Mental Floss

Crocus are a sign that spring is here.

SCIENCE

5 Fast Facts About the Spring Equinox

SPORTS

Inside ‘Inside Baseball’: How America’s Pastime Invented a Handy Metaphor

DOGS

Nearly 900 Dachshunds Break Record for Breed’s Largest Dog Walk

ANIMALS

10 Times Animals Changed History

Great Smoky Mountains National Park tops the list.

NATIONAL-PARKS-SERVICE

The 10 Most Popular National Parks of 2024

‘Garfield Minus Garfield’ was one of the internet’s better ideas.

COMICS

When ‘Garfield Minus Garfield’ Subtracted the Strip’s Title Character

After years of anticipation, the LEGO Group and The Pokémon Company are collaborating for the first time.

LEGO

Pikachu and More Pokémon Are Finally Getting the LEGO Treatment in 2026

Beef tallow (not the best for an apple pie).

FOOD

What Exactly Is Beef Tallow?

LANGUAGE

1

Definition Detective Quiz #30

2

From Y’all To Youse: 8 English Ways to Make ‘You’ Plural

3

St. Patty’s Day vs. St. Paddy’s Day: Which Is Correct?

4

6 Common Words You Might Not Know Are Irish

5

Where Does the Phrase ‘Gift of Gab’ Come From?

HISTORY

SEE MORE

Would you spend a few bucks on some gently used homing pigeons?

5 of the Most Bizarre Auctions in History

Life was not kind to these creatures.

The Sad, Strange History of Turnspit Dogs

You never know what will show up.

12 Weird Things That Have Washed Ashore

Not a place you would expect to see members of a clergy playing a game.

5 Old-Timey Easter Traditions We Don’t See Anymore

QUIZZES

SEE MORE

Can You Tell Food Fact From Food Fiction?

Ken Jennings

What’s the Kennection? #158

Can you figure it out?

Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #29

See if you can decipher this twisted tune.

Tune Twist Quiz #33

FEATURES

In space, it isn’t just number one and done.

To Boldly Go: The Science Behind Pooping in Space

The Dame of Sark, Sibyl Hathaway, in March 1953.

How the World’s Only Feudal Lord Outclassed the Nazis to Save Her People

Robert Kennicott, pictured against Alaska’s Kennicott Glacier, was a key figure in the Smithsonian’s formative years.

Death of a Scientist: The Mysterious Demise of Smithsonian Pioneer Robert Kennicott

BIG QUESTIONS

SEE MORE

Cereal prizes are few and far between.

Why Did Toys Disappear From Cereal Boxes?

Astronauts Piers J. Sellers (left) and David A. Wolf in the midst of a pre-breathe exercise in preparation for a spacewalk.

How Do Astronauts Breathe in Space?

The SAT and ACT are both standardized tests, but what‘s the difference between the two?

ACT vs. SAT: What’s the Difference?

Looks scientifically accurate.

What Happens If You Shoot a Gun in Space?