FACTS

Where does your state fall in the lineup?

Do You Know When Your State Was Founded? Find Out With This Interactive Map

See all 50 states in order from oldest to newest—and test your knowledge with a quiz.

The cover of Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Brideshead Revisited.’

8 Facts You Might Not Have Known About Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Brideshead Revisited’

From the accident that led to its creation to the real people who inspired key characters.

Hundreds and hundreds of facts are in this picture.

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.

The 'Jaws' saga even included a 3D adventure romp.

15 Bloody Facts About the ‘Jaws’ Sequels

Though the 1975 original film is legendary, the ‘Jaws’ sequels occupy a weird (and somewhat complicated) place in cinema history—and here are the real reasons why.

26 Incisive Facts About ‘Jaws’

On June 20, 1975, Steven Spielberg’s 'Jaws'—the original summer blockbuster—arrived in theaters and scared moviegoers out of the water.

36 Larger-Than-Life Facts About André the Giant

Although a number of professional wrestlers have transcended the squared circle to become worldwide stars, few have captivated the public quite like André the Giant.

10 Wild Facts About the 2000s You Might Have Forgotten

Take a look back at some of the weird and WTF things that happened during the aughts, from the bizarre trend that was Heelys to how users made Myspace their own.

15 Fascinating Facts About John Kennedy Toole’s ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’

If it wasn’t for John Kennedy Toole’s mom, his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel would likely have been lost to time.

8 Gripping Facts About the Vietnam War Draft

Dive into the history of the draft during the Vietnam War, including its origins, how long it lasted, and how some young Boomers successfully managed to dodge it.

The Nintendo 64 defined many people’s childhoods.

12 Surprising Facts About 1990s Video Games

For some people, video games were a pleasant way to pass the time in the 1990s. For others, they were a cultural crisis.

11 Space Facts That Will Change Your Perspective

If the sun were the size of a basketball, the Earth would be no larger than a pinhead.

Learn Amazing Facts About Women Scientists With Kari Byron

The former MythBusters host and co-founder of the National STEM Festival tells us what emerging tech she thinks kids today won’t be able to live without—and what we can expect from the podcast she’s launching with fellow MythBuster Tory Belleci.

15 Intriguing Facts About ‘You’

The series’ fifth and final season is expected to hit Netflix in 2024. Here’s what you should know.

7 Out-of-This-World Facts About Ray Bradbury’s ‘The Martian Chronicles’

The fix-up novel, which turns 75 this year, would become one of Bradbury’s most famous books—and inspire future scientists.

Nurse Agnes from Uganda’s Bwindi Community Hospital prepares a vaccination against measles.

7 Facts About Measles

Before the measles vaccine, there were between 3 and 4 million cases in the U.S. per year. Now, it’s less than 500.

15 Things You Might Not Know About Robert Altman

The seven-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind M*A*S*H and Gosford Park, who would have turned 100 this year, changed how we watch—and hear—movies. He also tattooed Harry S. Truman’s dog.

11 Fascinating Facts About Edward Gorey

‘The Gashlycrumb Tinies’ author was born 100 years ago on February 22—here’s what you need to know about him, from what classic book he found boring to how much he really helped with PBS’s show ‘Mystery!’

7 Fascinating Facts About Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’

He wrote the book partially in response to European writers like Joseph Conrad, who Achebe said depicted Africa “as ‘the other world,’ the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization.”

Lukas Haas, Kelly McGillis, Brent Jennings, and Harrison Ford in ‘Witness.’

9 Fascinating Facts About ‘Witness’

Roger Ebert loved Peter Weir’s film, calling it “an electrifying and poignant love story” and “a thriller ... Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud to make.” ‘Witness’ turns 40 this year; here’s what you should know.

Another excuse to plunge back into the world of Westeros.

10 Fascinating Facts About ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’

Here’s everything you need to know about the Tales of Dunk and Egg, the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel novellas that inspired HBO’s upcoming adaptation.

12 Mysterious Facts About ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’

Peter Weir’s Australian New Wave classic turns 50 this year. Here’s what you need to know about the film, from the off-limits question Weir asked book author Joan Lindsay to the spooky stuff that happened on set.

The dogs who pulled off the Nome Serum run might have looked a little bit like this.

10 Things You Need to Know About the 1925 Serum Run to Nome, Alaska

From January 27, 1925 until February 2, 20 mushers and 150 dogs heroically transported desperately needed diphtheria antitoxin to the remote town of Nome, Alaska, saving countless lives in the process. But the event wasn’t without controversy.

101 Things We Learned in 2024

Let’s celebrate another year in the books with a look back at how our knowledge grew over the past 12 months.

Learn Amazing Facts About Louis Armstrong With James Monroe Iglehart

The performer, who is currently playing Armstrong on Broadway in ‘A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical,’ dropped by the Mental Floss studios to walk us through some fascinating details about Armstrong’s life.