Mental Floss

LISTS

Say goodbye to the highway simulator.

The majority of American teenagers once learned how to drive in driver's ed. Today, you won't find these staples of highway safety instruction in the classroom.

Angela Hatem


Elvis Presley in concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 27, 1977.

Elvis Presley spent a portion of his later years behaving somewhat erratically during his live performances, insulting his back-up singers and even changing lyrics to lash out at the hotel hosting him.

Jake Rossen




Personal airplanes aren't quite reality yet—and sadly, neither are personal space ships!

Everyone from chocolate-making companies to some of history's greatest minds (think Ben Franklin and Nikola Tesla) weighed in on what they thought life would be like in the 21st century.

Ellen Gutoskey










Shure/Amazon

Chances are you've got your fair share of virtual meetings scheduled for the next few months. Here are the webcams, lights, and other accessories you need to make them less of an annoyance.

Molly Gregory
Rioters outside of San Francisco City Hall on the night of May 21, 1979, reacting to the voluntary manslaughter verdict for Dan White, which ensured White would serve just five years for the murders of Harvey Milk and George Moscone.

In May 1979, one of the most violent protests in San Francisco history broke out when the lenient verdict for Dan White, the man who killed Harvey Milk, was revealed.

Kyubin Kim


Masakatsu Ukon, Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

Today's airplanes have high-tech air filtration systems that keep the air on your flight fresher than you might expect. But you should still take precautions to avoid germs before and during travel.

Carla Delgado


Pexabay, Pexels // CC0

If you’ve found yourself purchasing 'Stamped' but not 'The Hate U Give' or 'With the Fire on High,' then you’re doing yourself a major disservice.

Rachelle Saint-Louis


Earthquakes don't cause giant cartoonish chasms to open up, but they can tear up the landscape like this.

Fear not: the chances of “The Big One” hitting while you read this article are very, very slim. But that doesn't mean you should let your guard down.

Ellen Gutoskey


daveynin, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

From tainted arcade high scores to a suspected case of stolen identity, here are five of our favorite Guinness World Record controversies.

Jason Serafino
Val Kilmer stars in Martha Coolidge's Real Genius (1985).

Martha Coolidge's 1985 film 'Real Genius,' starring Val Kilmer, ranked first among equals from that decade for its stellar cast, sensitive direction, and genuine-nerd bona fides.

Todd Gilchrist