Maureen Monahan

Joined: May 16, 2013

Maureen is a former intern for Mental Floss.

Crystal balls were all the rage among spiritualists a century ago.

A Brief History of the Crystal Ball

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy ...

Talk is Sheep: Behind the Christmas Eve Myth That Animals Speak at Midnight

6 Controversial Moments in the World of Breakfast Cereal

12 Ways Art Museums Protect Their Masterpieces

The Holly Jolly History of the Santa Suit

Santa Claus didn't always wear boots and a suit of red.

Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

The Dynamic History of the Toy Chemistry Set

From academic tool to popular children's toy, the chemistry set has had a long journey to become an iconic toy.

Ashford Castle by Larry Koester, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

15 Castles You Can Stay In

These castles are the perfect places to visit when you're looking to get the royal treatment.

13 Fashions Born on the Battlefield

Civilian fashion has been borrowing from soldiers’ uniforms for centuries.

Get Swept Away By These 8 Facts About Spring Cleaning

Surprisingly, the concept wasn't invented by corporations hoping to sell more vacuums.

The tales in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark have terrified kids for decades.

13 Terrifying Facts About Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

The first installment of Alvin Schwartz’s 'Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark' trilogy hit bookshelves in 1981. The series would become a preteen cult classic and among the most banned books of the following decades.

6 Cool, Chocolate-Scented, or Otherwise Interesting Maps of Chicago

If you think you completely know a city, you might be looking at the wrong map.

11 International TV Adaptations

These television shows were so popular that they got adapted for new countries and cultures.

New Orleans bounce artist 5th Ward Weebie raps as women from the audience twerk onstage at Tipitina's in 2014.

What is the Origin of Twerking?

Though twerking may have gone viral—and been added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013—thanks to Miley Cyrus, the dance's origins date back nearly two centuries.

5 Operas About Politics

Earlier this month, award-winning composer Derrik Wang wrote an opera, Scalia/Ginsburg, based on the friendship of Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader-Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. It's not the first time politics have gotten a musical treatment. Here are fi

The Odd Case of Chinese Nail Houses

A quickly spreading phenomenon in the construction world has given new meaning to the phrase “standing your ground.” In China, where urban areas are among the most rapidly growing in the world, a strange fad called the “nail house” has taken root.

11 Controversial SNL Moments

Most Saturday Night Live skits just make people laugh. But these 11 segments made people angry.