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Mental Floss’s 2026 Desk Calendars Are for Word Nerds and Fact Fans of All Kinds
Our Amazing Facts 2026 calendar features fun facts from all areas, while the Word Nerd 2026 calendar is especially for language lovers.
CALENDARS
Get Smarter Every Day With the New 2025 Mental Floss Amazing Facts Calendar
A year’s worth of facts can be found in this desktop-friendly calendar.
'Til March Do Us Part: March and August are the Most Popular Months for Divorce Filings
The end of the holiday season can also mean the end of a marriage for many couples.
Why Does the New Year Start on January 1?
Ever wonder why the new year officially starts on January 1? Turns out, you can thank Pope Gregory XIII—and Julius Caesar.
10 Great Halloween Advent Calendars to Help You Count Down to the Spookiest Time of the Year
Celebrate the spookiest time of the year with these top-rated Halloween advent calendars.
25 Offbeat Holidays You Can Celebrate in January
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve may be over, but Thomas Crapper Day is on the horizon.
Watch Hans Gruber Plummet to His Death on This Hilarious ‘Die Hard’ Advent Calendar
Bad guy Hans Gruber takes a tumble off Nakatomi Plaza in this hilarious ‘Die Hard’ advent calendar.
Don't Forget to Celebrate 2/22/22 This 'Twosday'
The last week of February is packed with palindromes, the most anticipated of which is 2/22/22, or "Twosday."
The Curious Case of Thomas Lambert, the Child Who Seemingly Died Before He Was Born
According to his tombstone, Thomas Lambert was born in in May 1683 and died in February of the same year. It wasn't a mistake, but instead a quirk in the calendar.
Why Is There a Leap Day?
Happy leap year! You can thank Julius Caesar and his buddies for bringing them to Europe more than 2000 years ago.
10 Timely Facts About Leap Years
We’ve been adding an extra day to February since Julius Caesar overhauled the Roman calendar and implemented leap years in 46 BCE.
When Does a New Decade Actually Begin?
Nobody can seem to agree on whether the new decade began on January 1, 2020, or if it actually begins on January 1, 2021.
The Last Palindrome Week of the Century Begins Today
The palindrome party starts now with 9-10-19 and doesn’t stop until next Thursday, 9-19-19. After that, you’ll have to wait until 2111.
If March 15 Is the Ides of March, What Does That Make March 16?
The Romans referred to the days of the month by their relation to the 'Kalends,' the 'Ides,' and the 'Nones.' If Caesar had been killed any other day, his famous warning might have sounded much less ominous.
Why is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky?
Today, people around the globe will feel uneasy about getting out of bed, leaving their homes, or going about their normal daily routines, all because of a superstition.
A Simple Trick For Figuring Out the Day of the Week For Any Given Date
Who needs computers or calendars when you've got your brain?
211 Years Ago Today, the French Abandoned Their Decimal Calendar
It used ten-day weeks...until Napoleon gave it the axe.
8 Things That Happened on Leap Day
Leap Day comes just once every four years. Here's a list of eight events that occurred on this rare day.
Why Some Parents Push For a Leap Day Baby
Louise Estes has given birth to three children on three consecutive Leap Days. Was it fate, or careful planning?
Early Time Travel? Why Britain Lost 11 Days in 1752
For one year, more than two centuries ago, September 3-13 didn't exist in the British Empire.
Why It’s So Hard to Remember Which Day of the Week It Is
Researchers find that people attach more meaning to Mondays and Fridays, but have fewer mental representations of mid-week days.
5 Dates You Won't Find on Your Calendar
Due to unusual record-keeping practices or because of months that were eliminated over the centuries, there are a few days you’ll never see on your joke-a-day calendar.