HISTORY

Palette work from the collection of John Whitenight and Frederick LaValley

Mütter Museum Showcases the Victorian Custom of Making Crafts From Human Hair

New exhibition explores a time when hair wasn't simply for heads.

10 Quick Facts About Cobalt

It was named after subterranean German goblins.

©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello

Inside the Kitchen of Thomas Jefferson's Acclaimed—and Enslaved—Chef James Hemings

Hemings learned the art of French cooking in Paris and brought haute cuisine to America.

8 Amazing Things Discovered During the Expansion of the London Underground

Europe’s largest engineering project uncovered countless historic treasures, ranging from bones to Tudor bowling balls.

Why Did We Start Wearing Pants?

We turn to a 3000-year-old corpse for answers.

Construction Workers Discover World War II–Era German Burial Ground in Estonia

An estimated 35,000 German soldiers died in Estonia during World War II while fighting Soviet troops.

12 People Who Died on Their Birthdays

The Birthday Effect is a statistical phenomenon that says the likelihood of one's death increases on or around their birthday.

The Prime Minister seated at his desk in the No 10 Annexe Map Room, May 1945.

How the Darkest Hour Filmmakers Recreated Winston Churchill’s Secret Underground War Rooms

How the talented team behind Joe Wright's new film used research and ingenuity to recreate the Churchill War Rooms.

A Rare Apple Lisa 1 Computer Is Up for Auction on eBay

There are only between 20 and 100 of these early computers left in the world, and you could own a functioning one (for $55,000).

Scientists Are Using an Ancient Egyptian Pigment to Create New Technologies

Egyptian blue, the world's earliest-known artificial pigment, could help pave the way for advances in medical imaging and forensics.

11 Words and Phrases Popularized by Teddy Roosevelt

Contrary to his well-known slogan “speak softly and carry a big stick,” Theodore Roosevelt was hardly one to speak softly.

The Tiger that Briefly Terrorized 19th Century London

Amazingly, everyone survived.

15 Things You Might Not Know About the YMCA

Between cigarette-toting dogs and Nobel laureates (not to mention a certain disco anthem), it’s been an eventful 175 years for the Young Men’s Christian Association.

National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons // Public domain

14 Famous People Who Survived the 1918 Flu Pandemic

The disease ultimately infected some 500 million people, and estimates put the death toll anywhere from 20 to 50 million.

Mount Vernon’s New Theater Gives You a Front Row Seat to the Revolution

Mount Vernon's new 4D theater lets guests experience the sights and sounds of the American Revolution in a whole new way.

When Lewis Carroll Was Suspected of Being Jack the Ripper

The author of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' might have also been busy disemboweling prostitutes. Or not.

8 Literary Relics From the World's Largest Private Collection of Mark Twain Memorabilia

Kevin Mac Donnell, a rare bookseller in Austin, Texas, safeguards over 8000 Twain-related items in a climate-controlled home archive.

Photo illustration by Lucy Quintanilla, Mental Floss. Newspaper clippings: Washington County Historical Society. Images: iStock

A Colorful History of The Prison Mirror, America's Oldest Continuously Operated Prison Newspaper

Funded by members of the infamous James-Younger gang, the 19th century penal paper was the first to be produced solely by inmates, for inmates.

Exploding Pants Were a Problem in 1930s New Zealand

In the 1930s, farmers weren't sure why their clothes kept bursting into flames.

How World War II Helped Give Birth to the Softcover Book

When America went to war, the softcover book went with it.

That Hilarious Story About Taft Getting Stuck in His Bathtub? It’s Not True

He did, however, have another embarrassing—and very real—bathtub incident.

The American Dentist Who Drilled a Secret Message on Tojo's Dentures

A prank that left "Remember Pearl Harbor" at the tip of the former prime minister's tongue.

When Margaret Thatcher Refused to Share a Plane With a Panda

The Iron Lady didn't play when it came pandas.

The Most Mysterious Thing About Edgar Allan Poe Might Be How He Died

The writer was found in great distress and wearing someone else's clothes. A few days later, he was dead.

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