Mental Floss

GOVERNMENT

Women's History Month is a time to celebrate the trailblazers who fought for equality and forever changed the world for the better.

Find out everything you need to know about the origins of Women's History Month, including how it went from a daylong celebration born from a socialist idea to a monthlong institution in the United States.

Zoë Randolph
Conspiracy theories are nothing new.

From doubt over Shakespeare’s existence to Lincoln’s assassination, conspiracy theories have been around for centuries.

Jake Rossen, Jason Serafino
Cool jacket optional.

Can FBI agents really take over crime scenes? Do they hunt serial killers? Find out in this list of common FBI misconceptions.

Jake Rossen






Virginia Woolf, Charlie Chaplin, and Ludwig van Beethoven could be considered nepo babies.

Plenty of nepo babies have earned their places in history. But it’s always good to acknowledge the doors open to people who have rich relatives—or whose dad knows the manager of a clogging troupe.

Ellen Gutoskey


Eleanor of Castile and Edward I.

If you’ve heard enough about King Henry VIII’s many wives or the turbulent relationship between Princess Diana and King Charles III, consider these 10 lesser known royal love stories. 

Samantha Arrowsmith
A photo of a woman resembling Patty Hearst, with a weapon in hand, from the robbery of a bank by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army.

On February 4, 1974, publishing heiress Patty Hearst was taken from her Berkeley, California, apartment—but Hearst is far from the only abduction case to have captured public attention.

Stacy Conradt