Mental Floss

DESIGN

iStock

We have the Swedes—and William Henry Harrison—to thank.

iStock

The Troxler effect will mess with your head.

Courtesy of Pop Chart Lab

The long and winding road ...

Van Eaton Galleries

The most valuable of the 400-plus lots is the original model for a clock in "It’s a Small World," which could bring in $80,000.

Kosuke Takahashi

Kosuke Takahashi wants to change the way braille appears in public spaces.

Nicholas Rougeux

Yes, they talked about sandwiches.

TLC

The beloved home improvement show is back!

MegaSecur, YouTube

The Water-Gate creates a flood barrier when the waters rise.

Netflix/Screenshot

The streaming giant’s attention to detail goes far beyond the shows themselves.

iStock

The right color can make all the difference.

Mr.TinDC, Flickr // CC BY-ND 2.0

Once you know what to look for, you'll spot it everywhere.

A new book explores the subtly impressive design behind the sippable plastic lid.

iStock

There's an art to hanging framed pieces without destroying your walls.

From piano stairs to a space tunnel, exploring the attractions hidden within Mexico City's metro just might be the most fun you can have for 5 pesos.

iStock

The Thomy kit makes a hard process a little easier.

Josie Lewis

Josie Lewis compares her art to "neon mushrooms" and "mermaid skin."

Scott Olson, Getty Images

Want to know what typeface is on that bottle of Sriracha? Fonts in Use will tell you.

Niagara66, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Selling the Ohio office building was no picnic.

Matthias Heyde/Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Flickr // CC BY-ND 2.0

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is designed to safeguard the world's crops against extinction, and it's getting a major upgrade to keep it safe.

iStock

Soft soil is only the beginning of the story.

Lucasfilm

Someone has to decide what BB-8 is going to sound like.

Emojipedia

The people of Maine fought hard for this emoji, and they want designers to get it right.

The North Face

An essential item for the extreme camper.

Some Communist memorials lie in ruins, while others have found a vibrant afterlife.