Jake Rossen

Jake Rossen is a senior staff writer for Mental Floss.

The ritual of marking time until the new year hits is a relatively recent phenomenon. It also has a lot to do with NASA.

In 1936, someone got bragging rights to having the lowest possible Social Security Number—but only after several others turned it down.

Novelty craft supplies are tearing the city of Bend, Oregon, apart.

Conservationists warn that the monarch could die out by the end of the century unless action is taken.

For years, rumors circulated that CBS had made season after season of a ‘Blazing Saddles’ spin-off with no intention of airing it.

The chain was taken down by a hepatitis A outbreak and financial troubles in the early 2000s.

The six-sided tool helped make IKEA a household name. But did anyone named Allen have anything to do with it?

They’re not actually 100 years old.

The Mattel hovercraft was a figment of imagination, but that didn't stop kids (and their parents) from demanding where to buy one.

These two tiny titans of folklore might appear similar, but they couldn't be more different.

Hundreds of judges braved a very pungent slate of contestants to determine the best cheddar cheese in the world.

Fans of the horrorcore group Insane Clown Posse find themselves on the outskirts of society. They like it that way.