June 2011
81 posts
Studies have shown that Viagra can speed recovery from jet lag by as much as 50% … in hamsters.
Waste from the Ben & Jerry’s factory is given to farmers to feed their hogs. The hogs apparently love Cherry Garcia but dislike Mint Oreo.
The G in “G-Spot” stands for Gräfenberg, a German-born doctor who studied female sexual physiology.
We Needed an Excuse to Post a Picture of a...
According to @WiredResearch, giraffes average only 1.9 hours of sleep per day.
[Image credit: Flickr user gr1234.]
Paul Joseph Revere — Paul Revere’s grandson — was killed in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
The Little Girl Who Convinced Charles Schulz to...
Charlotte Braun was written as a female version of Charlie Brown. In fact, she looked just like him, except she had curly hair. She, too, was ostracized by her peers, but it was because she was loud and obnoxious—a fact she constantly pointed out during her appearances in the comic strip.
Shortly after her introduction in 1954, Charles Schulz received a letter from Elizabeth Swain, a...
Why Senator Joe McCarthy Hated 'It's a Wonderful...
You probably know that the American classic It’s a Wonderful Life teaches us that no man is a failure if he has friends. But did you also know that the film irked Senator Joe McCarthy so much that he wanted it banned?
It’s a Wonderful Life is about a guardian angel who helps a suicidal man named George Bailey see the value in his life. Although the film received positive reviews when it...
The Procrastinators’ Club of America newsletter is called “Last Month’s Newsletter.”
The FAO in FAO Schwarz stands for Frederick August Otto, who founded the company with his three brothers in the 1800s.
At Fatburger, you can order a “Hypocrite” — a veggie burger with crispy strips of bacon.
[Photo credit: Alexandra Leon/MiamiNewTimes]
Rice-a-Roni (“The San Francisco Treat”) was based on an Armenian recipe for rice pilaf.
A 1975 American slang dictionary defines “gay-cat” as a hobo not wise to the ways of hobo life; a hobo who is considered unacceptable by his fellows.
Quiz: Real Berenstain Bears Title or One We Made...
The Berenstain Bears have had scores of adventures over the years, some more exciting than others. Can you tell the actual book titles from the ones we made up?
Take the Quiz: The Berenstain Bears and the mental_floss Quiz
What's in a Name?
When asked why he chose the name Piggly Wiggly, founder Clarence Saunders said, “So people will ask that very question.”
10 Alternate Names for Snow White’s Dwarfs
The writers at Disney went through dozens of names before settling on the seven that got to be part of Snow White’s entourage. Here are 10 that almost made the cut: 1. Jumpy: a “goosey type” who talks fast and mixes up his words.
2. Deafy: “a happy sort of fellow … he always tries to make clever remarks, but he misinterprets other people’s attitudes toward him.”
3. Chesty: seriously. chesty.
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The prolific Alan Thicke wrote the theme songs to The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes.
The Presidential Baby Photo Quiz
Are you able to look at baby photos of U.S. Presidents and tell exactly which future Commander in Chief is pictured? If you are, here’s the only chance you’ll ever have to show off that skill.
Take the Quiz: Presidential Baby Photos
Dwight Eisenhower's Yearbook Was Pretty Snarky to...
Comic Book Guy Has a Name
Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons has a name—it’s Jeff Albertson. But that wasn’t the decision of creator Matt Groening. “I was out of the room when [the writers] named him,” he told MTV in 2007. “In my mind, ‘Louis Lane’ was his name, and he was obsessed and tormented by Lois Lane.”
[More: 22 Fictional Characters Whose Names You Don’t Know]
When Milton Bradley introduced Twister in 1966, critics denounced the game as “sex in a box.”
