Mental Floss

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Gallaher's Cigarettes recommended a hack that involved setting butter on fire.

From raw beef for wrinkle prevention to cleaning paintings with potatoes, here are some of the most memorable life hacks from days of yore.

Ellen Gutoskey














Demonstration of a waterbed, 1971.

Waterbeds were once a coveted "fluid fixture" of bedrooms—until, suddenly, they weren't. So who or what led to their demise?

Jeff Wells




Silent letters are a clue to how words entered English.

Silent letters are the scourge of spellers and a stumbling block when learning how to write in English—but they're often hidden remnants of how the words passed through different languages on their way to English.

Arika Okrent






Keanu Reeves stars in John Wick (2014).

'John Wick,' the 2014 revenge thriller starring Keanu Reeves, started a film franchise full of bullets, chases, and plenty of ice baths for its leading man.

Jake Rossen