Mental Floss

BIG QUESTIONS









Azat Kılınç, Unsplash

Your cat's habit of sleeping all day isn't a sign of laziness—it's a survival instinct that's baked into their genes.

Michele Debczak
Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

The name "Jim Crow" appears throughout many U.S. history books, but he was a caricature—not a real person.

Michele Debczak
Phillip Pessar, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

Four actual brothers formed the Brooks Brothers clothing brand after their father had started the menswear business in 1818. It survived scandal and changing styles—but the current economic downturn may be a different story.

Claire Cock-Starkey








He's got skin (and hair) in the game.

If you always respond to your tail-chasing dog with laughter and belly rubs, he might just be in it for the attention.

Ellen Gutoskey


If you're looking for a caffeine fix, you know that orange pot isn't going to help.

Both decaf and regular coffee drinkers know what the orange spout and handle on a carafe means, but they may not know why the color was chosen.

Michele Debczak