Mental Floss

11S DAY

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex leave following their wedding ceremony in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.

From England to Japan, royal family members have been upending tradition and risking it all to be with the people they love for decades.

Kaeli Conforti


This compound butter includes wild garlic and dandelion.

Many common yard weeds—from purslane to dandelion—are perfectly edible, if you know how to identify and prepare them.

Michele Debczak






TuckDB // Public Domain

Forget images of glittery champagne bottles and fireworks bursting over snow-covered cities. From dancing pigs to unnerving children, these vintage postcards were a more unusual way to ring in the new year.

Kerry Wolfe




Hayao Miyazaki is the director behind acclaimed animated movies such as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and The Wind Rises.

Director Hayao Miyazaki is responsible for some of the most beloved animated movies of all time—here are 11 things you should know about him.

Rudie Obias


Many '90s kids will remember playing Zoombinis.

Zoombinis graced the screens of many a ‘90s PC, inviting kids to use logic and experimentation as they led a troupe of exploited island workers through a Deep, Dark Forest and the Mountains of Despair en route to Zoombiniville.

Zoë Randolph


Snap-dragon was just one unusual Victorian Christmas tradition.

Many Victorian Christmas traditions inspired our holiday rituals today. But some odd ones, like playing snap-dragon and other dangerous parlor games, are no longer common.

Keith Johnston
Franklin Pierce, 14th president of the United States.

Franklin Pierce was, by all measures, set up for a life of military and political success, the height of which he achieved when he took the oath of the nation's highest office on March 4, 1853. Here's what you should know about "Fainting Frank."

Scott Beggs






Abenaki filmmaker and performer Alanis Obomsawin

These Indigenous politicians, activists, linguists, teachers, and artists—who work to preserve their heritage and secure civil rights—deserve to be better known.

Yesica Balderrama


Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Since making his acting debut in 1977, Denzel Washington has appeared in more than 50 movies, where he has awed audiences and garnered critical acclaim by delivering one powerful performance after the next. But there’s much more to the man than his movies

Kristy Puchko
Some filmmakers are unable to finish what they've started.

Firing Robert De Niro. Struggling with a non-functioning animatronic bear. Spending 40 years on hand-drawn animation. For these reasons and others, these films aren't likely to ever see the light of day.

Jake Rossen