Mental Floss

LISTS









Capitol Records

The story of how Pet Sounds was made has been told and retold (and parodied) plenty of times since its release in 1966, but there are still many fascinating little stories about the album that may have gone under the radar.

Nick Greene
Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece.

Its cantilevered tiers hang over a 30-foot waterfall—Frank Lloyd Wright’s ingenious way of melding the human-made structure with its natural surroundings. Here are 12 facts about its history and legacy.

Kirstin Fawcett








Villa Baviera was originally a Germany colony known as Colonia Dignidad.

Inspiring to imagine but nightmarish to live in, these failed communes have become cautionary tales in hubris and ego. 

Colin Scanlon
Fabbriche di Careggine, a sunken town in Italy, emerges from under Lago di Vagli reservoir.

Forget Atlantis (which probably doesn’t exist)—we’re taking a trip to 10 real cities that ended up underwater.

Erin McCarthy


The red, white, and blue.

Read on to discover which American president wanted to be a concert violinist, which carried a dictionary around in his pocket, who burned his official White House portrait, and why Joe Biden's dog made history.

Corinne Cummings


Fragments of the Coligny calendar.

Cultures throughout history have come up with their own unique ways to track the days, months, and seasons.

Jane Alexander




Open up and say ...

Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ isn’t just an enduring summer classic—it also includes plenty of fun slang terms that’ll make you feel like its Shark Week all year long.

Angela Tung