Mental Floss

ALL STORIES

Their name is misleading.

Did you know that their red color is a warning sign, their babies look like alligators, and they can change the flavor of your wine?

Rosemary Mosco


The Trift Glacier Hike in Switzerland.

No prior familiarity with specialist climbing equipment (beyond walking boots) is required to tackle these 10 scary hikes, but nerves of steel are a must.

Lorna Wallace








The Great Wall of China.

The Great Wall of China is one of the oldest, largest, and most celebrated achievements of human ingenuity, but there are still a few things you might not know about China’s ancient landmark.

M. Arbeiter












Their pasts were shrouded in mystery.

History is loaded with people who have disappeared without a trace; rarer are the ones who seem to have emerged from nowhere.

Meg Van Huygen


The Neopets website.

You might think of Neopets as nothing more than an internet-based Tamagotchi—but they helped pave the way for Web 2.0.

Jake Rossen
Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary Wollstonecraft broke new ground in the battle for women’s rights with the publication of 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'—but there's far more to her legacy than just one book.

Jane Alexander