January 2012
61 posts
Alcoholiday Weekend
A 1913 New York Times article on portmanteaus includes the word “alcoholiday,” which describes leisure time spent drinking.
Who Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?
It began as part of a magazine’s campaign to sell flags to schools.
On the 2011 Czech Republic census, 15,070 people...
Is There a Difference Between Ketchup and Catsup?
Besides spelling? Nope.
Do Other Animals Laugh When Tickled?
Man-Tickling-Chimp Image via Shutterstock
A list of animals we know are ticklish.
Happy National Trivia Day!
Here’s a little-known fact: today is National Trivia Day!
This is how we’re celebrating:
119 of Our Favorite Amazing Facts
What Happens to Leftover Campaign Funds When a...
Image credit: REUTERS/ADAM HUNGER/LANDOV
One thing’s for sure — disappointed candidates can’t console themselves by putting the dough toward a new yacht. Here’s what they can do if they have leftover campaign cash.
Is it Possible to Have a Two-Way Conversation With...
Call us morbid, but we’ve always wondered whether a decapitated head can still see for any length of time after being severed. Fortunately, we discovered that we aren’t the first people who’ve scratched their heads over this curiosity.
In the early 19th-century France (back when being guillotined was more or less a rite of passage), a series of scientists investigated the...
15 Memorable mental_floss Moments of 2011
A little late and a lot self-indulgent, here are some of the exciting things that happened to us last year.
Today is National Buffet Day
Iakov Filimonov / Shutterstock
Ron Swanson on buffets in his Pyramid of Greatness: “Whenever available. Choose quantity over quality.”
December 2011
39 posts
23 Bizarre Things Ceremonially Dropped on New...
Image credit: Matt Smith/Express-Times /Landov
For example: A Peep.
The Lessons of Kwanzaa, as Taught by TV
Here are seven television attempts to incorporate Kwanzaa into holiday programming.
The 20 Weirdest News Stories of 2011
Our own Miss Cellania has rounded up the most bizarre news stories of the year.
After OutKast sang “Shake it like a Polaroid picture,” Polaroid released a statement that said, “Shaking or waving can actually damage the image.”
Brenda Lee was only 13 when she recorded "Rockin'...
"Police say 40,000 pounds of ice cream have...
[Source: Associated Press]
The Greatest Gifts in the History of Presents
Stumped for a last-minute gift idea? Perhaps our Historical Gift Guide will help inspire something. (And scroll to the bottom for quite possibly the worst present of all-time.)
The turkey vulture’s primary method of defense is...
