Mental Floss

LISTS

Do you know these words for other words?

There are dozens of little-known and little-used words referring to other words, describing their form, their origin, or their use.

Paul Anthony Jones








Celebrate the end of 2022 with these acclaimed book titles.

From 'The Candy House' by Jennifer Egan to 'Tracy Flick Can’t Win' by Tom Perrotta, discover the best books of 2022 according to Mental Floss.

April Snellings




We learned a lot this year!

There’s no better way to wrap up 2022 than by sharing a whopping 100 things we learned this year, from interesting AI developments to unintentional art heists—and, of course, the results of the 2022 Kids’ Mullet Championships.

mentalfloss .com


Tianjin Binhai Library, China.

While there are many beautiful libraries in the world, there are also a number of more unique ones—from creative architectural wonders to libraries that aren’t housed within buildings at all.

Lorna Wallace


An elephant at the Berlin Zoo enjoying an old Christmas tree.

With Christmas now behind us, you might be thinking about taking down your tree soon. If you have a real tree, don’t be so quick to throw it out—many animals enjoy eating or playing with pine trees.

Emily Petsko




Krampus seems more suited to Halloween than Christmas.

Fans of 'The Office' may recognize Belsnickel, but you should also get to know other Christmas monsters like Krampus and the Yule Lads.

Miss Cellania




Huskies are known for their blue eyes.

Siberian huskies are known for their wolfish good looks, but deep down, they’re all dog.

Rebecca OConnell
Not all Christmas songs are beloved.

The debate about banning “Baby It’s Cold Outside” rages on, but it’s not the only problematic Christmas carol to land on the do-not-play list.

Ellen Gutoskey
A 2000 reveler decorates for mutually assured nuclear destruction.

Nuclear war. Prisons unraveling. And using toilet paper for money. People were freaked out about Y2K.

Jake Rossen