crime

Big Question

Why Do We Say "The Butler Did It"?

Big Question

What Becomes of Bad Guys' Bodies?

It took more than two weeks after Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed to find a grave for his body.... READ ON

List

4 More Terrible People and How They Were Captured

Last week, we looked at a few very terrible people, and how law enforcement officials identified them and hunted them down. Here are a few more infamous killers, and how they were captured.... READ ON

List

6 Terrible People and How They Were Captured

Recent events have provided an interesting look at how law enforcement officials identify and hunt down very terrible people.... READ ON

Food

5 Deliciously Illegal Food Crimes

Think smuggling and heists are just for drugs, jewels, and art? Think again. Here are five instances of food-related theft.... READ ON

History

The First Man in the Boston Stocks Was the Man Who Built Them

“One of the earliest institutions in every New England community was a pair of stocks,” writes Alice Morse Earle in Curious Punishments of Bygone Days. “The first public building was a meeting house, but often before any house of God was built, the devil got his restraining engine.”... READ ON

Miss Cellania

Cannibals of the Old West

Article

How to Get Past A Lock

Dan Lewis runs the popular daily newsletter Now I Know ("Learn Something New Every Day, By Email"). We've invited him to share some of his stories on mental_floss this week. To subscribe to his daily email, click... READ ON

Big Question

Is It Legal To Kill A Zombie?

Like the Shaun of the Dead slogan says, "aim for the head." But before you start readying your zombie apocalypse weapon of choice, you'd better find out if you're going to get in trouble for taking out the infected. According to San Diego criminal lawyer Peter M. Liss, zombie killing won't result in murder charges; after all, while zombies were once people, they aren't technically living anymore. There are other issues you need to consider,... READ ON

Article

The Nutshell Studies: How a Wealthy Grandmother Revolutionized Crime Scene Investigation

Photo Courtesy of Erin N. Bush, Death in Diorama. Every year, police officers from around the world gather for the Harvard Associates in Police Science (HAPS) Seminar. During the three-day event, the officers attend lectures and participate in workshops covering such macabre topics as “Homicidal Drownings” and “Investigation of Deaths of Infants and Children.” To face the worst of mankind’s dark side requires a certain sense of detachment and steeliness that not just anyone can muster. So... READ ON