Mental Floss

LISTS

RIP, Chinese paddlefish.

When you think of extinct animals, you might go to a saber-toothed cat, or the infamous dodo. But there are, unfortunately, a lot more recent animals that have gone the way of that ill-fated bird.

Erin McCarthy


















Krampus crashing a Christmas party.

It wasn’t always the most wonderful time of the year. In centuries past, Christmas was often violent, scary, and disgusting. So for all those Grinches who are skeptical of today’s Yuletide customs, be thankful you weren’t alive centuries ago.

A.J. Jacobs






Olestra was not a success.

It doesn’t take a consumer expert to know that any product that might cause anal leakage is facing an uphill battle to success.

Jake Rossen