Mental Floss

NEWS

Grab your magnifying glass.

We give you an obscure word with four definitions—one correct, three made up. Can you identify the correct one?

Ellen Gutoskey
Surfers are used to getting mouthfuls of saltwater.

The salt in the ocean comes from two main sources: rocks on land and vents at the bottom of the sea.

Michele Debczak


in H.T. Opsahl's classroom, bad kids faced serious repercussions.

In 1924, H.T. Opsahl sentenced disruptive kids to a high-voltage electric chair. Parents were not amused. Discover more about the origins of one of history's worst high school teachers here.

Jake Rossen




















It wasn’t one of Adams’s finest moments.

When John Adams penned a letter to future first lady Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776, he guessed how future generations of Americans would celebrate Independence Day with remarkable accuracy—but he got the date wrong.

Erik van Rheenen