Mental Floss

NEWS

The triforium in 2009

The triforium, 70 feet above the Abbey’s ground floor, will be open to the public as a museum in June 2018.

Courtesy of Chess Boxing Global/Yves Sucksdorff

It's a hit in Germany and India. Why isn't the sport of hooks and rooks catching on in America?

A Neanderthal skull

A new study suggests their evolution helped us develop our social skills.

Bottoms up! (If you’re 21.)

Ronald Reagan had something to do with it. FDR, too.

Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

A few facts about the woman who originated the "America's Sweetheart" title.

iStock

Every year, suds lovers celebrate International Beer Day on August 7—which makes it the pefect day to share any one of these amazing facts about beer.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

No matter how many times you’ve watched Squints execute his plan to get to first base with Wendy Peffercorn, there’s bound to be something you don’t know about this modern classic, which was released 25 years ago.

iStock

The Tomatometer doesn't lie.

TLC

The beloved home improvement show is back!

Howmuch.net

There's a big difference between the Midwest and the West Coast.

iStock

Now you can know if your paycheck or card from Grandma has landed, or if your mailbox is just full of junk mail.

Yui Mok, AFP/Getty Images

The Queen wants to create a network of protected forests spanning the globe.

Ian Gavan, Getty Images

Twenty years ago, the Teletubbies said "Eh-oh" to American audiences.

iStock

It's a skill any amateur bug hunter can learn.

MegaSecur, YouTube

The Water-Gate creates a flood barrier when the waters rise.

iStock

You don't need to call up every company you get junk mail from and ask to be taken off their mailing list.

Belly Kids/Vaso Michailidou

Featuring 'The Life Aquatic'/'Jurassic Park' crossover you’ve been dreaming of.

Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Walt Whitman, the famed author of 'Leaves of Grass,' was a bit of a health nut—and really enjoyed hanging out in the nude.

Jo Hale, Getty Images

In the 1980s, Flatley aspired to run a plumbing empire with a company called Dynasewer. Life took him in another direction.

iStock

The books kept coming back with purposeful, curious markings.