The white picket fence has become a cliché for suburbia. Blame archers.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/white-picket-fence-symbolism?utm_source=RSS
Blue balls? Broken hymens? Popping your cherry? We’re covering all the topics you’ve always wondered about but were too embarrassed to ask.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/misconceptions-about-sex?utm_source=RSS
The 8-foot hunk of balsa wood led to one of the great debates in film: Could Jack have fit on it, too?
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/titanic-movie-door-prop-sold?utm_source=RSS
Your scruffy shelter tabby is every bit as beautiful as these pedigreed cats.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/most-popular-cat-breeds?utm_source=RSS
This can't be the only hedgehog-hat mix-up in history.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/woman-mistakes-hat-pom-pom-for-hedgehog?utm_source=RSS
After it formed, the Catalina Island Conservancy had to figure out how to manage the island's invasive ungulates.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/catalina-island-bison?utm_source=RSS
If you’re looking for a recipe that showcases early spring produce, you’ll love these spring fritters.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/leek-fritter-recipe?utm_source=RSS
All five answers to the questions below have something in common. Can you figure it out?
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/ken-jennings-kennections-quiz-107?utm_source=RSS
Discover the best eczema treatments that experts recommend, whether you’re dealing with sudden eczema flare-ups, itchiness, or just need a new facial moisturizer.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/best-eczema-treatments-expert-picks?utm_source=RSS
An heir and a spare disappeared during England's War of the Roses. Here's what happened—and how we might hope to solve the mystery today.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/princes-in-the-tower-mystery?utm_source=RSS
Enjoy this list of synonyms for ‘cool’ in the sense of “awesome, excellent, neato, super-duper.” They’re dope.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/cool-synonyms-slang?utm_source=RSS
Jelly beans are a staple of Easter baskets, but how did they get there?
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/jelly-beans-easter-candy?utm_source=RSS
Certain emojis prompt uncertainty among older adults.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/emojis-confuse-gen-x-baby-boomers?utm_source=RSS
See all 50 U.S. states (plus Washington, D.C.) ranked by tax rates.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/us-states-with-lowest-and-highest-tax-rates?utm_source=RSS
At some point, whether during the day or at night, all birds need to sleep. How do they do it?
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/how-do-birds-sleep?utm_source=RSS
Armando Iannucci’s iconic BBC comedy is one of television’s finest, and sweariest, sitcoms
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/the-thick-of-it-tv-series-facts?utm_source=RSS
Almost as soon as it was introduced—and for generations after—the Presidential Fitness Test was absolutely traumatizing to students who had to endure it. Here’s how the program started—an...
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/presidential-fitness-test-origins-history?utm_source=RSS
The generational group born between 1946 and 1964 contributed a lot to slang.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/boomer-slang?utm_source=RSS
From ‘Cholmondeley’ to ‘Wriothesley,’ here's how to pronounce Britain's least intuitive last names.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/mispronounced-british-last-names?utm_source=RSS
Here’s everything you need to know about the meaning, origin, and evolution of the Irish word ‘craic.’
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/craic-meaning-history-etymology?utm_source=RSS
Although a number of professional wrestlers have transcended the squared circle to become worldwide stars, few have captivated the public quite like André the Giant.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/andre-the-giant-facts?utm_source=RSS
The winding tale of “Nothing Compares 2 U” begins in 1984, when Prince wrote the song, and continues through to 2021, when Sinead O’Connor declared it “my song.”
Pop songs get misinterpreted all the time, and we're here to break down the real stories behind your favorite bops, from Nirvana to Bruce Springsteen.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/misconceptions-about-popular-songs?utm_source=RSS
There’s a reason nobody’s referring to the missing ‘Titanic’ submersible as a submarine.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/submarine-vs-submersible-whats-the-difference?utm_source=RSS
It would be easier to keep these not-so-merry wives of Tudor straight if half of them weren’t named Catherine.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/henry-viii-wives-guide?utm_source=RSS
Like so many other horror films, it has taken decades for 'The Slumber Party Massacre' to get its due. But it's now recognized as a touchstone of feminist horror and a shrewd satire.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/the-slumber-party-massacre-horror-movie-facts?utm_source=RSS
There are 25 blimps left in existence as of 2022, and only half of them are in use.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/how-many-blimps-left-on-earth?utm_source=RSS
If the only thing Jeff Buckley ever did was record his 1994 cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” he would still have a permanent spot in music history.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/jeff-buckley-music-facts-history?utm_source=RSS
From adulting to doggo, you can thank Millennials for popularizing these slang terms.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/millennial-slang-terms?utm_source=RSS
Is there a right way to eat a chocolate Easter bunny? For candy enthusiasts, there’s a clear favorite among the many ways to devour one.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/how-to-eat-chocolate-easter-bunny-candy?utm_source=RSS
Linguists and lexicographers have truly gone the whole nine yards to uncover the origin of ‘the whole nine yards.’
