoskey is a Mental Floss staff writer who especially loves covering pop culture, not-so-popular culture, literature, really tiny things, really giant things, and anything that was previously thought to be lost. She used to work in publishing, she's usually laughing, and you can follow her on Twitter @ellengutoskey.

TidyBoard Bamboo Cutting Board for Meal Prep

The TidyBoard will keep your cherry tomatoes from rolling onto the floor and save you a little counter space, too.... READ ON

Why Princess Anne Won’t Shake Hands

It’s technically a tradition, but many royal family members have dropped the practice (including Queen Elizabeth II).... READ ON

Most and Least Stressed-Out States

The study analyzed 41 possible causes of stress across four categories: work, money, family, and health and safety.... READ ON

Difference Between Herbs and Spices

Simon and Garfunkel sang about herbs, not spices—but that’s not the only difference between the two.... READ ON

The Inventor of Ibuprofen Accidentally Discovered It Could Help a Hangover

It all started when Dr. Stewart Adams took too many vodka shots the night before speaking at a Moscow conference.... READ ON

Library Asks Patrons Not to Microwave Books

The possibility of killing coronavirus germs by nuking a novel is still not a good enough reason to try it.... READ ON

Why Did States Require Blood Tests for Marriage Licenses?

Surprisingly, the old practice of requiring blood tests in order to get a marriage license has nothing to do with an Oedipal fear of accidentally marrying your long-lost mother.... READ ON

Broadway Shutdowns Through History

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Broadway shows will be closed through 2021. The Great White Way has closed before, but shutdowns are usually short-lived and prompted by strikes or inclement weather.... READ ON

National Geographic Mount Everest Documentaries

‘Lost on Everest’ chronicles a mission to find one of Mount Everest’s first missing bodies, while ‘Expedition Everest’ studies climate change on the mountain.... READ ON

Google’s Book List Fosters Racial Equity in Schools

Selections from the reading list include Lupita Nyong’o’s ‘Sulwe’ and Tomi Adeyemi’s ‘Children of Blood and Bone.’... READ ON

Gloria Steinem Facts

Gloria Steinem is so much more than the world’s most famous feminist—she’s also Christian Bale’s stepmother.... READ ON

Book a Virtual Lesson With Broadway's Biggest Stars

You can’t meet the ‘Hamilton’ cast at the stage door after the show, but you can Zoom with them instead.... READ ON

NASA Names Headquarters for 'Hidden Figure' Mary Jackson

Mary W. Jackson, NASA’s first Black female engineer, was an unsung hero of the Space Race in the 1960s.... READ ON

Unfinished Louisa May Alcott Story to Be Published

‘Little Women’ author Louisa May Alcott penned the long-lost story when she was just 17 years old, but we’ll never know how it ends.... READ ON

Learning Languages With Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone believes the best way to learn a new language is the way you did as a kid—effortlessly.... READ ON

Dolly Parton and Nina West’s Apparel Line for Charity

All proceeds will be split between Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Nina West’s foundation for LGBTQ+ youth and families.... READ ON

100-Degree Day in Siberia Is Arctic’s Hottest Ever

A “heat dome” is partially to blame, but climate change has been causing alarmingly high temperatures in Siberia for months.... READ ON

Waffle House Sells Waffle Mix and Hash Browns Online

The Waffle House waffle mix comes with a recipe card that might explain why your made-from-scratch waffles aren’t up to scratch.... READ ON

How Joseph Lee's Bread Crumbing Machine Changed Baking

Joseph Lee was sick of seeing slightly stale bread get tossed in the trash, so he found a way to give it a second life.... READ ON

Why We Call Our Spouse's Relatives 'In-Laws'

It all started as a reminder about which relatives the Catholic Church prohibited you from marrying.... READ ON

Transcribe Boston Public Library’s Anti-Slavery Letters

The letters shed light on how leading abolitionists were protesting slavery during the Civil War era.... READ ON

Cocktail Recipe Book Inspired by Famous Writers

According to this recipe book, Truman Capote’s drink of choice was a simple screwdriver, while Jane Austen favored a steaming pot of spiced wine.... READ ON

Antarctica’s First Fossil Egg Could’ve Been a Mosasaur

The 68-million-year-old fossil egg’s mystery mother may have been one of the fiercest marine predators from the Late Cretaceous period.... READ ON

‘Hope in a Box’ Ships LGBTQ+ Books to Rural Schools

Books range from the classic (James Baldwin’s ‘Giovanni’s Room’) to the contemporary (Adam Silvera’s ‘They Both Die at the End’).... READ ON

