Mental Floss
MENU
CLOSE
BIG QUESTIONS
QUIZZES
BIOGRAPHIES
LISTS
AMAZING FACTS
STORE
SECTIONS
BIG QUESTIONS
JOB SECRETS
HISTORY VS.
KENNECTIONS
LIVE SMARTER
QUIZZES
RETROBITUARIES
SMART SHOPPING
#TBT
BIOGRAPHIES
AUTHORS
SCIENTISTS
ARTISTS
U.S. PRESIDENTS
MILITARY
TOPICS
ANIMALS
ARCHAEOLOGY
ART
CORONAVIRUS
DIY
ENTERTAINMENT
FOOD
HEALTH
HISTORY
LANGUAGE
OLYMPICS
SCIENCE
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
TRAVEL
TOPICS
ANIMALS
ARCHAEOLOGY
ART
CORONAVIRUS
DIY
ENTERTAINMENT
FOOD
HEALTH
HISTORY
LANGUAGE
OLYMPICS
SCIENCE
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
TRAVEL
TOPICS
ANIMALS
ARCHAEOLOGY
ART
CORONAVIRUS
DIY
ENTERTAINMENT
FOOD
HEALTH
HISTORY
LANGUAGE
OLYMPICS
SCIENCE
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
TRAVEL
ABOUT
ABOUT US
AUTHORS
COOKIE POLICY
CONTACT
CUSTOMER SERVICE
PITCH A STORY
PRIVACY
RSS
STORE
TERMS
×
CLOSE
Kirstin Fawcett
Follow
Facts About Cats
If you adore felines, you’re in good company: Many of history’s most famous figures—including Florence Nightingale, Pope Paul II, Mark Twain, and the Brontë sisters—all owned, and loved, cats....
READ ON
Play This Shakespeare-Inspired Card Game at Your Next Soiree
This card game is a Shakespeare-inspired version of Cards Against Humanity, but with a decidedly academic take on low-brow humor....
READ ON
Map Shows How Everyone Blamed Syphilis on Everyone Else
The origins of syphilis may be one of the greatest (and grossest) health mysteries of our time. What we do know is that, throughout history, people were quick to point fingers at each other....
READ ON
How Hand Sanitizer Works (And Why It Isn't a Substitute for Soap)
Hand sanitizer doesn't look, smell, or feel like the stuff doctors use to clean their tools? (Or the kind we drink, for that matter.) It also doesn't physically wash dirt from your hands....
READ ON
Why It's Hard to Keep New Year's Resolutions
It may seem like New Year's resolutions are destined to fail, but we work harder to achieve them if we set goals that are both concrete and demanding....
READ ON
When It's Too Cold to Walk Your Dog Chart
Dogs have built-in fur coats, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get chilly during their winter walks....
READ ON
Christmas Foods From History
Over the centuries, yuletide revelers have enjoyed far different culinary fare than we do today. These historical Christmas dishes are sure to confuse—or tantalize—your taste buds....
READ ON
Why Jewish Families Eat Chinese Food on Christmas
As Gentiles feast on turkey and roast beef during the Yuletide season, why do many Jews opt for chop suey? While convenience is king, other ingredients play a part in this delicious story....
READ ON
Which Thanksgiving Foods Are Allowed on a Plane
Turkeys and pies are allowable carry-ons, but you'll have to check alcohol, sauces, and condiments before you board a plane....
READ ON
How Science Boosts Halloween
Embrace the supernatural, but don't let science fall by the wayside. Here are a few tips for using scientific principles to crush your Halloween festivities....
READ ON
Bram Stoker Adapted 'Dracula' for the Theater
For one of literature’s most enduring works, Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' didn’t receive much of a turnout when it was first adapted for the stage: A total of two people showed up....
READ ON
Introvert vs Extrovert: Pros and Cons
Whether you're an introvert or an extrovert doesn't really matter, so long as you use your temperament to your advantage....
READ ON
7 Useful Products With a Lifetime Guarantee
It's worth it to splurge on new stuff if you know it will last forever. Here are a few items that are guaranteed to last....
READ ON
This Vincent Van Gogh Action Figure Comes Complete with Removable Ears
Today Is Art Day celebrates artist Vincent van Gogh with an action figure that comes with detachable ears....
READ ON
Cook a Game of Thrones-Inspired Feast With This Video Tutorial
Party like you're a Stark or a Lannister—minus the threat of a massacre of poisoning—with recipes for Purple Wedding pigeon pie and more....
READ ON
12 Fascinating Facts About the Metropolitan Museum of Art
It has the world's oldest surviving piano, its own floral artist, and plenty of armor—even if those metal buttons aren't around anymore....
READ ON
6 Creative Recycling Efforts From Around the Globe
This Earth Day, get inspired to think outside the plastic bin, and brainstorm creative ways to convert or re-purpose old, discarded, or unexpected materials into something new and useful.....
READ ON
10 Intriguing Facts About Joseph Lister
Get to know the pioneering doctor who's been called "the father of modern surgery" and the namesake of a popular mouthwash....
