Mental Floss

ALL STORIES

Airfares are often cheaper on the holiday itself.

While we can’t promise that your journey to grandma’s house this year will be enjoyable, we know of a few travel tips to make it less stressful.

Emily Petsko










Building snowmen is not a new winter activity.

From children decorating them with hats and carrot noses to giant sculptures of fan-favorite characters, where there is snow, there will be snowmen. Here’s a brief history of why we build them.

Beth Robertson






Free-range chickens.

Bird flu is one of the reasons egg prices have skyrocketed. Here’s what else you should know about the current outbreak of the H5N1 virus among U.S. poultry and dairy cows.

Nick Keppler
Of course Stonehenge is involved.

Cultures around the world performed rituals on the winter solstice for the return of the sun. While some of these celebrations have been left in the past or absorbed into other winter festivities, others are still celebrated to this day.

Lorna Wallace


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




The Parthenon sits atop Athens’s Acropolis.

The ancient Acropolis has loomed over the Greek city of Athens for more than 3000 years as a defensive citadel, temple complex, weather station, and even a site of resistance against the Nazis.

Allison C Meier


Happy 25th birthday to the below things.

Here are 25 of the best things the year 2000 gave us, from the birth of iconic franchises to scientific advancements that we may take for granted.

Sam Hindman