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Jazz Up Your Vocabulary With Mental Floss’s 2025 Word Nerd Desk Calendar

Our 2025 word-a-day calendar covers old-timey slang terms, fascinating phrase origins, and more.

Mental Floss’s ‘The Curious Compendium of Wonderful Words’ Features Fun Slang, Strange Phrase Origins, and More

Sure, all books are filled with words—but not quite like this.

Mental Floss Is Hiring a Staff Writer!

We're looking for a staff writer to join the award-winning Mental Floss team. This is a full-time, remote position but candidates should be based in the U.S.

Tompkins Harrison Matteson's 1853 painting Examination of a Witch, which depicts the 17th-century investigation of Mary Fisher in New England.

Catalonia Is Posthumously Pardoning More Than 700 Victims of Its Witch Trials

Europe’s witch trials spanned several hundred years and claimed thousands of innocent lives. Catalonia is making symbolic amends.

California Twins Were Just Born in Different Years

Alfredo Antonio Trujillo was one of the last babies born in 2021, and his twin sister Aylin was born 15 minutes later in 2022.

The document on display at Sotheby's in New York City nearlier this fall.

A Rare, Original Print of the U.S. Constitution Just Sold for a Record-Breaking $43 Million

A precious copy of the U.S. Constitution fetched roughly $23 million more than its estimated value at auction.

Christchurch's wizard, Ian Brackenbury Channell, in 2012.

After More Than Two Decades on the Payroll, Christchurch, New Zealand Is Laying off Official City Wizard

“It makes no difference. I will still keep going. They will have to kill me to stop me.”—the soon-to-be former city wizard of Christchurch, New Zealand, Ian Brackenbury Channell.

Josephine Baker Will Be the First Black Woman Buried in Paris’s Panthéon

Paris’s Panthéon houses graves for just five women. Josephine Baker—star, spy, and civil rights activist—is about to become the sixth.

We're Hiring an Associate Editor (Commerce)!

Are you obsessed with finding unusual gifts for your friends and relatives? Then this is the job for you.

Poolmageddon: How the Current Chlorine Shortage Could Impact Your Summer Plans

A chlorine factory fire and changing lifestyles during the pandemic are contributing to a nationwide chlorine shortage this summer.

We're Hiring an Editorial Fellow!

Mental Floss is looking for an editorial fellow to contribute to our website, YouTube channel, and social media pages.

That face you make when Netflix asks for a verification code.

Netflix Quietly Rolled Out a New Feature to Crack Down on Password-Sharing

If you’ve been sneakily using your ex-girlfriend’s stepmother’s Netflix account, the jig could soon be up.

A new scout receiving her Eagle Scout neckerchief at a regional ceremony in Tacoma, Washington.

Almost 1000 Young Women Just Became the First Female Eagle Scouts in Boy Scout History

Only about 6 percent of all scouts ever become Eagle Scouts—the Boy Scouts’s highest rank. These young women went above and beyond to earn it.

Harriet Tubman photographed by Benjamin Powelson in the late 1860s.

The White House Is Reinstating Plans to Replace Andrew Jackson With Harriet Tubman on $20 Bills

The plan to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman was announced in 2016, but it’s been delayed for a while.

The 2009 and 2011 issues of the IKEA catalog.

RIP: After 70 Years, IKEA Is Discontinuing Its Print Catalog

Shoppers have been able to view the entire IKEA catalog online since 2000, but many still prefer to thumb through the print version.

A still from A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).

PBS Will Air A Charlie Brown Christmas, Saving the Holiday Season

Apple TV+ now owns the rights to the 'Peanuts' specials, but they’re letting PBS temporarily take the reins.

Peaches Purchased From Target and ALDI Are Being Recalled For Possible Salmonella Contamination

You don’t have to abandon your plans to make peach cobbler, but you shouldn’t use Wawona-brand peaches.

It’s Not Just You: A Worldwide Google Outage Caused Errors With Gmail, Google Docs, and More

You can send this article to your manager as an excuse for not submitting any work in the past 12 hours.

No word yet on whether Amy Adams will be a member of the task force.

The Federal Government Is Organizing a Task Force to Examine UFO Sightings—Because Aliens

The Navy keeps spotting UFOs along the coast, and the Department of Defense wants to get to the bottom of it.

Tenino, Washington, Is Loaning Residents Wooden Money to Boost Its Economy

Printing its own wooden currency is a way for Tenino, Washington, to support residents while keeping cash within its local economy.

This woman doesn't work for us, but she sure is happy about our Webby Award nomination!

Mental Floss Is Up for a Webby Award—Here’s How to Help Us Win!

We’re thrilled to be included in the best weird general website category, which is basically our greatest dream come true.

The IRS Launched an Online Tool to Track Your Stimulus Check

The first of the 2020 stimulus checks go out this week. This tool from the IRS will tell you when to expect yours.

Tax Day for Americans Will Be Pushed Back to July 15

On March 20, U.S. treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin announced via Twitter that Tax Day will be pushed back by three months—to July 15—amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

We're Hiring a Part-Time Editorial Assistant

Mental Floss is hiring a part-time editorial assistant for our New York City office. We’re looking for a rabidly curious individual who is interested in contributing to various aspects of MentalFloss.com.