Mental Floss

NEWS



When the Titanic sank in April 1912, its architect, Thomas Andrews, went down with it.

From the inventor who disappeared along with the lighthouse he designed to the daredevil whose contraptions vaulted him to fame then cut his life short, these are the sad stories of inventors killed by their own inventions.

Kat Long






Abenaki filmmaker and performer Alanis Obomsawin

These Indigenous politicians, activists, linguists, teachers, and artists—who work to preserve their heritage and secure civil rights—deserve to be better known.

Yesica Balderrama






Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's (green) Monster in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931).

In the more than 200 years since Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein' helped shape the horror genre as we know it today, there have been dozens of interpretations of Frankenstein’s Monster. But when and why did he become green?

April Snellings


An illustration of a woolly mammoth, blissfully unaware of its species impending doom.

How many ice ages have there been so far? The same number of ‘Ice Age’ movies that have been released. (Five.)

Ellen Gutoskey








Daniel Craig stars in No Time to Die (2021).

Six decades, 25 films, six actors, and billions of dollars in box office later, and we're still talking about James Bond, his literary legacy, and his big screen adventures.

Matthew Jackson