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Henry David Thoreau’s account of his time in the woods is much more than just fodder for motivational posters—it’s a work of transcendentalist philosophy that shaped how people see the natural world today.

Joy Lanzendorfer


Feverpitched/iStock via Getty Images

The ubiquitous packaging is everywhere, from cereal to deliveries to impromptu cat beds. But where did it come from?

Jake Rossen


Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and John Hurt in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

In literature, 'canon' refers to source material that establishes the characters, relationships, and events of a fictional universe. 'Headcanon,' however, describes fans’ imagined explanations for what happens between the lines, or off the page entirely.

Roma Panganiban




Go behind the scenes of Walter Chandoha’s 75-year-long career as a cat photographer with these incredible photos from the new book Cats. Photographs 1942–2018.

Ellen Gutoskey








A scene from Lasse Hallström's Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009), based on the life of Hachikō.

Dogs can do some pretty amazing things. Just look at your own, who comes when you call, sits when you say so, and knows enough to only chew up your last-season footwear. History is filled with tales of highly accomplished canines.

Jennifer M Wood
Images: iStock. Collage: Lucy Quintanilla, Mental Floss.

The oldest recorded joke—a lowbrow Sumerian quip stating "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap"—dates back to 1900 BCE, eking out a pharaoh wisecrack from Ancient Egypt by a solid three

Erik van Rheenen