Mental Floss

LISTS

A male cardinal.

These crested songbirds add a welcome dash of color to yards throughout much of the United States. Let’s get a little better acquainted with our rosy, non-migratory neighbors.

Mark Mancini








Westsylvania is just one state that never made the cut.

The road to our 50 states is littered with wannabe territories that couldn't wait to be admitted to the union, but never quite got there. Here are 12 states that could have been.

M Asher Cantrell
Simplify you day, one hack at a time.

Keep these life hacks in your back pocket to make your everyday chores easier, whether you have to clean, cook, organize, or just live more efficiently.

Madeline Raynor








A coronal mass ejection from the sun

Get ready to feel small: The sun is 99.8 percent of the mass of the solar system. Here are more colossal facts about our star.

David W Brown








Fool’s Cap World Map of the World

Odd cartographic creations like ‘Fool’s Cap Map of the World,’ ‘Leo Belgicus,’ and ‘The Porcineograph’ make the classic Mercator Projection look outright dull.

Lorna Wallace
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us.’

HBO Max’s hit adaptation of the video game is back for its second season. Here‘s what you need to know, from who could have played Ellie and Joel to how the show brought the infected to life to what to expect in season 2. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Meredith Danko