FROM OUR SPECIAL ISSUE

Journey to the Monarch Mosh Pit

Each fall, millions of migrating monarchs return to Mexico to wait out winter. The gathering makes Woodstock look like a business conference. Here’s how they get there.

8 Historical Things That Prove Privacy Issues Aren't a Modern Problem

A.J. Jacobs shows that although privacy may be endangered in the digital age, we’re still better off than many of our ancestors. In the past, everyone was all up in your business.

The Cursed Rocks of Uluru

Unless you want to start a boxing match with kangaroos, don’t steal pebbles from Australia's Uluru formation.

9 Words That Were Borrowed From One Language, Transformed, Then Borrowed Back

These words found new meanings on a foreign exchange adventure and returned home with a fresh perspective.

The California Ghost Town That's Frozen in Time

Bodie, California, was once home to one of the richest gold deposits in the state. Now, it's abandoned in a state of "arrested decay."

15 Slang Terms You Need to Know

It’s possible to get the pants from too much honeyfuggling. Spark some conversation with these vintage and regional terms.

10 Everyday Tasks You're Doing Wrong

No one likes to hear that they’re doing something wrong, but … you’re doing it wrong. Making simple tweaks to everyday tasks could lead to an easier life, time saved, and far less frustration.

5 Hide and Seek Champions of the Natural World

Until recently, all of these plants and animals were assumed missing or extinct. Now, they're making a glorious comeback.

10 Forgotten Items That Are Hiding In Your Attic—and Could Be Worth a Fortune

Brave the cobwebs and you might just discover why one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Thanks to nostalgic collectors with money to burn, many of the items that were once everywhere have now skyrocketed in value.

Who Invented the Cardboard Box?

The ubiquitous packaging is everywhere, from cereal to deliveries to impromptu cat beds. But where did it come from?

13 Things You Might Not Have Known About Dr. Pimple Popper

YouTube’s favorite dermatologist, Dr. Sandra Lee—a.k.a. Pimple Popper—tells Mental Floss in her own words how she got her start, the hazards of the job, and why people love her videos.

How Thomas Jefferson's Obsession With Mastodons Partly Fueled the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Thomas Jefferson thought mastodons might still be lurking somewhere out West—and he was determined to find them.

Jake Beech, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

10 Things to Know About the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Is being an I.N.F.J. a load of C.R.A.P.? That depends on who you ask. But the majority of Fortune 100 companies don't seem to mind.

Surprise: A Special Print Issue of Mental Floss Magazine Is On Newsstands Now!

Starting today, you can find a special edition of Mental Floss magazine in a Barnes & Noble near you.

Children's Television Workshop, Courtesy of Getty Images

7 Times Sesame Street Taught Kids About Real Life

For 50 years, 'Sesame Street' has taught kids how to count, how to spell, and that not all vampires are scary.

Big Questions: 44 Things You Didn't Know You Needed to Know

Browse our dossier of questions that have probably come to you in the shower. (Including why thoughts often come to you in the shower.)

10 Discoveries and Inventions That Are More Recent Than You Think

When you really think about how recent some discoveries we take for granted are, Pluto and Clint Eastwood have a lot in common.

The Dame of Sark, Sibyl Hathaway, in March 1953.

How the World’s Only Feudal Lord Outclassed the Nazis to Save Her People

Dame Sibyl Hathaway protected her people with the unlikeliest of weapons: Feudal etiquette, old-world manners, and a dollop of classic snobbery.

The Most Influential Parasite in History

By some estimates, malaria has killed half of everyone who has ever lived—and it almost took down one former president.

11 Facts About ASMR, the Phenomenon Behind Brain 'Tingles'

We look into what neuroscience has to say about ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response—one of YouTube's most popular subjects.

The Canadian Village Where Sasquatches Are Said to Roam

According to Klemtu's residents, the hairy, human-like creatures have always been there, in the dense forests and remote areas across the nation’s traditional territory.

The Key to Robert E. Lee's Puzzling Death Might Be Hidden in a Photo of His Earlobe

The Confederate Army general's death stumped his doctors—but now we might have a clue about what happened.

The Hidden Room Behind Mount Rushmore

Just behind Lincoln's hairline sits a massive chamber. What's inside may never be seen by human eyes again.