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/whole-nine-yards-phrase-origins?utm_source=RSS
Condoms in the Olympic Village have been a tradition—and a public health service—since 1988.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/655438/why-do-olympic-athletes-get-free-condoms?utm_source=RSS
Even if you’ve read all of his work, there are still some things you might not know about the 'Go Tell It On the Mountain' author.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/633947/james-baldwin-writer-facts?utm_source=RSS
The shape of Wendy’s square burgers has nothing to do with taste and everything to do with marketing.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/624230/why-wendys-hamburgers-are-square?utm_source=RSS
Over the course of history, the human race has come up with many delightfully creative ways to describe the act of breaking wind.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/621949/fart-slang-words?utm_source=RSS
The origins of April Fools’ Day have long been caught up in myths and legends involving everything from mackerels to calendar switches.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/619287/april-fools-day-origins?utm_source=RSS
The age ranges and birth years for Gen Z and Gen Alpha—along with Millennials—are clearer (so we can all quit fighting about it now).
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/609811/age-ranges-millennials-and-generation-z?utm_source=RSS
Pop music has always been part talent show, part magic trick. This has never been more apparent than in 1990, when producer Frank Farian revealed in a press conference that Rob Pilatus and Fab Mo...
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/601512/milli-vanilli-hoax?utm_source=RSS
The Labradoodle is a beloved designer dog breed, but in the eyes of the dog's creator, it's a 'Frankenstein monster.'
Back in the mid-'90s, no show on television was hotter than ‘Friends.’ But even more popular was the haircut the show spawned that became the must-have look for women everywhere.
Planning a trip to Scotland? Have a swatch below and you'll have a much better chance of understanding the Scots language—or at least its naughtier side. Yaldi!
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/598843/scottish-slang?utm_source=RSS
With its massive beak and penetrating stare, a shoebill stork is not a bird you'd want to meet in a dark alley. Read on for some little-known facts about this African icon.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/587572/shoebill-stork-facts?utm_source=RSS
Whether you love or hate this Easter candy, there’s no denying that marshmallow Peeps are an iconic part of the holiday.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56283/20-delicious-facts-about-peeps?utm_source=RSS
Manatees are aquatic animals that live in coastal waters in several places throughout the world.
Legend tells of St. Patrick using the power of his faith to drive all of Ireland’s snakes into the sea. It’s an impressive image, but there’s no way it could have happened.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/93417/why-are-there-no-snakes-ireland?utm_source=RSS
While Truth wasn't her real name, 19th-century abolitionist and feminist Sojourner Truth made it her life's mission.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/572383/sojourner-truth-facts?utm_source=RSS
More than 500 people confessed to the crime, but no charges have ever been filed.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/572113/the-black-dahlia-murder-facts?utm_source=RSS
Boxing Day occurs on December 26, and continues to be a big day for shopping.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/32030/what-boxing-day?utm_source=RSS
Sorry to tell you, but killers really have crawled out of medicine cabinets to attack their victims.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/558314/urban-legends-that-turned-out-to-be-true?utm_source=RSS
Dachshund is actually made up of two smaller German words (dachs, which means “badger,” and hund, which means “dog”) and it's not pronounced “dash-hound.”
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/560280/right-way-pronounce-dachshund?utm_source=RSS
Before she helped send the first astronauts to the moon, Katherine Johnson was an anonymous “computer” doing thankless but vital work at NASA.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/555114/facts-about-katherine-johnson-nasa?utm_source=RSS
Opossums have a bad reputation, but they’re smarter and more beneficial to people than other woodland denizens. Discover more about these unique marsupials here.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/544902/facts-about-opossums?utm_source=RSS
Some of them swim sideways.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/534824/facts-about-hammerhead-sharks?utm_source=RSS
As far as holidays go, Easter is second only to Halloween in American candy sales—that’s a lot of chocolate bunnies.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62597/why-do-we-eat-chocolate-bunnies-easter?utm_source=RSS
On the genre-busting television show 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' the heroine saved the world—a lot—over the course of seven seasons.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56496/33-fun-facts-about-buffy-vampire-slayer?utm_source=RSS
How reality TV and an heiress inspired the show's iconic characters—plus many more behind-the-scenes facts about 'Schitt's Creek.'
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/526195/15-funny-facts-about-schitts-creek?utm_source=RSS
Dogs have built-in fur coats, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get chilly during their winter walks.
St. Nick brings the gifts. Krampus brings the pain. Here are some things you might not have known about Santa's demonic companion.
Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin described the guillotine's effect as being “Like a cool breath on the back of the neck.” Anne Boleyn would likely disagree.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502594/death-guillotine-painless?utm_source=RSS
Put the evidence in the car.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/80484/13-fast-facts-about-smokey-and-bandit?utm_source=RSS
With spring in bloom, let’s stop and smell the etymological roses and learn the origins of flower names like orchid, tulip, and violet.
From Taco Bell buying the Liberty Bell to the time the BBC convinced its viewers that spaghetti grows on trees, these are some of the most iconic pranks in history.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62676/11-greatest-pranks-all-time?utm_source=RSS
The 5-year-old who created transforming toy trucks was the youngest person to hold a patent.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/93162/11-inventions-made-kids?utm_source=RSS
The history of sushi in the U.S. can be traced back to the 1970s.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/92861/brief-history-sushi-united-states?utm_source=RSS
From the obscure (“American Fabius") to the sports-related (“Barry O'Bomber”), here are just a few of the most colorful presidential nicknames.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/57009/30-presidential-nicknames-explained?utm_source=RSS
They don't look half bad underwater.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/88111/7-unattractive-facts-about-blobfish?utm_source=RSS
Have we been eating a delicious subliminal message all along?
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87385/enduring-mystery-oreo-cookie-design?utm_source=RSS
English never hesitates to borrow words that would lose certain subtleties in translation, and angst, ennui, and weltschmerz have made their way into English by offering a little something extra.
You don't need to be a master of eight-letter Z words to own the board.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/80647/want-win-scrabble-play-shorter-words?utm_source=RSS
These facts about the 1996 blockbuster don't suck.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/79675/15-facts-about-twister-dont-suck?utm_source=RSS
The main ingredient for a whiter smile? Hydrogen peroxide.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/79165/how-do-teeth-whiteners-work?utm_source=RSS
When it comes to Easter, the feast dishes, public celebrations, and even the candy often vary depending on where you live.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/77566/6-easter-customs-around-world?utm_source=RSS
From biological warfare to underground bunkers to "Blucifer" the horse, Denver's airport has generated a lot of mysterious buzz.
Art conservators for the UK’s Royal Collection were in for quite a surprise when they set about cleaning a 17th-century oil painting.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70766/hidden-pooper-17th-century-painting?utm_source=RSS
When it comes to pure terror fuel in prose form, Stephen King has got nothing on Mother Goose. Some have speculated that these nursery rhymes have roots in Viking rampages and plagues.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55035/dark-origins-11-classic-nursery-rhymes?utm_source=RSS
The best way to relocate beavers in the 1940s? Drop them out of planes, of course.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70282/watch-beavers-parachute-planes-footage-1948?utm_source=RSS
The Stephen King prison fable has become a modern classic.
Porcupines might be considered a prickly bunch, but you’ll find they're pretty docile once you get to know them.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/64834/11-prickly-facts-about-porcupines?utm_source=RSS
From boiling lakes to glowing caves and hidden prehistoric villages, Earth is full of amazing and unexpected places.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63845/19-places-you-wont-believe-exist?utm_source=RSS
Since its creation in 1499, Michelangelo's Pietà has inspired emotion, faith, and imitation through its elegant depiction of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Yet few know the secrets that are s...
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better."
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63389/roosevelts-man-arena?utm_source=RSS
When it comes to abbreviations for animal names, doggy for dog makes sense, as does kitty for cat, when you think about it: Kitty comes from the word kitten. But where does bunny for rabbit come ...
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58247/how-did-bunny-become-cutesy-word-rabbit?utm_source=RSS
Most of these home remedies work by overwhelming the vagus nerve, which causes hiccups when it becomes irritated, with another sensation.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56219/15-ways-cure-hiccups?utm_source=RSS
History's greatest hoaxes are proof that with effort and a little luck, you can fool a lot of the people, all of the time.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/49674/14-greatest-hoaxes-all-time?utm_source=RSS
You know it's a distress signal, but what does it actually stand for? A lot of people think it's an abbreviation for “save our souls.” (It's not.)
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31911/what-does-sos-stand?utm_source=RSS
Once upon a time, there used to be B batteries, but they’re not manufactured anymore. Here’s why they disappeared from shelves.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12325/why-arent-there-b-batteries?utm_source=RSS
Some languages capitalize several of their pronouns. Some don’t capitalize any of them. English just capitalizes ‘I’—but why?
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30743/why-do-we-capitalize-%E2%80%9Ci%E2%80%9D?utm_source=RSS
Here's how 'Just Do It' and five other iconic slogans came to be.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/28478/stories-behind-6-famous-slogans?utm_source=RSS
What really happened to the crew of the ‘Mary Celeste’? Delve into the theories and speculation surrounding this enduring maritime mystery.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/25073/decks-mary-celeste-december-1872?utm_source=RSS
The ”world’s largest public library,” the Library of Congress holds more than 160 million items.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/21863/how-big-library-congress?utm_source=RSS