HISTORY

Ive Got A Secret - Philo Farnsworth, Buster Keaton 1957

Philo Farnsworth, Pioneer of Television, Appeared on TV Only Once

The man who made electronic television signals a reality made only one on-camera appearance. No one knew who he was.

7 Pieces of Art That Were Lost to History

Plenty of famous art has been looted, stolen, destroyed, or has otherwise disappeared over the centuries.

Alan Abel, History's Greatest Hoaxer

Before Nathan Fielder and Sacha Baron Cohen pushed the boundaries of performance art, Alan Abel was able to convince media and the public of just about anything, including his own death.

32 Forgotten Weather Words

Whether you're enjoying a bout of sunshine, enduring a sudden downpour, or suffering through a drought, the obscure corners of English have the word for you.

The Hydes’ homemade scow as found by searchers.

An Empty Boat in the Grand Canyon: The Mysterious Disappearance of Glen and Bessie Hyde

Bessie and Glen Hyde made history with their Grand Canyon boat trip in 1928, but not for the reasons they intended.

8 Infamous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Incidents

From Felix the Cat catching fire to the Great Balloon Massacre of 1997, here are the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade's most infamous moments.

8 Facts About ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover,’ D.H. Lawrence’s Most Scandalous Novel

The story behind the publication of ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ is almost as dramatic as the novel itself.

John Leonard in 'Pepsi, Where's My Jet?' (2022).

'I Just Want a Plane': When a College Student Demanded Pepsi Hand Over a Harrier Jet

John Leonard’s demand was simple. All he wanted was for Pepsi to deliver the Harriet jet he believed they had promised. In 1996, Leonard, then a 21-year-old col

8 Fascinating Facts About Toilets

Half of the world’s population—nearly 4 billion people—lack safe and sanitary toilet facilities. Here are a few facts to make you appreciate our lovely loos.

Don't call her a singer—call her a canary.

32 Legit Words from the ‘Hepcats Jive Talk Dictionary’

Some of these swellelegant slang terms are still around—and some of them have fallen out of fashion.

Meaty-oric Rise: How Renaissance Fairs and Disney Parks Catapulted the Turkey Leg to Greatness

As one Yelp reviewer put it, Disney’s turkey legs “are the reason I can tolerate thousands of children kicking and screaming all around me with their worn down parents.”

Pedro Lascuráin ruled Mexico for about 45 minutes.

10 of History’s Shortest-Serving World Leaders

Their reigns were short, but not sweet.

Thomas Jefferson wasn't a fan of Turkey Day.

What a Turkey: When Thomas Jefferson Refused to Acknowledge Thanksgiving

The nation's third president didn't want to give Americans the bird.

Old Hollywood wasn't necessarily as glamorous as we think it was.

13 Surprising Facts About Old Hollywood

Behind all that Old Hollywood glamour are plenty of feuds, some probably illegal child labor practices, and tons of asbestos.

12 Memorable Facts About the S.S. ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’

More than 40 years after the most famous ship in Great Lakes history vanished during a storm, the cause is still a mystery.

Pittsburgh potties have a curious origin.

Flush with Pride: A History of the ‘Pittsburgh Potty’

Early 20th century homes in Pittsburgh and other northeastern cities have a feature that's long been the butt of jokes: a lone toilet in the basement.

Hieronymous Bosch, 'Cutting Out the Stone of Madness' (c. 1501-1505), now in the Museo del Prado

13 Fascinating Facts About Lobotomies

Dig in for the dark story of an ethically dubious medical practice that fortunately fell out of fashion.

White House portraits of Abraham Lincoln (by William F. Cogswel), Harry Truman (by Greta Kempton), and Theodore Roosevelt (by John Singer Sargent).

9 U.S. Presidents Who Testified Before Congress

Can Congress subpoena a former president? Yes—but it’s often more of a voluntary situation.

This person has as many faces as a churchyard clock!

15 Old Words for the Duplicitous That We Should Bring Back

Consider reviving these words the next time you encounter anyone twistical.

Swedish rockers Rednex perform in Hamburg, Germany.

The Murky Origins and Controversial History Behind the Song “Cotton Eye Joe”

Rednex's fiddle-fueled '90s hit “Cotton Eye Joe” was a reworking of an old American folk song that do-si-doed all the way to No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

6 Hoaxes People Actually Believed

In this episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy shares some clever hoaxes that had people tricked.

8 Fascinating Facts About Howard Carter

It’s been a century since Howard Carter discovered the tomb of an obscure Egyptian pharaoh named Tutankhamen, kicking off a period of Egyptomania and a fascination with the pharaoh that endures to this day.

Seven years of bad luck would seem like a walk in the park to these people.

10 of the Unluckiest People in History

Grab your lucky rabbit’s foot and read up on the tales of some of the unluckiest people in history, from the man whose backyard became a battlefield (twice!) to an absurdly accident-prone instrument inventor and beyond.

The entrance to the 1939 World's Fair in New York City.

Why Don't We Have World's Fairs Anymore?

Once celebrated by millions, these events were later derided as "architectural beauty pageants" and have largely fallen out of favor. What happened?

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