POLITICS

Can You Fire the Pope?

Reader Gabrielle wrote in to ask: “Can a pope be ousted? And has it happened before?”

5 Famous Filibusters

After a mere 13 hours Wednesday, Senator Rand Paul ended his filibuster against the nomination of John Brennan for CIA director. While the thought of more than half a day of nonstop speaking may make the glossophobes among us (consider my hand raised) bla

Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Swift Were Fart Joke Masters

Benjamin Franklin was many things: printer, inventor, postmaster, turkey-zapper, constitution-signer, and connoisseur of fart jokes. The founding father fancied flatus. So much, actually, that in 1781 he penned an essay dedicated to the thunder down under

The Best Baseball Players Ever, According to Richard Nixon

President Ronald Reagan with German chancellor Helmut Kohl at the Berlin Wall in 1987.

Tear Out This Line: How Ronald Reagan’s Most Famous Words Almost Got Silenced

On June 12, 1987, President Reagan stood by the Berlin Wall and implored: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" It is one of Reagan's most famous speeches and most memorable lines—but it almost never made it past Reagan's lips.

4 Early American Politicians Rocked by Sex Scandals

General David Petraeus resigned his position and ended any hope of a run for the presidency over a sex scandal. While his actions weren't appropriate, he was just carrying on a long tradition of powerful men in government ruining their careers for a roll

There Are Only 22 Countries in the World That the British Haven’t Invaded

Of the almost 200 current member states (and one observer state) of the United Nations, the British have, at some point in history, invaded and established a military presence in 171 of them.

Element5 Digital, Unsplash // Public Domain

Why Do Nebraska and Maine Split Electoral Votes?

In the majority of the United States, one candidate gets all of a state’s electoral votes. Two states, however, don’t have to go the all-or-nothing route: Nebraska and Maine, thanks to the Congressional District Method.

Where Did The Idea Of "Red States" and "Blue States" Come From?

Wikimedia CommonsThat’s all, folks: The 2012 election is finally over. In the run up, we tackled big election questions, from why we vote on Tuesdays to what would happen in the event of a natural disaster on Election Day to whether Americans actually mov

How the Presidency Sort of, Maybe, Almost Might Have Gotten Cursed

William Henry Harrison, Tecumseh, and Tenskwatawa. In 1809, William Henry Harrison, then governor of the Indiana Territories, was negotiating the Fort Wayne Treaty to secure native lands for white settlers in Indiana and Illinois. He was buying the land

10 Public Figures Who Choose Not to Vote

We’re not telling you not to vote. We’re just saying that these 10 people won’t be (or didn’t). 1. Nate Silver When “Poblano” began publishing his 2008 presidential election predictions and analyses on Daily Kos in 2007, people paid attention. Then “Pobl

9 Tips for that James K. Polk Bash You’re Probably Planning

Wikimedia Commons Looking for ways to go wild this weekend? Then think about throwing a big-time 217th birthday bash for one of America’s least known presidents of all time, Mr. James K. Polk, born November 2, 1795. Here are some hosting tips to get you

The White House, Washington, DC, USA, early 20th century.Artist: Underwood & Underwood

The White House of Horrors: 4 Ghosts Haunting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Wikimedia Commons Sure, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue isn't exactly the Amityville house, but that big, drafty mansion is one of the most haunted of houses in America. Over the decades, and particularly in the early ones, the presidents and families who have

A Brief History of Political Halloween Masks (and What They Tell Us About the Election)

You can't visit a Halloween store without seeing the vinyl visages of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Dressing up as the incumbent president on October 31 dates back to the 1960s at least, though some beloved political figures, like George Washington and Ab

Boo-reaucrats: 8 Presidential Families—And Pets!—Dressed Up for Halloween

Politicians have to dress the part. Before public appearances, they meet with image consultants to ensure that they're wearing the perfect power tie and accessorizing with American flag memorabilia that's noticeable without being ostentatious. But what mi

Why the NFL Can't Play on Friday and Saturday (and Other Times Congress Interfered with Football)

This season, the NFL added a weekly Thursday night game, which puts professional football on TV three nights a week. Later on, after the bulk of the college football season is over, Saturday will also be in the mix—but for now, the league has to stay away

8 People Who Played Presidential Candidates in Mock Debates

You’ve probably heard that Barack Obama recruited Massachusetts senator and ketchup-magnate-by-marriage John Kerry to play Mitt Romney in mock debates. But Obama certainly isn’t the first president to fine-tune his skills through pseudo smackdowns. In fac

7 Politicians Who Appeared on Game Shows

As we’ve been seeing lately, everything politicians have done since birth ends up being in the news—especially during election time. Game show appearances are no exception, so check out these seven politico contestants. Some did surprisingly well; others

9 More 2012 Presidential Candidates

The third party presidential candidates we told you about a couple of weeks ago were only the top of the list of those running for president in 2012. There are plenty more, but as you go down the list, information becomes harder to find. Here are a few th

Adams vs. Jefferson: The Birth of Negative Campaigning in the U.S.

Back in 1776, the dynamic duo had nothing but love and respect for one another. But by 1800, everything had changed.

7 Teenagers Who Were Elected Mayor

You might have to be 35 to run for president, but you can become mayor of a town much, much sooner. Qualifications for the job vary depending on the size of the city and its need, but some ambitious teenagers have stepped up in recent decades and, thanks

15 Third-Party Presidential Candidates

You don't have to read mental_floss to know that President Obama is running for re-election on the Democratic ticket and that Mitt Romney is opposing him on the Republican ticket. However, you might not know about these other political parties and their 2

Schlock the Vote: 22 Ridiculous Convention-Themed Items

This week in Tampa, those attending the 2012 Republican National Convention will exchange far more than plans for adjusting the tax code and adjective-laden riffs relating to the hairstyles of Romney and Ryan. By bringing together an abundance of joyous,

After Elections in Delaware, Politicians Literally Bury Hatchets

The festival started sometime in the late 1700s (it's unclear exactly when) for citizens to gather to learn the outcome of state and national elections. Now it's just an opportunity to hold a festival in the city of Georgetown, complete with a carriage pa

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