Mental Floss

LISTS

A snowshoer explores Olympic National Park’s Hurricane Ridge in winter.

Cold-weather hikes are less about conquering miles and more about savoring moments—so lace up, layer on, and let these 10 trails show you what happens when the off-season becomes the best season.

Julie Fogerson








Though it’s not often that the paranormal and legal intersect, the line between hauntings and hearings has occasionally been blurred. These five cases used “spectral evidence” to render verdicts.

Colin Scanlon
Winter is coming.

Winterizing isn’t exactly glamorous, but it’s an important task that can save you from a lot of trouble once the cold hits—and now is the time to get started.

Sam Hindman






A dodo surrounded by other birds.

Careful study of surviving documents and specimens, as well as a little science, have revealed a bit about the dodo.

Erin McCarthy


Hikers watch Kīlauea erupt from the safety of the trail.

if you want explosive drama with your hiking adventures, there’s nothing like walking on a volcano. Here are 10 trails that will take you there.

Julie Fogerson

Start sprinkling bumfuzzle, taradiddle, and collywobbles into everyday conversation—but maybe let quomodocunquizing rest in obsolescent peace where it belongs.

Cat DiStasio






The Salem witch trials were a troubling time in Colonial America.

A witch may not always dress in a pointy hat and fly on a broomstick, so start paying attention to things like how many pets they have, how many times they’ve been married, and if they weigh more than a stack of bibles.

Stacy Conradt


Beware of that invitation to tea.

Euphemisms allow us to discuss some grim or controversial topics employing a more palatable turn of phrase. These expressions were coined to disguise everything from capital punishments to diseases, death, slavery, and cannibalism.

Paul Anthony Jones