World’s Strangest

1. Laika. You might have heard of little Laika, the first animal to enter the final frontier. Not much was known about space at the time – we weren’t even sure if humans could withstand entry beyond a certain point. So poor Laika the 11-pound stray dog was sent to test that out aboard Sputnik [...]

An article in the December 2009 issue of The Atlantic poses a fascinating scientific question: do some children’s genes give them a greater risk of failure, but also a greater chance for success, if they’re raised under the right circumstances? Such children are dubbed “orchid children” David Dobbs’s piece The Science of Success. The comparison [...]

Wouldn’t it be nice to speak English in a manner that was legible, pleasant, and did not peg you as a resident of …anywhere in particular? That is called the Transatlantic accent, which sounds halfway between British and American English. It makes you sound like you have a good education but no one can tell quite [...]

“QUANTUM SHOT” #602Link – by A. Abrams Mind-bending images and ideas from a fabulous cartoonist and a superb illustrator If you ever wondered what a steam locomotive racing might look like, or fantasized about driving the biggest baddest vehicle across the desert with its own supply of sharks and waterplanes, look no further – the eccentric imagination [...]

I can’t wait for Thanksgiving. It’s one day where you don’t have to worry about the calorie content of what you’re eating (maybe you should, but most of us probably don’t) – the gorge-fest is encouraged and expected. But what I might be looking forward to stuffing my face with isn’t the same thing you [...]

A seventh-grader in California has collaborated with her grandfather to produce a genealogical chart demonstrating that Barack Obama is related to all previous United States presidents (except for Martin Van Buren). This happens because Obama and the other presidents have family trees that can be traced back to John “Lackland” Plantagenet, King of England at [...]

A couple who spent the last four years sailing around the world on their dream honeymoon have finally returned home – with the two-year-old daughter they conceived during their voyage. Dave and Hazel McCabe set off on their 14,000 mile odyssey after getting married in the UK in 2005. Plain sailing: Dave and Hazel McCabe, pictured with [...]

Some companies find their niche and stick to it. Others, though, have to adapt to changing markets in order to thrive. Here’s a look at some companies that switched industries at some point in their histories, usually for the better. 1. Avon David H. McConnell started Avon in 1886 without really meaning to. McConnell sold books door-to-door, [...]

When I’m not blogging for mental_floss, I can usually be found wearing bright orange rubber pants and gutting, cutting and selling fish at my local Whole Foods (and winning awards for it). Sometimes, my two worlds collide and I find some scientific research involving my ocean-dwelling friends that begs for a blog post. This is [...]

While the debate rages on over the appropriate number of planets in our solar system (Revolve in Peace, Pluto), at least we are certain that there are seven continents on Earth, barring of course a reemergence of Atlantis. For tonight’s Late Movies, we’re featuring seven songs: one for each land mass on this crazy spinning [...]