Michele Debczak

Joined: Aug 11, 2015

Michele Debczak is an Assistant Editor for Mental Floss. Some of her favorite subjects include defunct theme park rides, weird-looking sea creatures, and fast food history. When she's not editing, she's probably reading about unsolved mysteries on Wikipedia.

The rule has a little something to do with word order.

The Odd Grammar Rule Most English Speakers Know But Are Rarely Taught

A crowd of workers gathered at a May Day event in New York City, early 20th century.

What Is May Day?

Eliza Acton, the Struggling Poet Who Reinvented Cookbooks

The Delicious History of Phở in 10 Facts

5 Fast Facts About the Spring Equinox

Wondering when the first day of spring is in 2025? Here’s everything you need to know about the vernal equinox.

Katherine Johnson at NASA's Langley Research Center, 1980.

10 Fascinating Facts About Katherine Johnson

Before she helped send the first astronauts to the moon, Katherine Johnson was a human “computer” working behind the scenes at NASA.

The One Word You Can't Say on Star Trek

<em>Star Trek: Discovery</em> will adhere to a cardinal rule from Gene Roddenberry.

A map of the 63 National Parks in the U.S.

1 Fact About All 63 U.S. National Parks

From Acadia to Zion, the U.S. has some pretty majestic national parks. Here’s one fun fact about every single one—plus a map so you can see where they all are.

Watch the Only Surviving Footage of the Titanic Before Its Doomed Voyage

There are many photographs of the 'Titanic,' but this video shot in Belfast contains the only surviving footage of the ship before it sank.

Did the Northern Lights Play a Role in the Sinking of the Titanic? A New Paper Says It’s Possible

The northern lights were spotted the night the 'Titanic' sank, and the solar storm that caused them may have contributed to the ship's demise.

NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island

Submarine Expedition Reveals Parts of the Titanic Have Fully Decayed

The salt, currents, and metal-eating bacteria of the ocean are breaking down the wreck of the 'Titanic,' and it could be gone completely as soon as 2030.

Lexie de los Santos, National Geographic

How a Cold War Mission Led to the Discovery of the Titanic

The 'Titanic' is one of the most famous shipwrecks on the seafloor. Its discovery was part of an unrelated Navy investigation.

First-class passengers feasted on poached salmon with mousseline sauce.

11 Items From 'Titanic’s' Final Menus

From foie gras to consommé, this is what first-class passengers ate for their last meals aboard the RMS 'Titanic'.

Where did this weather-related idiom come from?

Why Do We Say “Right as Rain”?

Where did this curious expression come from, and what’s so right about rain, anyway?

The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images

Watch Titanic Survivors Tell Their Stories in This Rare Video

In this rare clip from 1970, three Titanic survivors tell their stories from that fateful night in April 1912.

The wreck of the RMS Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Watch Newly Released Footage of the ‘Titanic’ Wreck Shot in 1986

In honor of the 25th anniversary of James Cameron’s ‘Titanic,’ WHOI has released never-before-seen footage of the real-life shipwreck.