Mental Floss

RETROBITUARIES

amazon (cover) / istock (background)

He traveled thousands of miles, carried a stick topped with owl feathers, and was crowned “Grand Patriarch of the Hobos.”

Tanya Basu








Wikimedia Commons

In our Retrobituaries series, we spotlight those departed whose lives are insufficiently celebrated. Here is a look at the life of Major General Thomas Farrell, who died at 75 in 1967.

David W Brown
Wikimedia Commons

In our Retrobituaries series, we highlight interesting people who are no longer with us. Today let's explore the life of Theodore Maiman, who died at 79 in 2007.

David W Brown


Wikimedia Commons

In our Retrobituaries series, we highlight interesting people who are no longer with us. Today let's explore the life of Edsger Dijkstra, who died at 72 in 2002.

David W Brown


Tumblr

In our Retrobituaries series, we highlight interesting people who are no longer with us. Today let's explore the life of Albert Ellis, who passed away in 2007 at the age of 92.

David W Brown




Nicap.org

How to spot a UFO from the ground: Look up. Do you see something that you cannot identify? You have spotted a UFO. Leonard Stringfield did a little better than that. Back in his Air Force days, he was a passenger on a cargo plane flying from Ie Shima to T

David W Brown
Wikimedia Commons

Born in Havana in 1888, former world chess champion José Capablanca is generally considered to be one of the top five players of all time.

David W Brown
Thinkstock (main); gelsenzentrum.de (inset)

In 1896, chemist Arthur Eichengrün brought forth a miracle—a pure acetylsalicylic acid with medical applications. This was a few years before Lizzie Magie invented the board game Monopoly, and if only the two knew each other, they might have had a lot to

David W Brown


BehindtheVoiceActors.com

Children of the 1980s know few voices better than that of Chris Latta, who played the roles of both Starscream and Cobra Commander. Latta, who was sometimes credited as Christopher Collins, was a voice, stage, and screen actor who died in 1994. Here are a

David W Brown


inc.com

You might not know Jack Cover, but you’re probably familiar with the Taser, a device he invented to help stop airplane hijackings. His contributions didn’t stop there, and the next time you resist arrest, you can tell the cops not only where the Taser the

David W Brown


Pieceofmindful.com

In 1904, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Magie designed a board game to demonstrate the tragic effects of land-grabbing. She named her grim reflection of life The Landlords’ Game, but you probably know it better as Monopoly.

David W Brown