Mental Floss

BIG QUESTIONS

A hearse with S-shaped bars in place of back windows.

Those evocative scrolls you see on hearses actually have a name—and going back in the 1800s, they actually served an important purpose.

So cute.

It’s common for many little kids to go through a “dinosaur phase.” Here’s why.

Just a shot in the dark.

One theory suggests that we call liquor “spirits” because of alcohol’s association with one spirit in particular: the Holy Spirit. But there are other possible origins.

Puppy kisses

Your dog’s motivations for licking you range from adorable to disgusting.

No monkeying around.

The heavy-duty tool is said to be the work of a man named Moncke. Or was it Moncay?

Traveling with a peanut allergy isn't the flight risk you think.

The idea of peanut dust being carried through a plane cabin has always worried those with serious allergies. New research should ease their concerns.

One of the few days this family probably used their dining rooms.

Fewer and fewer newly constructed homes actually have dining rooms. Here’s why.

Does this lady have standing to sue?

Can a haunted attraction really be insulated against legal action for scaring people? A law expert weighs in.

Sneezing is gross, but it’s also normal.

Many people underestimate the damage that suppressing a sneeze can cause.

“And then, yada yada yada, I made a movie about Pop Tarts.”

The ’90s catchphrase was made famous by ‘Seinfeld,’ but Jerry and company didn’t coin it.

Roborock has teamed up with Mental Floss to explain why space is a vacuum—all while pushing the boundaries of smart cleaning technology back on Earth.

Presented by Roborock

Who picked “Dorian” for this hurricane?

Beryl, Helene, Milton—recent hurricane monikers aren’t exactly the most popular girls’ and boys’ names.

'Knotty muscles' can be a real pain in the neck.

The nagging pain in your neck may feel tight, but it's knot what you think.

Both are places where we bury the dearly departed, and the words are often used interchangeably. But that hasn’t always been the case.

Some of these presidents were well versed in October surprises.

Its political legacy began during the Iran hostage crisis, but other kinds of October surprises had been happening for decades.

Looks like she's reading a novel, not a novella.

As Stephen King once said, novellas are “too long to be short and too short to be really long.”

Gourds (left) and squash (right) are similar, but one shouldn’t be eaten.

Matters become more confusing when you add pumpkins to the mix.

If you ever freeze after hearing something go ‘bump’ in the night, you’re not alone.

You’ve likely heard of fight or flight, but a third reaction—to freeze—is misunderstood by many.

Would you buy a haunted house?

The answer depends on where you hope to live.

They may look weird, but they are perfectly fine to eat.

Some gourds are bred to have a bumpy appearance.

A face no one with coulrophobia wants to see.

Clowns have a long and spooky history.

This is spaghetti.

The three types of pasta are all long, but when and how you use them will make all the difference for your meals.

Jack-o'-lanterns on a front porch.

The first jack-o'-lanterns were made with turnips, not pumpkins.

Old age may precede dying, but it doesn’t directly cause it.

Can an octogenarian really just collapse from the wear and tear of life?