FACTS

97 Facts About Generation X

The generation born between 1965 and 1980 loves nostalgia, has a ton of student debt, and hates cooking.

Get Smarter Every Day With the New 2025 Mental Floss Amazing Facts Calendar

A year’s worth of facts can be found in this desktop-friendly calendar.

15 Facts About ‘Twister’ That Don't Suck

These facts about the 1996 blockbuster don't suck.

12 Facts About Hammerhead Sharks

Some of them swim sideways.

Clockwise from right: Peter Capaldi, Rebecca Front, Joanna Scanlan, Chris Addison, and James Smith star in 'The Thick of It.'

15 Surprising Facts About ‘The Thick of It’

Armando Iannucci’s iconic BBC comedy is one of television’s finest, and sweariest, sitcoms

These facts about St. Patrick's Day might surprise you.

13 Lucky Facts About St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day used to be a dry holiday in Ireland—and its signature color used to be blue. Read on for more surprising St. Patrick’s facts.

16 Facts About Squirrels

Whether you view squirrels as adorable little creatures or persistent pests bent on chewing everything in sight, there's more to the ubiquitous rodents than meets the eye.

If you want a fact about the Best Picture winner from 2023, so do we. / Frazer Harrison via Getty.

Fascinating Facts About All 95 Best Picture Oscar Winners

In Hollywood, winning the Oscar for Best Picture is the highest honor a film can achieve—and we’re giving you one fun fact about all 95 of them.

Alternate labels for Millennials include ‘Echo Boomers’ and ‘Gen Y.’

100 Amazing Facts About Millennials

Millennials might just be the most studied generation in history—and also perhaps the most misunderstood. We’re here to help separate fact from fiction.

George Miller at the premiere of "Three Thousand Years Of Longing"

11 Facts About George Miller

Even after the success of 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' 'Happy Feet' remains George Miller's biggest hit.

Women's History Month is a time to celebrate the trailblazers who fought for equality and forever changed the world for the better.

13 Facts About Women’s History Month

Find out everything you need to know about the origins of Women's History Month, including how it went from a daylong celebration born from a socialist idea to a monthlong institution in the United States.

16 Fun Facts About Hedgehogs

Did you know hedgehogs have between 5000 and 7000 quills? This is just one of many intriguing hedgehog facts that animal lovers should know.

A quartet of northern pintail ducks in flight.

10 Delightful Facts About Ducks

Discover fascinating facts about ducks, from their adaptation to cold temperatures to their rude nesting habits.

12 Memorable Facts About ‘The Jon Stewart Show’

On October 25, 1993, late-night viewers caught a glimpse of the future of talk television when ‘The Jon Stewart Show’ premiered on MTV.

These geography facts are sure to break your brain.

19 Surprising Geography Facts That Will Change Your Perspective

Discover fascinating geography facts that will warp your sense of the world, from Alaska being both easternmost and westernmost state to France having the most time zones.

5 Fast Facts About the Lunar New Year

All Chinese New Year celebrations are celebrations of the Lunar New Year, but not all Lunar New Year celebrations are traditionally Chinese.

Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder star in 'Blazing Saddles' (1974).

12 Fun Facts About ‘Blazing Saddles’

Mel Brooks’s audacious comedy was the first movie to incorporate audible flatulence (though the offending noises were muted when the film aired on television).

8 Things You Might Not Know About Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood history. Discover how this Oscar-winning star got her start—and how her first Academy Award ended up on a bathroom floor.

36 Larger-Than-Life Facts About André the Giant

Although a number of professional wrestlers have transcended the squared circle to become worldwide stars, few have captivated the public quite like André the Giant.

A scene from “The Greatest Night in Pop”

The Greatest Night in Pop: 10 Facts About the Making of “We Are the World”

In the ’80s, pop music decided to take on the world’s problems. There was Band Aid, Live Aid, Farm Aid, and of course, USA for Africa's “We Are the World.”

12 Fascinating Facts about Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’

Nabokov’s controversial 1955 novel, which was rejected by multiple American publishers, features multiple allusions to Edgar Allan Poe and references a real-life kidnapping.

John Carpenter on the set of 'Halloween' (1978).

10 Surprising Facts About John Carpenter

From his 1978 classic “Halloween” to his love of video games, there’s a lot to appreciate about John Carpenter, but here are some other cool facts you might not have known about the storied director.

100 Things We Learned in 2023

From record-breaking plants and incredible animal news to space superlatives and the awesome power of Taylor Swift fans, here’s the long list of things we learned in 2023.

There was something for every type of reader on MentalFloss.com in 2023.

Our 25 Most Popular Stories of 2023

Once again, Mental Floss readers proved to be curious about all sorts of niche topics—and our editors and writers were happy to oblige their interests.

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