Sept-Oct: Wildest Rides to the White House

Table of Contents

Cover Story:

Wildest Rides to the White House

By Kerwin Swint
If you think Hillary and Barack had a roller coaster of a nomination process, then strap in and hold on tight. In this issue, mental_floss coasts through the highs and lows of campaign-trail history to bring you all the greatest in mudslinging, slogans, pranks, and blunders. We're positive these negative campaign tactics simply have no equal.

Features:

attack of the killer b-movies

By Ian Lendler
He filmed The Little Shop of Horrors in two days. He ran a studio that became a training ground for the likes of Martin Scorsese and James Cameron. He created more than 380 independent films--and made money on every schlocky one of them. His name is Roger Corman, and this is his story.

nice try, EInstein

By sam kean
Deep in the heart of Africa, there's a nuclear reactor created by Mother Nature herself, and it's spitting out strange elements that are challenging everything we know about physics. The Oklo reactor has already forced scientists to recalibrate the speed of light. And if the evidence keeps mounting, science may have to dethrone its patron saint.

lifestyles of the rich and Corrupt

By brian mcmahon
Not everyone has a megalomaniac's eye for design. From Nicolae Ceausescu's custom staircases (they matched his foot size!) to Pablo Escobar's feral hippos (what better way to perk up the garden?), we have your guide to home accents that won't be featured by Martha Stewart.

scatter_brained:

Fresh air

This month, we've cracked open the windows to let in the coolest facts around. From the rickety old waffle iron that put the wind in Nike's sales to the disturbing discovery that men can breastfeed, we've netted every refreshing answer blowing in the wind.

right_brain:

masterpiece #94: miles davis' kind of blue

By bill demain
Before the 1959 release of Kind of Blue, Miles Davis was nothing more than Charlie Parker's sidekick. Discover how heroin addiction, a Harmon mute, and 10 years of meditating on a single note changed all of that.

left_brain:

the science of spicy

By maggie koerth-baker
Some say chili peppers are best used with a dash of salt and pureed into a smoky sauce. We think they're better used to repel sharks and cure cancer. Maggie Koerth-Baker reveals four hot skills peppers have recently added to their résumés.

50-Cent Tour

ukraine

By linda rodriguez
For decades, Ukraine has been stuck in an era of mullets and miniskirts. But with a crisp, democratic mission and a booming real-estate market, it's clear the Soviet Union's former "bread box" is looking to reinvent itself.

underground education:

the confederacy's plan to conquer latin america

by eric sass

the_quiz

By Kara Kovalchik and Sandy Wood

six degrees of ken jennings

coleridge and coleslaw

by ken jennings

back page: lightning round lists

by A.J. Jacobs