The demise of the Franklin Expedition remains the most compelling puzzle in Arctic exploration. What catastrophe had befallen Britain’s best-prepared polar expedition? And what tantalizing clues are still being uncovered?

History Vs.
British explorer George Strong Nares failed in his quest for the North Pole, but Norwegian genius Fridtjof Nansen got closer to the mythical point on the map than anyone before. The international competition was on.
In this final bonus episode of History Vs., Erin and Mental Floss fact checker Austin Thompson discuss the challenges and delights of tracking down the truth about Theodore Roosevelt—and bust some TR myths, too. Learn more about your ad-choices at https
Theodore Roosevelt had very particular ideas about how Sagamore Hill should be designed—including "a very big piazza ... where we could sit in rocking chairs and look at the sunset." Here what you should know about Roosevelt's "Summer White House."
How Theodore Roosevelt used his big stick diplomacy to make the most of an international incident in an election year. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
In this special episode, we’re taking a look at the statue of Theodore Roosevelt outside the American Museum of Natural History: Its history, what the artists intended, and why it’s controversial today. Plus, we’ll revisit Roosevelt’s thinking on race and
Famed illusionist Harry Houdini might have been one of the only people to succeed in leaving Theodore Roosevelt truly dumbfounded.
Theodore Roosevelt has been in the news lately, thanks to a ship with a cargo of coronavirus and a leaked letter to the navy. But more than 100 years ago, TR—that ship's namesake—engaged in a controversial letter-writing campaign of his own, one that ince
In 1990, Theodore Roosevelt's double-action revolver—the one he'd used during the Battle of San Juan Heights—was stolen from Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. It wouldn't come back to the museum for another 16 years.
In his 1893 book The Wilderness Hunter, TR wrote about what he called "a goblin story that really impressed" him. Mental Floss Science Editor Kat Long joins Erin to discuss "The Bauman Incident." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.co
Between all of his writing, ranching, and governing, Theodore Roosevelt made time to maintain close relationships with his many family members—all of whom led vibrant, adventurous lives of their own, and also helped establish TR’s legacy. From sister Bami
The Apache leader Geronimo had just one request of President Theodore Roosevelt when they met in 1905, but it was a big one.
Theodore Roosevelt was a man who never stopped fighting. He grappled with his own physical deficiencies, railed against corruption, and always fought to move the nation forward in the way he thought best. One-hundred-and-one years after his death, where c
At age 55, Theodore Roosevelt embarked on an Amazonian jungle trek along the River of Doubt, where he very nearly lost his life. It was, in many ways, the icing on the cake of a life brimming with near-death experiences. He had close encounters with wild
When you look back at the colorful life of the frontiersman-turned-solider-turned-president, maybe it isn’t a stretch to put Teddy Roosevelt alongside Duke, Hawk, and the rest of the G.I. Joes.
Theodore Roosevelt loved Christmas, but the Roosevelt family never had a Christmas tree. If you believe the stories, it's because TR, an avid conservationist, had banned them—and that ban is supposedly what led his son, Archie, to sneak a tree into the Wh
When Theodore Roosevelt moved into the White House in 1901, he brought with him his wife, his six children, and one of the widest (and wildest) menageries Washington, D.C. has ever seen.
From big cats to tiny fish, the collection of animals named for Theodore Roosevelt is eclectic—just like our adventurous 26th president.
Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to win a Nobel Prize, which he clinched in part for brokering peace between Japan and Russia in the Russo-Japanese War. During his presidency, he also paved the way for the construction of the Panama Canal. He got
President Theodore Roosevelt was well-known as a conservationist, but that wasn't necessarily the reason there was no White House Christmas tree in 1902.
Like parents and children often do, Theodore Roosevelt and his daughter Alice butted heads in part because they were so similar—both passionate, curious, strong-willed, and intelligent. Throughout her upbringing (tag-teamed by TR’s sister and his second w
Theodore Roosevelt revered Abraham Lincoln so much that, during his second inauguration, he wore a ring containing a lock of Lincoln’s hair. His feelings toward other presidents, however, were a little less warm and fuzzy. TR thought William Howard Taft w
The Maltese Cross Cabin traveled to expositions across the country before settling at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, making it one of the most well-traveled former homes of any U.S. president.
Long before Batman and Commissioner Gordon fought corruption under cover of darkness in Gotham, Theodore Roosevelt, president of the police commission, was prowling around New York City in plainclothes at night to make sure his policemen were doing their