Mental Floss

LISTS

The game ‘Monopoly’

Once designed to teach, preach, or persuade, these familiar board games now mask the strange historical forces that informed their conception.

Colin Scanlon




Jonas Salk with bottles of the polio vaccine he developed.

From eradicating smallpox to battling the COVID-19 pandemic, these vaccine pioneers have helped make colossal strides in public health.

Rujuta Saksena










Bessie Coleman, David Bowie, and Martin Luther King Jr. all have January birthdays.

Some of our favorite figures from history, literature, music, pop culture, and more were born in the first month of the year. Do you share a birthday with one of these famous folks?

Miss Cellania