Mental Floss

ALL STORIES

Clockwise from left: Gilbert Stuart's unfinished portrait of George Washington on the $1 bill; Basilica de la Sagrada Familia; a page from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales;  Boldt Castle; Reactors 5 and 6 at Chernobyl; and the National Monument of Scotland.

Famous presidential portraits, literary masterpieces, and iconic tourist destinations all make the list of amazing unfinished projects.

Justin Dodd


jodiecoston // iStock via Getty Images Plus

Though fruitcake may be the butt of a lot of jokes, there’s a reason it secured its place in our cultural firmament.

Michele Debczak


Candy corn wasn't always associated with Halloween.

Whether you view a piece of candy corn as a nostalgic treat or a cloying nugget of disappointment, you can’t deny its place in the Halloween season. Here's how it got there.

Michele Debczak


Kativ/iStock via Getty Images Plus

From ancient Mesopotamia to New York deli counters, pickles have played a vital role in the global culinary scene. But where do pickles come from, and how did the cucumber become the standard-issue pickling vegetable in the States?

Michele Debczak


Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images

Mad magazine gave us Alfred E. Neuman and Spy vs. Spy and made irreverent, anti-establishment humor a thing. Here's what you need to know about 'Mad.'

Jake Rossen
Acne is a pretty big part of puberty.

Why do voices crack and pimples flare up during puberty? When do boys go through puberty, and when do girls experience it? Read on for pivotal facts you should know about puberty.

Jonathan Mayer
When the Titanic sank in April 1912, its architect, Thomas Andrews, went down with it.

From the inventor who disappeared along with the lighthouse he designed to the daredevil whose contraptions vaulted him to fame then cut his life short, these are the sad stories of inventors killed by their own inventions.

Kat Long


Al Capone got the scars that gave him his Scarface moniker in a barroom brawl.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 17, 1899, to Italian immigrants Gabriele and Teresa, Alphonse Capone would go on to become one of the most notorious gangsters of all time. Here’s what you need to know about the man known as Scarface.

Sean Hutchinson






alengo/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Some of these predictions came true in such eerie detail that you have to wonder though whether fiction is as fictitious as it claims.

Ben Gazur








iStock

On the final day of the typical office workweek, many employers give their workers the opportunity to dress down and loosen the rules on the standard dress code.

Samantha Albala
Moussa81/iStock via Getty Images Plus

From how long a "hoax" like the Apollo 11 moon landing could actually stay a secret to the conspiracy theory involving Queen Elizabeth I, here are the actual facts you need to know about conspiracy theories.

Stacy Conradt