Mental Floss

POP CULTURE







7-Eleven has sometimes had to deal with more than just brain freeze.

The popular convenience store chain has endured everything from a 3-D glasses fiasco to being accused of peddling pornography.

Jake Rossen


Yes, DC Comics takes its name from the Detective Comics book title. But it's a lot more complicated than that.

The history of DC Comics is filled with creator strife, corporate mergers, and award-winning works. Find out more about the iconic comic publisher.

Olivia Popp
Chesnot/Getty Images

What if a company created a toy that was so psychologically addictive that when it stopped working, the kid started crying? That's Tamagotchi.

Jake Rossen






Jackie Collins at her home in Beverly Hills, California in 1995.

Before there was 'Sex and the City' or 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' Jackie Collins was delivering unapologetically raunchy tales of glamour and seduction with a treasure trove of erotic novels.

Kristy Puchko




Lisa Loeb in 1994.

You may not remember some of these songs from the films for which they were recorded; you may have forgotten about some of these songs (or movies) entirely. But each one captures a very specific moment in the life cycle of the films, the artists, the deca

Todd Gilchrist


Chicken nuggets gained worldwide popularity via McDonald's, but their invention began with a poultry and food science science professor at Cornell University.

In 1981, McDonald's introduced the Chicken McNugget to the world and changed the face of bite-sized poultry bits forever. But it never would have happened if it hadn't been for food and poultry scientist Robert C. Baker.

Tasia Bass




Brothers Russell and Ron Mael in Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers (2021).

Over the past 50 years, brothers Ron and Russell Mael—a.k.a. musical duo Sparks—have been on the forefront of popular music trends, from glam rock to power pop to electronic music to new wave and beyond. Now they're the subject of Edgar Wright's first doc

Chelsea Spear