Mental Floss

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Signs of an earthquake.

From a surprise temblor in the Mississippi Valley to colossal ruptures and tsunamis around the Pacific Ring of Fire, these are some of the biggest earthquakes in modern times.

Julie Fogerson
Grab your magnifying glass.

We give you an obscure word with four definitions—one correct, three made up. Can you identify the correct one?

Ellen Gutoskey








See if you can decipher this twisted tune.

It’s time to play Tune Twist, where we translate the lyrics of popular songs into multiple languages and then back into English. Can you figure out what the song is, or who performed it?

mentalfloss .com








Some words seem like they must come from the same source—but they don’t.

Think ‘human’ was created by slapping ‘hu-’ on ‘man’? Think again: ‘Man’ and ‘human’ aren’t related at all—and they’re just one example of words that seem like they must be linked, but turn out to have nothing in common once you dig into their etymology.

Lorna Wallace

The Nobel Prize-winning physicist often commented on science, the universe, and humanity. But which deep thoughts are really his?

mentalfloss .com








Even canines can get in a good cat nap.

Napping offers many benefits, but getting the most out of a midday snooze isn’t always easy. Fortunately, these expert-backed tips can help, and keep you feeling refreshed after the fact, too.

Matt Hoffman