Mental Floss

LISTS



Joshua Tree National Park.

Only two hours outside Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park has always had a glamorous cachet. But it also has a fascinating history filled with Hollywood-style drama.

Mac Carey


Mando (Pedro Pascal) surrounded by Baby Yoda and the Frog Lady in from The Mandalorian.

The irresistible combination of classic Star Wars action with the added bonus of a seriously darling miniaturized Yoda-esque creature has made 'The Mandalorian' a hit.

Kinsey Gidick




nycshooter/iStock via Getty Images

If capturing lasting memories is your preferred vacation activity, consider planning a trip to one of these photogenic states across the U.S.

Michele Debczak


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


Keith Morrison discusses Dateline NBC in New York City.

This year marks the 30th season of NBC’s 'Dateline.' To celebrate, here’s what you need to know about the show’s early days, how “To Catch a Predator” came to be, the show’s pivot to true crime, and what Keith Morrison really thinks of Bill Hader’s impres

Erin McCarthy






Will Forte plays the title role in MacGruber (2010).

'MacGruber,' the 'MacGyver'-inspired send-up of 1980s action movies, transformed a one-joke Saturday Night Live sketch into one of the best smart-dumb comedies of the last two decades.

Todd Gilchrist




Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, is 189 years young.

Humans have a pretty long lifespan, but it's nothing compared to that of a deep sea sponge, one of the oldest animals on Earth.

Liz Langley


Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany star in WandaVision on Disney+.

'WandaVision,' which details the domestic bliss of Marvel superheroes Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), introducing the world to Phase Four of the Marvel Extended Universe.

Scott Beggs
Not even cats were safe from being a part of the epic Japanese fart battles depicted in a series of art scrolls produced during the Edo period.

So much has changed over the past several thousands of years that it's easy to forget about some of the things that have not. Like the fact that we’re still the same people we always were—fallible, farting people.

Mike Rampton