Mental Floss

LISTS

These authors were out for blood (in their fictional work).

Countless authors have used bitter rivalries and petty squabbles as inspiration for some of their greatest works. Here’s proof that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword.

Colin Scanlon


A little jab and some arm soreness is way easier to handle than getting the flu.

With the end of summer comes the beginning of a new season: flu season. Here’s what you need to know about the flu shot.

Kate Horowitz














The idiosyncratic director behind films as diverse as ‘Aguirre, the Wrath of God’ and ‘Grizzly Man’ knows how to hypnotize chickens—and has no need for drugs.

Erin McCarthy








There's no doubt that coffee tastes like pumpkin spice.

When you stop to think about it, many of our autumnal traditions—like scooping out pumpkin guts, asking strangers for candy, and wandering aimlessly through cornfields—are pretty bizarre.

Stacy Conradt
From Yosemite National Park’s Glacier Point, hikers can witness Half Dome bathed in alpenglow.

There’s something sublime about seeing the sun slip behind the horizon: The colors change, the temp cools, and the world seems to pause in a place of perfection. Here are 10 of the top trails for seeing the show.

Julie Fogerson