Mental Floss

THE LIST SHOW

Operators at the switchboard of the Magneto Exchange of the National Telephone Company.

Thanks to developments in science and technology, you can't add jobs like slubber doffers and night soil men to your resume these days.

Meredith Danko
Mark Twain, Mariah Carey, Truman Capote, and Elizabeth Taylor are responsible for some of history's most cutting disses.

“Every time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” Who said it?

Ellen Gutoskey
An image of Earth from 1 million miles away snapped on July 6, 2015 by a camera on NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft.

How much do you know about the blue marble we call home? From how our planet formed to just how many species there are, here are 100 things you need to know about Earth.

Jake Rossen, Justin Dodd, Jonathan Mayer




More than one donkey has been involved in a crime.

Whether they were guilty of having potty mouths or stealing shoes, these animals found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Kerry Wolfe




In 2021, scientists identified what is believed to be the earliest known human victim of a shark attack.

While many of us spent the bulk of 2021 stuck inside (again), we learned—for the second year in a row—that groundbreaking discoveries in archaeology, paleontology, astrology, and Skeet Ulrich’s filmography don’t stop just because of a pandemic.

Editorial Staff

From facts about the COVID-19 vaccine to tidbits from vaccine history, here’s everything you ever wanted to know about immunization.

Kat Long


Clockwise from left: Gilbert Stuart's unfinished portrait of George Washington on the $1 bill; Basilica de la Sagrada Familia; a page from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales;  Boldt Castle; Reactors 5 and 6 at Chernobyl; and the National Monument of Scotland.

Famous presidential portraits, literary masterpieces, and iconic tourist destinations all make the list of amazing unfinished projects.

Justin Dodd


A poster for Howard Thurston's magic show in 1908.

Learn how Harry Houdini betrayed his namesake, why people were wary of the cups and balls illusion, and more facts from the history of magic.

Ellen Gutoskey




Mykyta Dolmatov // iStock via Getty Images Plus

Scientific mysteries continue to stump experts in fields ranging from meteorology to medicine. Here are a few strange things science still hasn't figured out.

Justin Dodd
When the Titanic sank in April 1912, its architect, Thomas Andrews, went down with it.

From the inventor who disappeared along with the lighthouse he designed to the daredevil whose contraptions vaulted him to fame then cut his life short, these are the sad stories of inventors killed by their own inventions.

Kat Long
An illustration of a woolly mammoth, blissfully unaware of its species impending doom.

How many ice ages have there been so far? The same number of ‘Ice Age’ movies that have been released. (Five.)

Ellen Gutoskey
You won't want to run into any of these cryptids.

From Bigfoot and Yeti to the Loch Ness Monster and Ogopogo, the world is full of cryptids. Here are just a few of the many cryptids around the world that you should know.

Erin McCarthy




Photos.com/Getty Images Plus

The solar system: It’s big, it’s heliocentric, and it’s got space junk to spare. Here are 24 out-of-this-world facts about the corner of space that’s home to Earth.

Meredith Danko


Would you let this star-nosed mole touch you with its schnoz?

The ugliest animals ever, from the blobfish to the star-nosed mole, aren’t just hideous for no reason.

Ellen Gutoskey


Hulton Archive/Getty Images

School has come a long way since the 19th and 20th centuries. From corporal punishment to lunch to recess, here are just a few ways school was different a century ago.

Meredith Danko
Acne is a pretty big part of puberty.

Why do voices crack and pimples flare up during puberty? When do boys go through puberty, and when do girls experience it? Read on for pivotal facts you should know about puberty.

Jonathan Mayer
An aerial view of Australia's Heart Reef.

From an island infested with snakes to a vault holding a very special secret recipe, these dangerous, mysterious, or otherwise forbidden places are off-limits to the public.

Michele Debczak
Moussa81/iStock via Getty Images Plus

From how long a "hoax" like the Apollo 11 moon landing could actually stay a secret to the conspiracy theory involving Queen Elizabeth I, here are the actual facts you need to know about conspiracy theories.

Stacy Conradt