Mental Floss

BIG QUESTIONS





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Some believe February once boasted 29 days and that Augustus Caesar stole a day so he could add it to August, which was named for him. (If there’s a month named after you, why not milk it?) But that’s a myth.

Lucas Reilly


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Since George Washington’s first appointment, 112 people have served on the highest court in the land. With the recent death of Antonin Scalia, that number will soon rise to 113.

Austin Thompson


Olivia Colman, Mahershala Ali, and Regina King celebrate their Oscar wins at the 91st Annual Academy Awards in 2019.

The voting process that determines the Oscar nominees is a long and complicated undertaking that involves approximately 8000 voting members and hundreds of eligible films and filmmakers.

Sean Hutchinson












Santa with a NORAD escort.

On December 24, 1955, the red telephone at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center started to ring. When they picked up the phone, a little girl asked an unexpected question: “Are you really Santa Claus?”

Matt Soniak




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Certain Christmas traditions never seem to go out of style. Along with wreaths, gingerbread cookies, and reruns of 'A Christmas Story' sits the poinsettia, a red-tinged leafy arrangement that’s become synonymous with the holiday.

Jake Rossen