Mental Floss

MF EXPLAINS IT ALL

Who was the original Mary Jane?

Mary Janes have an early-20th-century comic strip to thank for their name.

President Obama departing the White House on January 20, 2016.

Inauguration Day isn’t just a matter of scheduling—presidential term limits are exactly four years, down to the hour.

Flip before opening.

Whether you love canned cranberry sauce or hate it, the way it’s packaged is pretty brilliant.

A dozen doughnuts.

As with many words, we have Latin to thank.

Grandfather clocks often become family heirlooms.

The imposing clocks have an origin story, but it doesn't have much to do with any actual grandfathers.

You can save this one for the next time someone makes you mad (though it might not do you any favors, either).

This common phrase is often used during times of political uncertainty, and has even been described as an ancient Chinese curse. History says otherwise, though.

His name is probably not actually Fido.

“Fido” is a name that has become synonymous with all things dog. But where did the name come from?

Nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) is a common anesthetic that only requires a mask over the mouth and nose.

Anesthesia is a complex mixture of medications that lessen pain during procedures. Different types affect the body in different ways.

Some of these folks are still around.

Alexander Hamilton argued that lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court were the only way, but some modern scholars disagree.

Here are the differences between green onions or scallions (left) and chives (right).

One of these things is not like the others.

A hearse with S-shaped bars in place of back windows.

Those evocative scrolls you see on hearses actually have a name—and going back in the 1800s, they actually served an important purpose.

So cute.

It’s common for many little kids to go through a “dinosaur phase.” Here’s why.

Just a shot in the dark.

One theory suggests that we call liquor “spirits” because of alcohol’s association with one spirit in particular: the Holy Spirit. But there are other possible origins.

Puppy kisses

Your dog’s motivations for licking you range from adorable to disgusting.

Every birthday counts when you just have one life.

Though cats only live once, the idea that the animals have nine lives has been around for a long time.

No monkeying around.

The heavy-duty tool is said to be the work of a man named Moncke. Or was it Moncay?

One of the few days this family probably used their dining rooms.

Fewer and fewer newly constructed homes actually have dining rooms. Here’s why.

You know this squirrel got these two cats talking.

There’s a natural explanation for the very un-catlike sounds your pet starts emitting when it sees a bird or squirrel.

Sneezing is gross, but it’s also normal.

Many people underestimate the damage that suppressing a sneeze can cause.

They’re coming for your candy.

Historians link trick-or-treating to a few different ancestors, some old and some new.

A farrier holding a horse’s newly shod hoof.

There are many reasons why horses might need shoes. There’s pretty much only one reason why cows don’t.

Yum.

Movie theater popcorn really does taste different than the stuff you make at home. Here’s why.

'Knotty muscles' can be a real pain in the neck.

The nagging pain in your neck may feel tight, but it's knot what you think.

Both are places where we bury the dearly departed, and the words are often used interchangeably. But that hasn’t always been the case.