Mental Floss

LISTS

The kid in you is getting excited just looking at this picture.

That famous Toys "R" Us jingle that you can hum from memory? One of the world's most successful authors helped write it.

Anne Taylor
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Gucci

Acclaimed actor Tom Hiddleston is best known for his role as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but some people say his best performance is as a horse.

Jake Rossen








Flipping the pages of a book may trigger ASMR in some people.

Here's what you need to know about the brain-tingling phenomenon ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

Meredith Danko






Al Capone got the scars that gave him his Scarface moniker in a barroom brawl.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 17, 1899, to Italian immigrants Gabriele and Teresa, Alphonse Capone would go on to become one of the most notorious gangsters of all time. Here’s what you need to know about the man known as Scarface.

Sean Hutchinson


Egypt’s famous Luxor Temple is one of the world’s oldest temples.

Humans have been building temples for over 10,000 years. Luckily for history lovers, many of those ancient, sacred sites still exist.

Lucie Grace
CribbVisuals // iStock via Getty Images Plus

Today, 'Maniac Magee' is a beloved modern classic and a fixture on school reading lists—but when Jerry Spinelli initially turned in the manuscript, he didn’t think he was onto anything special.

April Snellings


Everybody farts.

From the fart jokes penned by famous writers to the horrifying consequences of holding in your flatus to why toots smell worse in the shower, here's what you need to know about farts.

Jennifer M Wood






Italian bomboloni doughnuts

When most people think of doughnuts, they picture a ring of deep-fried dough with a hole in the middle—but depending on where you are in the world, these tasty treats have evolved into different shapes, sizes, and flavors altogether.

Michele Herrmann
Get yours.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe? What do COVID-19 vaccine side effects really mean? Here’s the truth about some prevalent misinformation.

Ellen Gutoskey
Bruno Vincent/Getty Images

Napster forever changed the way we listen to music. Here are 11 facts about this industry-changing computer software.

Kristy Puchko