

Mental Floss UK
Joined: May 22, 2015


3 Mountains Taller Than Mount Everest

20 Famous Authors and Their Rejections

Why the Movie ‘Contact’ Annoyed Bill Clinton
How Sesame Street Dealt With 9/11
'Sesame Street' has a long history of teaching kids how to deal with traumatic events. In the wake of 9/11, the show's creators wanted to find a way to bring the real-world horror to their young audience's attention.
Can You Actually Suck the Poison Out of a Snakebite?
You may have been taught the old cowboy trick of applying a tourniquet and using a blade to cut the bite wound to suck out the poison. It looks dramatic, but does it really work?
7 Superstitions About Cats From Around the World
Cats have attracted a lot of different superstitions over the years—some easier to believe than others.
How Common Is Your Birthday? An Interactive Map Can Tell You
If you were born on September 9, you are far from alone.
7 Songs That Aren't Quite as Romantic as They Sound
A quick reminder that just because a song has the word "love" in its title doesn't mean it's a love song. So be sure to listen to the lyrics before choosing "your song."
Why Princess Elizabeth Was Almost Never Queen Elizabeth II at All
Queen Elizabeth II was one of history's most popular British rulers, but she very nearly missed the gig.
Why Does Advent Calendar Chocolate Taste Different?
Chocolate is chocolate, isn’t it? If so, then why does the chocolate you find in an Advent calendar taste so weird?
21 Other Royal Babies Born In The Last 20 Years
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting a royal addition.
Why Is It So Dark in Outer Space?
It's a question scientists have been asking for more than 400 years.
15 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of 'The Great British Baking Show'
12. Hundreds of season 5 viewers wrote in to complain about "sabotage" after contestant Iain Watters had a bit of an issue with his Baked Alaska.
12 Things You Might Not Know About Blackadder Goes Forth
4. A scene in which Rowan Atkinson's character feigns madness by wearing underpants on his head and sticking pencils up his nose was inspired by Atkinson's penchant for sticking pencils up his nose.
Why Do Astronauts Use Space Pens Instead of Pencils?
One technological breakthrough left the common pencil in the dust.