Blog Profile / mental_floss
| URL : | http://www.mentalfloss.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Odd | |
| Posts on Regator: | 16276 | |
| Posts / Week: | 61.1 | |
| Archived Since: | April 15, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Napoleon Wasn’t Short, Vikings Didn’t Wear Horned Helmets, and 3 More Historical Misconceptions
There’s nothing a history geek likes more than saying, “Actually, everything you think you know about [insert historical event here] is wrong. And here’s why.” In this four-minute video, C.G.P. Grey tackles five historical misconceptions, contrasting the commonly accepted stories with what the historical record actually shows. Show More Summary
That’s Not A Photograph
Samuel Silva, a.k.a. DeviantArt user VianaArts, has an exceptional eye for detail, especially when it comes to laying down lines with a ballpoint pen. In fact, the picture above isn’t a photograph or even an incredibly realistic painting—it’s made with nothing but ballpoint pens. Like most of us, Samuel Silva occasionally doodled in his notebook [...]
Weekend Links: Fireworks in Reverse
You haven’t truly seen a fireworks show until you’ve seen one in reverse. How blind people use Instagram; “I’ve never had a camera before.” Want to get onto “The Price is Right”? One Deadspin writer talks about his scientific system that got him on the show. Well, nearly. Read it and see, it’s [...]
The American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year Is Hashtag
The American Dialect Society's Word of the Year Is... The American Dialect Society met last night in Boston for its 23rd annual word of the year vote.
The Late Movies: High School Haka
As I prepared an old mental_floss magazine article for the internet, I was struck by YouTube’s “related videos” section. It appears that the Maori war dance known as the haka has been adopted by not only rugby teams, but quite a few American high school football teams, too! You may enjoy watching these teenagers intimidate [...]
World War I Centennial: Schlieffen Is Dead, but His Plan Lives On
The First World War was an unprecedented catastrophe that killed millions and set the continent of Europe on the path to further calamity two decades later. But it didn’t come out of nowhere. With the centennial of the outbreak of hostilities coming up in 2014, Erik Sass will be looking back at the lead-up to [...]
The Missing Links: One Very Expensive Coin
The Trillion Dollar Coin Are they the answer to all our economic woes? What Do Mel Brooks and Tracy Jordan Have In Common? They both have the EGOT. Here’s what Brooks learned while earning his. (And, if you don’t watch 30 Rock, you probably didn’t get that headline reference. Please go watch every episode.) [...]
45 Amazing Facts for National Trivia Day
Here’s a little-known fact: it’s National Trivia Day! Let’s celebrate with some of our favorite facts from the @mental_floss Twitter account. 1. Jim Cummings is the voice of Winnie the Pooh. He calls sick kids in hospitals and chats with them in character. 2. In the mid-1960s, Slumber Party Barbie came with a book [...]
Friday Happy Hour: What Condiment Should Never Go On A Sandwich?
On Fridays, Jason posts a series of unrelated questions meant to spark conversation in the comments. Jason’s out today, so I’m filling in! Answer one, answer all, respond to someone else’s reply, whatever you want. On to this week’s topics of discussion… 1. Did you hear? GAK—that super squishy substance sold by Nickelodeon in the [...]
What Would Mars Have Looked Like Covered in Water?
The western hemisphere of Mars, with the volcano Olympus Mons on the horizon. Photo courtesy Kevin Gill. In September, NASA announced that the Curiosity rover found remnants of an ancient stream bed on Mars—evidence that our red neighbor was, at one point, a blue planet covered in water. Now, Kevin Gill, a software engineer, has [...]
8 Beautiful Snow Scenes from Literature
Here comes the snow! Whether you are settling in for a few days of snowed-in coziness at home or a few days of airport purgatory, you can probably use something to read. Here are some beautiful descriptions of snow from literature. 1. From An American Childhood, Annie Dillard “Now we sat in the dark dining [...]
Can People Really Smell Fear?
Fictional characters, and even real-life folks, often talk about animals and people—particularly snarling dogs and knife-wielding lunatics—being able to “smell fear” on people. No one ever seems to be able to describe just what fear smells like, though. The lack of detail—Is it musty? Does it have a hint of vanilla?—leads one to think that [...]
Brain Game: Meet Tina
Please say hello to my friend Tina, whose likes and dislikes will help you solve today’s mentalfloss.com Brain Game Free-for-all Friday challenge. Good luck! Tina likes heading north more than traveling south. She’d rather own a dog than have to cater to a cat. Show More Summary
The Weird Week in Review
The Bike-eating Tree A bicycle lost over 50 years ago has been found -five feet off the ground, swallowed by a tree. Ninety-nine-year-old Helen Puz told the story of how she received a bicycle for her 8-year-old son in 1954. The boy was not particularly happy about riding a girl’s bike, and one day told [...]
The Key to Tasmanian Devil Survival? Being Less Aggressive
Getty Images Though they’re delightfully adorable, Tasmanian devils don’t have a reputation for being sweet and cuddly (just look at that Taz on Looney Tunes!). But according to a new study, evolving to be less ferocious might be the only thing that could keep them from going extinct. Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) causes tumors [...]
5 Questions: Exploring the ‘Planet’
Friday’s mentalfloss.com 5 Questions quiz goes on a journey: Exploring the ‘Planet’
Morning Cup of Links: Daily Disneyland
Employee training films are a treasure trove of weirdness. “Absurdly gory, shoddily made, and sometimes unintentionally hilarious, these are so outlandish it’s hard to imagine that anyone ever took them seriously.” The Science Behind 9 Big Diets. Before you select your new regimen, see what the experts say about its effectiveness. Two dozen [...]
The Late Movies: Guess The Theme 82
It’s Thursday, it’s late, it’s time once again for the game that’s sweeping the nation: GUESS THE THEME! All the clips below, in this case TV shows, have something in common. Leave your best guesses in the comments. The Simpsons Duck Tales Green Hornet The Nanny The Jetsons Thunderbirds
Watch the Skull-Cutting Instructional Video Made for a Django Unchained Actor
Quentin Tarantino often takes liberties with history in his films, and his latest, Django Unchained, is no exception. But some aspects of the flick called for a bit of realism: For a scene where Leonardo DiCaptrio’s character, Calvin Candie, saws off the top of a skull, the production turned to the Mütter Museum for help. [...]
NASA’s Bizarre Plan to Drag an Asteroid into Orbit
By Chris Gayomali Of all the asteroids relatively close to Earth, a space rock called 1999 AO10 is the most attractive candidate for close-up inspection. But getting to it would be both ridiculously expensive and incredibly dangerous. Sending astronauts there and back would take roughly half a year, and potential rescue missions would be impossible. Astronauts [...]