Key West Unveils Permanent Rainbow Crosswalks

Key West's colorful crosswalks prove that it doesn’t have to be Pride Month in order to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.... READ ON

Underwater Italian Village Might Resurface

Fabbriche di Careggine became an underwater city to make room for a new dam in the 1940s, but it does make an occasional reappearance.... READ ON

AMNH Launches OLogy, Its iPad App for Kids

Kids can learn about archaeology, marine biology, and other “-ologies” through games, interactive lessons, and more.... READ ON

History of Father’s Day

Father’s Day started with a loving daughter in 1910, but it wouldn’t become a holiday for more than half a century.... READ ON

Brainteaser: Can You Name These Rock Star Accessories?

If there’s one thing rock stars have in common besides their musical talents, it’s their love of a good statement accessory.... READ ON

Watch Cat Videos at Quarantine Cat Film Festival

All ticket sales from this cat video extravaganza will go toward keeping indie movie theaters afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.... READ ON

Confederate Monuments Are Coming Down

Here’s some history to help explain why so many Confederate statues are being taken down (or toppled).... READ ON

Equity vs. Equality: What’s the Difference?

The dictionary definition of ‘equity’ seems similar to that of ‘equality,’ but there’s an important distinction between the two.... READ ON

Google Maps Update With Coronavirus Restrictions

The Google Maps app will help you find out if your train will likely be too crowded for social distancing.... READ ON

‘Friends’-Themed Inflatable Pool Float

The pool inflatable features the iconic yellow frame from 'Friends' and even a peephole that offers a glimpse of the water below.... READ ON

Hattie McDaniel’s Missing Oscar Award Mystery

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first Black actor ever to win an Oscar. About 30 years later, that Oscar disappeared.... READ ON

Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s 1968 Olympic Protest Against Racism

When Tommie Smith and John Carlos each raised a black-gloved fist on the Olympic podium, 50,000 people fell silent. Then, the booing started.... READ ON

Last Chance to Get Customized Stamps

It doesn’t look like the USPS has any plans for a custom stamp program in the future, so this could be your last chance to get some.... READ ON

Toad Puke: Sir Isaac Newton’s Bubonic Plague Cure

Sir Isaac Newton didn’t get the idea from a creepy old witch in the forest—he got it from a respected physician.... READ ON

Online Pride Festivals and Events 2020

Several major Pride parades have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the celebrations are still happening online.... READ ON

Loch Ness Monster Sighting Livestream

This round-the-clock livestream could very well be the key to proving if the Loch Ness Monster is real.... READ ON

Thomas Edison’s First Patented Invention

“If there is any invention on earth that we don't want down here, that is it,” a Congressman said about Edison’s voting machine.... READ ON

Video Unearthed of Extinct Tasmanian Tiger

The 21-second clip shows the last Tasmanian tiger—or thylacine—ever in captivity roaming her cage at Beaumaris Zoo.... READ ON

Free Criterion Channel Films by Black Filmmakers

The selection includes Maya Angelou’s ‘Down in the Delta,’ Kathleen Collins’s ‘Losing Ground,’ and more.... READ ON

Systemic vs. Systematic: How to Use Each Word Correctly

Something systemic—like a disease—means it’s present throughout a system. ‘Systematic’ refers to how a system is operated.... READ ON

Tear Gas vs. Pepper Spray

For one thing, tear gas grenades are usually used for crowd control—pepper spray is more for personal safety.... READ ON

‘Sesame Street’ and CNN To Host Town Hall on Racism

This Saturday, experts and ‘Sesame Street’ characters will answer viewer-submitted questions about racism, diversity, and the nationwide protests.... READ ON

Livestream Barnard College’s Corpse Flower Blooming

The corpse flower smells similar to rotting flesh, dead fish, or Camembert cheese that’s been left out all night.... READ ON

White House Bunker History

Pearl Harbor prompted the White House to build a bomb shelter, and 9/11 might have prompted the construction of another.... READ ON

History Vs. Podcast: Theodore Roosevelt vs. Harry Houdini

Famed illusionist Harry Houdini might have been one of the only people to succeed in leaving Theodore Roosevelt truly dumbfounded.... READ ON

‘Potter’s Field’ Name Origin

After a remorseful Judas returned his payment for betraying Jesus, the high priests used it to buy the very first potter’s field.... READ ON

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