History - Trivia, Quizzes, and Brain Teasers | Mental Floss

Common Misconceptions About Ancient Egypt

An illustration from Hunefer's Book of the Dead.

Common Misconceptions About Ancient Egypt

13 Facts about Astronaut Alan Shepard, the First American in Space

Astronaut Alan Shepard wears his pressure suit for the Mercury-Redstone 3 (MR-3) flight, the first American crewed spaceflight.

13 Facts about Astronaut Alan Shepard, the First American in Space

When Comic Books Sold Live Monkeys

deberarr/iStock via Getty Images (Background); kata716/iStock via Getty Images (Monkey). Photo collage courtesy of Ken Ossea, Jr.

When Comic Books Sold Live Monkeys

Michelangelo May Have Left a Thumbprint on This Wax Sculpture's Butt

The butt in question.

Michelangelo May Have Left a Thumbprint on This Wax Sculpture's Butt

9 Underdog Nations and Their Memorable Olympic Performances

Kipchoge Keino competing in men's 3000-meter steeplechase final at the 1972 Olympic Games.

Charles Downing Lay, the Man Who Won an Olympic Medal for Town Planning

Charles Downing Lay

The Unexpected Origins of 20 Culinary Terms

Use your culinary skills and your knowledge of where these terms came from to impress in the kitchen.

13 Medal-Worthy Olympic Stories

Muhammad Ali with a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games.

The Etymology of 15 Weird and Wonderful Olympic Words

Two swordsmen participating in the fencing semifinals during the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London.

The Royal Rundown on King Henry VIII's Children

The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession (circa 1572).

The Stories Behind 25 Flags You'll See in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies

KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images

Tug of War Used to Be an Olympic Sport

Great Britain's Liverpool St Police tug-of-war team taking on Ireland at the 1908 London Olympics.

It's Lit: Watch Almost 100 Years of Summer Olympic Cauldron Lightings in This Supercut

The fiery cauldron at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

When Kerri Strug Made Olympic History In 1996

Gymnast Kerri Strug is carried off the floor by her coach Bela Karolyi after her routine at the Georgia Dome at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia on July 23, 1996.

When Niagara Falls Ran Dry—Twice

Niagara Falls has dried up on two occasions, only one of them on purpose.

5 Memorable Moments from Olympic Opening Ceremonies

Torchbearers light the Olympic torch at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.