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Labubu Looters: Thieves Swipe $7000 Worth of Trendy Dolls in California

A Labubu heist joins the long list of infamous toy-related crimes throughout history.

The Surprisingly Harsh Reason Gas Stations Play Classical Music

Why Are Police Officers Called “Cops”?

The Bizarre Free Love Cult That Housed a Presidential Assassin

Up in the Air: When ‘Balloon Boy’ Took Flight

In 2009, the world was captivated by a little boy seemingly trapped in a runaway aircraft. As a new Netflix documentary reveals, the truth was a lot stranger.

The Real Reason Costco Employees Check Receipts at Exits

If shoppers have one complaint about Costco, it’s that the employees posted at the exits to take a marker to customers’ receipts seem vaguely insulting. Here’s the real reason behind why it happens.

Who Has Jurisdiction for Crimes Committed in Space?

With privatized space travel growing, it's inevitable we'll one day find ourselves faced with a space murder. How would the law deal with it?

The Murder of Rasputin: The Mystery That Won’t Die

Delve into the mystery surrounding the assassination of Grigori Rasputin, and see how the circumstances of his death have taken on a life of their own.

An Oral History of When Geraldo Rivera Opened Al Capone’s Vault

Geraldo Rivera promised to dig deep in Al Capone’s hotel hideout on Chicago’s South Side back in 1986—here’s the oral history of how it all really went down.

The ‘Tylenol Murders’ That Rocked 1980s Chicago

A new Netflix docuseries takes a closer look at one of the most puzzling crimes in modern history.

Learn Amazing Facts About Historical Escapes with Arturo Castro

The actor just wrapped up a podcast called ‘Greatest Escapes’—and now he’s dropping amazing facts about those escapes and more on the latest episode of Amazing Facts with Mental Floss.

‘Greatest Escapes With Arturo Castro’ Episode 15: Wildest of the Wild Bunch

Ben Feldman (‘Monsters at Work,’ ‘Superstore’) sets off into the sunset with Arturo as they hop on the trail of one of the Wild West’s greatest outlaws, Kid Curry.

How the “Wrong Number” Text Scam Tricks Its Victims

One trick con artists have been up to lately involves sending targets random, harmless text messages before attempting to scam them.

10 Things You Might Not Have Known About Alcatraz

At 9:40 a.m. on the morning of August 11, 1934, Alcatraz's first group of prisoners—137 in all—arrived at the soon-to-be-infamous prison.

Missing

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7 Historical Figures Who Disappeared Without a Trace

First they made history, then they vanished from it.

Family Wakes Up to Missing Dog Ringing Their Doorbell on Christmas Eve

When Brooke Comer received a Ring notification at 2:30 a.m., she didn’t expect to see her lost dog.

The ‘Blazing Saddles’ TV Show That Was Supposedly Kept Hidden From Viewers

For years, rumors circulated that CBS had made season after season of a ‘Blazing Saddles’ spin-off with no intention of airing it.

Mel Wiley, the Ohio Police Chief Who May Have Authored His Own Demise

In 1985, Chief Wiley went for a swim and was never seen or heard from again. What he left behind shocked his community.

The El Paso Enigma: The Disappearance of William and Margaret Patterson

The Pattersons said they were merely going on vacation. That was nearly 70 years ago.

Bootlegger’s Bounty: The Hidden Treasure of Gangster Dutch Schultz

The ruthless criminal is believed to have buried $100 million in bloody profits nearly 90 years ago. People have been looking for it ever since.

Charlotte Braun, the ‘Peanuts’ Character Who Met a Gruesome End

When readers failed to warm to a new 'Peanuts' character, Charles Schulz erased her. Permanently.

Barbara Newhall Follett: The Child Novelist Who Later Vanished Into Thin Air

A gifted writer, Follett finished her first novel at age 12. By age 25, she was never seen or heard from again.

More On Mental Floss

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Map of America’s Top Last Meal Requests by State

Americans have a strong preference for what they want to eat before they shuffle off this mortal coil.

The 20 Most Commonly Confused Word Pairs in America, According to Google Data

Quiz: Can You Identify Which Weird Law Is Totally Real?

10 Things You May Not Know About Skunks