THE MAGAZINE

Flex Appeal: The Father of Modern Bodybuilding

by Tim Farrell The ancient Greeks were obsessed with sculpting the perfect male form. But when their civilization died out, bodybuilding died with it. It took a Prussian strongman named Eugen Sandow to bring it back. During the Victorian era, a bulgin

The Tunnel That Saved Bosnia

by Robert Isenberg In the aftermath of the Cold War, Bosnia became a red-hot battleground teetering on the edge of destruction—until one man and his family dug their countrymen to

How a New Breed of Rodents is Changing the Face of Science

By Maggie

Born to Run: 7 Incredible Escape Stories

By Erik Sass If you're looking to make an unforgettable getaway, let Winston Churchill, Geronimo, and the slave who mailed himself to freedom show you the way. 1. How to Become the Subject of a Country

7 of the Handiest Creatures in the Animal Kingdom

by David GoldenbergFor centuries, philosophers claimed that the ability to make tools separated man from beast. But in 1960, a young wildlife researcher named Jane Goodall told her boss, anthropologist Louis Leakey, that she'd witnessed chimpanzees stripp

8 of History's Craziest Trains

The 10 Most Important Kisses in the Universe

Our 9th annual '10 Issue' hits newsstands this week. To celebrate, here's an article from last year's edition.By Maggie Koerth-Baker Get ready for a little kiss and tell. From the smooch that changed a law to the peck that launched a religion, these are t

10 Secrets of the Vatican Exposed

Our 9th annual '10 Issue' hits newsstands this week. To celebrate, here's an article on the Vatican from last year's edition. By David

4 Amazing Things Chili Peppers Can Do

By Maggie Koerth-Baker The hottest thing about chili peppers isn't the way they taste; it's everything else they can do for you. 1. They Strangle

The Ins & Outs of Exotic Animal Smuggling

This article originally appeared in mental_floss magazine. If you're in a subscribing mood, here are the

Democracy on the High Seas: How Pirates Rocked the Vote

by Alisson Clark Sure, they did their fair share of burning and looting. But who knew pirates were ahead of our Founding Fathers when it came to good

The Genius of the Joy of Cooking

by Tim Farrell Forget magazine clippings and newspaper headlines. If you really want to put your finger on the pulse of American culture, just flip through an edition of the Joy of Cooking. The ubiquity of the Joy of Cooking is staggering. More than 18

Bubble Trouble: The Not-So-Sweet History of Champagne

By Eric

Great Christian Art by Really Lousy Christians

by Elizabeth Lunday If you want to paint a saint, it's best to hire a sinner. Artist: Caravaggio Sins: murder; punching a monk in the gut Religious art in the late 16th century had become pretty standard stuff, full of beautiful Madonnas, chubby cheru

How an Earthquake Spawned Massive Immigration Fraud

by Jack

The No-Budget Diners' Guide: How to Survive on Dirt, Bugs, Bark & Leather

By David Clark As the economy sputters, everyone's looking for new ways to save on food. So, we've collected a whole bunch of no-budget meal ideas for those of you daring enough to scrimp. 1. Tree

The Nautical Roots of 8 Common Phrases

by Mark S. LongoThe Vikings, Columbus, the Pilgrims "¦ they all arrived here by ship. So it stands to reason that some of the phrases we use today were born on the high seas. While sources differ on the roots of many sayings, others have a clear path to t

8 Songs Inspired by Real Women

This article originally appeared in a 2006 issue of mental_floss magazine. Songwriters have found inspiration in all sorts of places, from transvestites to team tennis titans. Maggie Koerth-Baker has read between the liner notes to find out for whom 8 fa

The Scheming Princess Behind the Fall of the Roman Empire

This article originally appeared in the Jan-Feb 2005 issue of mental_floss magazine. by Mark S. Longo Everyone goes through a rebellious phase. You know, that moment when daddy's little girl decides that booze, boys, and the beach are a lot more fun tha

A Sound-Breaking Work of Staggering Genius: How Chuck Yeager Reached Supersonic Speed

By Mark Fischetti "When we weren't flying, we zipped on our leather flight jackets, crowded around the blackjack tables of the Tonopah Club, drank ourselves blind on rotgut, then staggered over to the local

How the Nose Can Control Human Sexuality

This article was written by Sam Kean and originally appeared in the 'Future of Sex' issue of mental_floss magazine (March-April 2008). If humans can train (or genetically engineer) themselves to harness pheromones, sexual attraction in the future may dep

How the French Revolution Gave Birth to the Restaurant Business

by Tony

The Rand Corporation: The Think Tank That Controls America

If you think the Internet came out of Silicon Valley, that NASA planned the first satellite to orbit Earth, or that IBM created the modern computer, think again. Each one of these breakthroughs was conceived at RAND, a shadowy think tank in Santa Monica,

The World's 10 Messiest Food Festivals

by Brendan SpiegelIf your mother told you never to play with your food, she probably didn't grow up in any of these towns. Whether the food is being worshipped, chased, sculpted, or thrown, we've found 10 spots around the world where picking at your plate

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