Mental Floss

HISTORY

Ann Johansson

A California Dream

California’s third-largest city by area is an urban-planning disaster, a sprawl of empty grids that aspired to become a megacity—and failed. But as the desert works to reclaim the land, it’s become a mecca of another kind.

Artist Unknown via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Opera Star’s Skeleton Shows Evidence of Castration, Singing Career

Researchers say the childhood castration and subsequent opera career of 19th-century singer Gaspare Pacchierotti left permanent marks on his skeleton.

Dutch National Archives via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0 NL

Was Canada's Longest-Serving PM Also Its Strangest?

William Lyon Mackenzie King may have gotten some of his best advice from dead people, his dogs, and …. shaving cream.

Sudipta Mallick, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

The World's Oldest Photo Studio Shutters For Good

The closure marks the end not only of a historic shop, but of the longest continuously running photography studio in the world.

Getty

The Man Who Tightroped Niagara Falls on Stilts

On another momentous occasion, he crossed carrying an iron stove.

Watch a Man Eat Civil War Rations From 1863

One YouTube user eats an actual piece of hardtack made for Union soldiers over a century and a half ago.

Rescued Film Project

How the Rescued Film Project Preserves America’s Lost and Forgotten Photos

The Rescued Film Project's mission is simple: To leave no roll of film undeveloped.

Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

You Can Now Visit the Bedroom Where Charles Darwin Died

Historical curators restored the room to its original late-1850s appearance.

NASA

How an Apollo Astronaut Almost Lost His Wedding Ring in Space

The recovery was unbelievably lucky.

Library of Congress

When U.S. President Grover Cleveland Served As an Executioner

“Big Steve,” as he was known back then, took the lives of two criminals when he was the Erie County Sheriff.

Helen Keller (left) and her interpreter, Anne Sullivan Macy

11 Things You Might Not Know About Helen Keller

Helen Keller is history’s most famous deaf-blind person, but she was also a vaudeville performer who was investigated by the FBI.

New York American on June 26th, 1906. // Wikimedia Commons

10 Facts About the Original 'Trial of the Century'

A murder case that became the media sensation of its day (it even had a film adaptation—commissioned by Thomas Edison).

Library of Congress // Public Domain

A Study in Butter

Thousands once came to see a princess sculpted in butter.

iStock

Why Are Weekends Two Days Long?

You can thank hangovers.

Oli Scarff/Getty

Female Knights Can Now Joust at British Castles

A 1000-year-old tradition has been updated.

Getty Images

12 One-Word Famous Last Words

These famous folks managed to convey a great deal of meaning through just one word.

How to Cook Fried Chicken in the 18th Century

Things were done a little differently in 1736.

How to Cook Fried Chicken in the 18th Century

Things were done a little differently in 1736.

iStock / Public Domain

The Surprisingly Devious History of CAPTCHA

Or, how millions of people—including you—ended up working for free.

Time Capsule Discovery Brings Back Middle School Memories For 93-Year-Old

This picture transported him back to 1938.

A full-length portrait of King Henry VIII.

14 Facts About Henry VIII

Despite Henry VIII's place in history books and pop culture, there are likely a number of things most people don't know about this enigmatic monarch.

Getty Images

There’s a Little-Known Part of Russia in Europe

It’s a small slice of Russia, completely cut off from her motherland by several hundred miles.

Missy S., Flickr // CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

10 Ways to Drink In New York City History

Many of the city’s venerable watering holes are veritable museums, with the bonus of booze.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

How Does Someone Become a Superdelegate?

It’s an extremely powerful position, but how does one actually land the gig?