Bess Lovejoy

Joined: Apr 24, 2015

Bess Lovejoy is a former staff editor at Mental Floss, a former editor at Smithsonian.com and Schott's Almanac, and the author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses.

Some early explorers went looking for an legendary land named “Ultima Thule”—which may have been inspired by Iceland.

10 Legendary (and Probably Made-Up) Islands

Colonizers did not let the dead rest in peace.

9 Strange Uses for Ancient Egyptian Mummies

When Theodore Roosevelt Refused Geronimo's Plea

Elisabeth Demidoff's tomb in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris

The Russian Countess Who Supposedly Wanted Company in Her Tomb

5 Weird American Cemetery Legends

These strange, spooky cemetery tales of vampires, ghosts, and bloody headstones will keep you up at night.

Monster Presents: Insomniac: Listen to a New Podcast That Explores How Serial Killers Affected One Man's Mind

The new iHeartRadio original podcast is the story of one writer's descent from podcast researcher to its surprising subject.

The Liver of Piacenza, a model of a sheep's liver used in Etruscan divination and unearthed in Italy in 1877.

10 Historical Divination Methods for Predicting the Future

These divination methods—using chickens, entrails, and even cheese—show our ancestors were pretty inventive when it came to trying to predict the future.

Some of the baby ravens born at the Tower of London

The Tower of London Welcomes New Baby Ravens for the First Time in 30 Years

The new chicks aren't just cute—they're helping protect the Tower of London, and the monarchy, from a prophesied doom.

30 Astonishing Facts About Death

Did you know that you can be declared dead in one state and not another? Here are 29 other amazing facts about making your final exit.

Kisses and graffiti left at Oscar Wilde's tomb in Paris

10 Graveside Traditions at Famous Tombs

Whether it's leaving playing cards or bullets, or drinking a cognac toast, there are a variety of traditional ways to pay tribute at famous tombs.

Alice Roosevelt—for whom Alice Blue is named—in 1902.

9 Colors Named After People

From Titian Red to Alice Blue to Scheele’s Green, this is where the history books meet the artist’s palette.

Decorations in the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutna Hora in the Czech Republic

7 Amazing Facts About the Sedlec Ossuary

At the "Bone Church" (a.k.a. the Sedlec Ossuary), you can see a chandelier made from almost every bone in the human body.

Magician and escape artist Harry Houdini

How Harry Houdini Might Have Pulled Off His Most Daring Trick

Being buried under 3000 pounds of dirt isn't easy.

Belgium Is Home to the World’s Only Sourdough Library

And it's overseen by a Sourdough Librarian.

Basilica of St. John Lateran, where the Cadaver Synod was held

The Time the Church Put a Pope's Corpse on Trial

It's been called "one of the grisliest events in papal history"—for good reason.

12 Thoughtful Gifts for Mom

Now that you're old enough to have graduated from macaroni and glitter.