HISTORY

Why is North Always At the Top on a Map?

Magnetic north is shifting towards Siberia, but that doesn't quite explain why maps put north at the top.

A night at the museum is closer than you may think.

9 Museums Where You Can Spend the Night

If you ever dreamed of being Ben Stiller in “Night at the Museum”, we’ve got the next best thing.

Astronauts have left a lot more than footprints on the moon.

7 Strange Things That Have Been Left On the Moon

Golf balls, a word from the queen, and an X-rated drawing by Andy Warhol are just some of the items left behind by astronauts.

If you see a knight wearing a gauntlet, pray he keeps it on.

Why Do We Say “Throw Down the Gauntlet”?

A knight throwing down his glove in Medieval Europe meant serious business.

Fortunately, the tooth fairy doesn't actually pull teeth.

The Strange Origins of the Tooth Fairy

While the Tooth Fairy herself may be surprisingly modern, the bits of folklore that went into her creation are hundreds of years old.

Queen Victoria wore a lot of black after her husband's death.

5 Ways Royals Shaped Fashion

Royals from Queen Victoria to Princess Diana have left their mark on the world of fashion.

The lore behind America's favorite ballpark snack is pretty fascinating.

Why Is It Called a “Hot Dog”?

Discover the curious origins of America’s favorite ballpark snack and why it’s called a “hot dog” to begin with. (Spoiler: It doesn’t involve any literal dog meat.)

Most Pride celebrations in the U.S. occur in June.

10 Facts About the History of LGBTQ Pride Month

Since 1970, the LGBTQ community has marked June as Pride Month, in part to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a watershed moment in LGBTQ history when patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back against a police raid.

The Multi-Faceted Origins of 12 Birthstone Names

Their etymologies, unearthed.

A Manila galleon may have influenced ‘The Goonies.’

The Real-Life Shipwreck That May Have Inspired ‘The Goonies’

‘The Goonies’ turns 40 this year—and to make the film, director Steven Spielberg may have drawn inspiration from a real-life shipwreck that occurred off Oregon’s coast. It’s known as the Beeswax Wreck.

An overhead view of the Erie Canal in autumn.

14 Fascinating Facts About the Erie Canal

One of America’s great early engineering achievements, the Erie Canal turns 200 years old in 2025.

8 Complaints About the Prom From 70 Years Ago

Grievances from the days of yore.

Despite the name, it’s completely alcohol-free.

How Did Root Beer Get Its Name?

This classic American soda started as a brewed tea made from a potentially toxic plant.

The cover of Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.’

9 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas’

From its initial title to its real life inspirations to its disastrous, misconception-causing English translations.

Rasputin, Russian mystic and ‘holy man.’

The Murder of Rasputin: The Mystery That Won’t Die

Delve into the mystery surrounding the assassination of Grigori Rasputin, and see how the circumstances of his death have taken on a life of their own.

The holiday is always a three-day weekend for a reason.

Why Is Memorial Day Always on a Monday?

Discover the real reason why Memorial Day always happens on a Monday, plus how the holiday actually does differ from Veterans Day, and more.

8 Dogs Bred for Oddly Specific Purposes

From the Tibetan Mastiff to the Japanese Chin, many popular dog breeds have highly-specialized origins.

Why Are There Two Dakotas and Two Carolinas?

If the colony of Carolina and the Dakota Territory hadn’t decided to split themselves up, we’d have only 48 states right now. But why did these particular places become geographic variants of each other?

The cover of the 1902 Sears, Roebuck catalogue.

11 Bizarre Items Sold by Sears in 1902

Some of the products offered up for sale in the catalogue were downright dangerous.

A U.S. Marine charges forward through Japanese machine gun fire during the Battle of Okinawa.

11 Things You Might Not Know About the Marine Corps

From their birthplace in a tavern to the origins of that famous ‘Leatherneck’ nickname, learn more about the history of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Flags displayed a Boston Common for Memorial Day.

What’s the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Both Memorial Day and Veterans Day are meant to celebrate military veterans, but there's one important distinction you should remember.

10 Wild Facts About the 2000s You Might Have Forgotten

Take a look back at some of the weird and WTF things that happened during the aughts, from the bizarre trend that was Heelys to how users made Myspace their own.

The Astounding Counterfeit Nazi Invasion Map You’ve Never Heard Of

President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the map to justify the United States entering World War II—but as one historian told Mental Floss, “was a fiction forged by the British intelligence service.”

Quiz: Can You Name the Greek God or Goddess?

They hurl thunderbolts, throw wild parties, and mess with the lives of mortals. Can you match each description to the correct god or goddess?

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