THE LIST SHOW

The United States is host to a number of wild and weird urban legends.

The Spookiest Urban Legend in All 50 States

From classics like the vanishing hitchhiker to creepy cryptids, ghostly vehicles, deadly curses, and some stuff you’ve probably seen on Facebook.

41 Fascinating Phobias, Explained

From acrophobia (the fear of heights) to zuigerphobia (the fear of vacuum cleaners), there are plenty of things to be scared of—rationally or otherwise.

16 Old-Timey Insults For Modern Conversations

In this episode of The List Show, episode, we're breaking out some favorite old-timey insults that people should definitely start using again.

You'll never look at time the same way again.

17 Facts That Will Warp Your Sense of Time

From prehistoric animals that lived much closer to us temporally than you might realize to the guillotine lasting way beyond the French Revolution, these facts are to mess with your perception of time.

Fact #1: This is definitely not the world's largest ball of hair. / Getty / 4FR

100 Weird, Miscellaneous Facts

In the latest episode of The List Show, host and Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares 100 weird facts. Learn about solo synchronized swimming, Dildo Days, and Pope Francis’ past gigs. We know you’re curious.

7 of History’s Strangest Mass Hysteria Events

Whether an entire town can’t stop dancing or people suddenly start worrying about minor marks on their windshields, these seemingly unbelievable events have had some surprising (and sometimes devastating) effects.

10 Explorers Who Vanished Without a Trace

From a record-breaking mountain climber to a British adventurer who may have died searching for a city that doesn’t exist and beyond, these explorers have fates that are shrouded in mystery.

100 Facts About Gen X

If you've ever been called a "latchkey kid," this list of facts about Gen X is for you.

7 Dangerous and Deadly Toys From History

The toys on this list include "what were they thinking?" oddities—like a children's laboratory kit that included uranium—but also some seemingly innocuous recreational offerings.

7 Alleged Pyramid Schemes and Scams

These companies were accused (and sometimes convicted) of engaging in alleged pyramid schemes and other scams.

These facts will have you making this face.

15 Facts You’ll Wish You Had Never Learned

We can’t promise you’ll ever feel the same way about pasta, pools, or your own face.

A small sampling of our 50+ regional dish selections

One Beloved Dish From Each U.S. State

You probably know about Chicago's deep dish pizza and New York City's famous bagels, but what's the signature regional dish in Alabama? Or Idaho?

DEET might not exist without military research.

9 Inventions That Came From the Military

From bug spray to Epipens, you might be surprised to learn just how many items taking up shelf space in your home were originally developed for the front lines.

11 Facts About the Animals of Chernobyl

Researchers thought the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster was unable to support life. But a bunch of wolves, deer, wild boars, bears, and foxes disagreed.

Know how to respond the next time someone tells you the bogus origins of the phrase 'bring home the bacon.'

12 Widely Repeated Phrase Origins, Debunked

The stories behind these phrase origins are amazing. Too bad they’re not true—and too bad they’re often repeated as fact. Here’s the real scoop behind the expressions.

Most of this advice is hopelessly outdated.

20 Questionable Pieces of Old-Timey Relationship Advice

From the dangers of being a “sexual vampire” to the best ways to charm your in-laws, here’s what relationship advice looked like in the past.

Megafauna like woolly mammoths dominated during the ice age.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

From what causes ice ages and how many we’ve had, to the species that thrived and the ones that died, here’s what you need to know.

Which offbeat attraction do you want to visit?

The Coolest Offbeat Attraction in All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.)

Let’s take a roadtrip through the country, with stops at a self-flushing latrine, a collection of human brains, and much more.

100 Things We Learned in 2022

There’s no better way to wrap up 2022 than by sharing a whopping 100 things we learned this year, from interesting AI developments to unintentional art heists—and, of course, the results of the 2022 Kids’ Mullet Championships.

We have better cold weather tires thanks to NASA.

11 NASA Inventions We Use Every Day

From scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses to memory foam, here’s all the tech you should be thanking NASA for.

30 Curious Facts About Movies

Including which legendary film managed to get a PG rating despite double-digit “F-bombs,” and how ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ made history in North Korea.

6 Hoaxes People Actually Believed

In this episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares some clever hoaxes that had people tricked.

Seven years of bad luck would seem like a walk in the park to these people.

10 of the Unluckiest People in History

Grab your lucky rabbit’s foot and read up on the tales of some of the unluckiest people in history, from the man whose backyard became a battlefield (twice!) to an absurdly accident-prone instrument inventor and beyond.

10 Battles That Changed History

From the World War II engagement that helped instigate a medical breakthrough to the devastating attack that indirectly contributed to the Renaissance, these battles altered the course of history.

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