READ ON
A Designer Turned Her Grandparents's World War II-Era Love Letters Into Jewelry
Instead of safekeeping her grandparents’s old love letters in a ribbon-tied shoebox, Meghan Coomes turns them into heirloom accessories....
READ ON
10 African American Inventors Who Changed the World
Get to know the brilliant minds that brought you blood banks, personal computers, touch-tone telephones, and more....
READ ON
What's the Difference Between Gophers and Groundhogs?
The short answer: a lot....
READ ON
13 Fascinating Facts About Pallas’s Cats
The elusive, fluffy wildcat may be adorable, but they're not social animals. They don't even seem to like each other very much....
READ ON
Take a Peek Inside London's Museum of Childhood
The collections contain vintage toys, many of which are no longer sold in stores....
READ ON
Don't Have Space For a Christmas Tree? Decorate a Pineapple Instead
Forego the forest vibe for a more tropical aesthetic....
READ ON
Lexington, Kentucky Residents Can Pay Parking Tickets With Canned Goods
The “Food for Fines” program allows one wrong to make a right....
READ ON
13 Facts About Siamese Cats
10. A pair of these blue-eyed once foiled an espionage plot....
READ ON
7 Facts About Ragdoll Cats
The Ragdoll cat can be described in three words: big, beautiful, and friendly....
READ ON
The War of the Worlds Broadcast Might Not Have Caused Mass Panic
It was 80 years ago that a radio broadcast caused the public to panic ... but did it really?...
READ ON
50 Fascinating Facts About Felines
It's Respect Your Cat Day! If you want to celebrate your feline friends in all their furry glory (not that they'd have it any other way), try sharing some of the 50 bits of cat trivia below....
READ ON
Celebrate National Boston Cream Pie Day by Trying the Original Recipe
In 1996, the treat was declared the official dessert of Massachusetts, cementing its place in our cookbooks—and taste buds—for good....
READ ON
5 Ways You Can Register to Vote in Less Than 5 Minutes
The process doesn't have to be tedious or time-consuming....
READ ON
The Most Popular Halloween Candy in Each State
Here's your proof that plenty of people really do love candy corn....
READ ON
What to Put in Your Go-Bag in Case of an Emergency
It’s always a smart idea to prepare for the worst while still hoping for the best....
READ ON
11 Things You Should Always Buy at Thrift Shops
Why pay top dollar for retail items when you can often score the same goods secondhand? Here are 11 items you should look for....
READ ON
11 Amazing Hotels for Book Lovers
Escape reality—both literally and figuratively—by visiting one of these literary-inspired getaways....
READ ON
10 Nice Things You Can Do for Your Cat
Besides feeding it, of course....
READ ON
50 Tools Every Homeowner Should Have
You'll need these pieces of equipment to keep your home in tip-top shape....
READ ON
You Can Buy Michelangelo's Tuscan Farmhouse for $7.5 Million
The 11th century villa boasts 10 bedrooms, a vineyard, and one storied history....
READ ON
Solve a Murder Mystery (and Eat Cheesecake) with The Golden Girls
Nothing this bad happened back in St. Olaf!...
READ ON
England Copied Its Teatime Customs from Queen Catherine of Braganza
Royals have always been trendsetters....
READ ON
12 People You May Not Have Known Were Olympians
Like, say, Darth Vader's stunt double....
READ ON
11 Secrets of Book Conservators
Their best handiwork should be impossible for you to see....
READ ON
15 Foods You Didn't Know Could Come in Cans
Why celebrate February's National Canned Food Month with basic chicken soup when you could try a whole canned chicken?...
READ ON
California's Proposed Straw Ban Won't Actually Threaten Restaurant Employees With Jail Time
As it currently reads, restaurant employees would face $1000 fines or jail sentences of up to six months for handing out straws unasked....
READ ON
A Restaurant In Australia Is Garnishing Its Margaritas With Frozen Eyeballs
No, they're not human....
READ ON
This Mass Grave in England May Hold the Skeletons of Hundreds of Viking Invaders
In the late 9th century, Vikings across Scandinavia banded together to invade England....
READ ON
The Most Popular Cocktail in Each State, Mapped
Long Island Iced Teas are popular just about everywhere but their home state, it seems....
READ ON
Why Subliminal Messaging Doesn't Work (Unless You Want It To)
Hidden advertisements probably aren't causing your soda cravings....
READ ON
The Surprising Place Where You're Likely to Encounter Germs at the Airport
The case for breaking out the hand sanitizer before reaching your boarding gate....
READ ON
25 Great Insults From 18th Century British Slang
"You jerk" just doesn't have the same ring as "You unlicked cub."...
READ ON
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
...
next
last
Popular on Mentalfloss
Why Do People Propose on One Knee?
Why Are There Tabs on the Sides of Aluminum Foil Boxes?
What's the Difference Between Buzzards and Vultures?
7 Unexplained Mysteries From the World of Science
MENTAL FLOSS
newsletter
A super-skimmable
daily digest.