Lucas Reilly

Joined: Nov 21, 2012

Lucas proudly worked on mental_floss magazine for four years, where he served as a senior editor. For two years, he worked as a longform feature writer for the web. He's embedded with professional eclipse chasers in Nebraska, interviewed feudal lords in Britain, hunted for buried treasure in Virginia, and once profiled a man who had tried to turn into a goat. Chances are, you can find him at the library.

Photo illustration by Mental Floss. Image: iStock.

The 1925 Cave Rescue That Captivated the Nation

An (Almost) Comprehensive History of Rat Kings

8 Conspiracy Theories and What They Get Right

Stephen King owes his career to the support of his wife, Tabitha.

How Stephen King’s Wife Saved ‘Carrie’ and Helped Launch His Career

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

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

Dame Sibyl Hathaway protected her people with the unlikeliest of weapons: Feudal etiquette, old-world manners, and a dollop of classic snobbery.

A lithograph of Sequoyah by John Guss after an original painting by Charles Bird King.

Sequoyah: The Man Who Saved the Cherokee Language

His innovative alphabet brought literacy to a nation.

The OED features 600,000 words over a thousand years of the English language.

13 Fascinating Facts About the Oxford English Dictionary

It took more than 70 years and tons of volunteer labor to create “the definitive record of the English language”—including an assist from a murderer. Get to know the Oxford English Dictionary better.

Why Alaska is Home to America’s Easternmost Point

To find the easternmost point in the United States, look west.

‘Boo’ didn’t originate as a ghostly saying.

Why Do Ghosts Say “Boo”?

If linguistics is any indicator, it would appear that everybody in the spirit realm speaks Scots English.

A Forgotten George Gershwin Musical Just Made Its American Debut

The last time anybody saw a fully-orchestrated production of Gershwin's "Primrose," it was 1925.

This kitten is experiencing awe in the traditional sense of the word.

19 Words That Used to Mean Something Negative

Sometimes words move up in the world. Their meanings change with time, becoming more positive—a process linguists call amelioration.

Some music literally gives you goosebumps—what's up with that?

Why Does Music Give You Chills?

When your playlist strikes all the right chords, your body can go on a physiological joyride.

When Queen Victoria Employed an Official Rat-Catcher

The story of Jack Black, the eccentric “rat and mole destroyer to her majesty.”

It had a little something to do with syphilis.

The Reason People Wore Powdered Wigs

For nearly two centuries, powdered wigs—called perukes—were all the rage. The chic hairpiece would have never become popular, however, if it hadn't been for a venereal disease, a pair of self-conscious kings, and poor hair hygiene.

Many people have tried to describe durian's taste and smell over the centuries.

21 Attempts to Describe the Taste of Durian, the World’s Smelliest Fruit

Biting into a durian can be an utterly confusing and contradictory experience. Here are some outsider opinions from the past 400 years.

“[They] forced the conqueror of conquerors ... to retreat and leave them in possession of the field.”

The Time Napoleon Was Attacked by Rabbits

History tells us that Napoleon’s most upsetting defeat came at Waterloo. But it may have actually occurred eight years earlier, after the French emperor was attacked by a relentless horde of rabbits.