Mental Floss

LISTS





Not even the star power of Daniel Craig could save The Golden Compass (2007).

From 'It's a Wonderful Life' to 'Battlefield Earth,' these box office turkeys proved that it can take just one major flop to send a studio down the dreaded path of bankruptcy.

Jon O'Brien


(L to R) ROBERT SHEEHAN, JUSTIN H. MIN, ELLIOT PAGE, TOM HOPPER, DAVID CASTAÑEDA, and EMMY RAVER-LAMPMAN STAR IN NETFLIX'S THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, WHICH LANDED IN THE NO. 10 SPOT.

One committed number-cruncher spent the last year monitoring Netflix’s top 10 list every day to see which shows reigned supreme.

Ellen Gutoskey


Col. Benjamin O. Davis (left), commanding officer of the 332nd Fighter Group, and Edward C. Gleed, group operations officer, stand in front of a plane in Ramitelli, Italy, in March 1945.

The first African American pilots to serve in the United States military, the Tuskegee Airmen helped the Allies win World War II and put the U.S. armed forces on the road to integration.

Mark Mancini




Stephen King can bring the scares.

The master of modern horror has made readers jump out of their chairs for decades thanks to excerpts like these, which are best read after dark.

Jake Rossen


Rami Malek once handed out his headshot as part of takeout orders.

Actor Rami Malek has earned acclaim for his roles in 'Mr. Robot' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' But his first credited work was something he had to pay a fee to get.

Jake Rossen


JohnnyMad/iStock via Getty Images

Whether they boast a long life expectancy or a high number of lottery winners, these states qualify as lucky.

Michele Debczak






A lithograph by Charles Robert Ashbee for H.G. Wells's The Island of Dr Moreau

In 1896, H.G. Wells published an uncharacteristically gruesome tale called 'The Island of Dr. Moreau,' forever changing the face of science fiction. Here are seven curious facts about Wells’s most unsettling work, which turns 125 this year.

April Snellings