Mental Floss

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It wasn’t one of Adams’s finest moments.

When John Adams penned a letter to future first lady Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776, he guessed how future generations of Americans would celebrate Independence Day with remarkable accuracy—but he got the date wrong.

Erik van Rheenen








Sorbet or Italian ice? You be the judge.

Italian ice has a sorbet-like texture, but these frozen desserts really aren’t the same thing. So, where does this summer treat really come from—and more importantly, is it even from Italy in the first place?

Marla Mackoul


John Laurens and Joseph Brant.

While their images might not be immortalized on dollar bills or their stories ingrained into every high school syllabus, these lesser-known figures nonetheless played critical roles in the shaping of the American Revolution.

Colin Scanlon