Mental Floss

FACTS

Getty Images

All Chinese New Year celebrations are celebrations of the Lunar New Year, but not all Lunar New Year celebrations are traditionally Chinese.

Colin Ainsworth
Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder star in 'Blazing Saddles' (1974).

Mel Brooks’s audacious comedy was the first movie to incorporate audible flatulence (though the offending noises were muted when the film aired on television).

Mark Mancini
Meryl Streep.

Meryl Streep is one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood history. Discover how this Oscar-winning star got her start—and how her first Academy Award ended up on a bathroom floor.

Jake Rossen






John Carpenter on the set of 'Halloween' (1978).

From his 1978 classic “Halloween” to his love of video games, there’s a lot to appreciate about John Carpenter, but here are some other cool facts you might not have known about the storied director.

Shayna Murphy


We learned a lot in 2023.

From record-breaking plants and incredible animal news to space superlatives and the awesome power of Taylor Swift fans, here’s the long list of things we learned in 2023.

mentalfloss .com
There was something for every type of reader on MentalFloss.com in 2023.

Once again, Mental Floss readers proved to be curious about all sorts of niche topics—and our editors and writers were happy to oblige their interests.

mentalfloss .com








Mark your calendars!

There are a few reasons—including a little something to do with the horse and buggy. Find out more about the history of Election Day.

Erin McCarthy








Permafrost in Eastern Siberia.

About 11 percent of the Earth’s surface is perpetually frozen, though that will surely change as global warming continues.

Tim Brinkhof