In spy lingo, a site in an undisclosed location that’s been cleared of any potential danger is called a “safehouse.” Spies ...

The summer solstice always occurs between June 20 and June 22, but because the calendar doesn’t exactly reflect the Earth’s rotation, the precise time shifts slightly each year. In 2024, the sun will ...

In simple terms, as temperatures lower, ethanol clusters in beer tighten to form a chain-like shape, resulting in better, more robust flavor. How cold is cold, you ask? It’s a descriptor that’s open ...

When Ken and Beth Kiessling of Arbutus, Maryland, purchased tickets to see Gallagher at the Fish Bowl Inn in 1998, they were excited. The prop comic had headlined numerous specials on Showtime and was ...

This article contains affiliate links to products selected by our editors. Mental Floss may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Everybody needs to splurge on themselves once ...

Reading transports us to worlds we would never see, introduces us to people we would never meet, and instills emotions we might never otherwise feel. It also provides an array of health benefits. Here ...

If a product flunks on both these counts, it can be sold—but manufacturers can’t call it “ice cream.” It’s now a frozen dairy dessert. Thanks to more air and less milk fat, it’s likely cheaper to ...

These days, the phrase hot-button issue or hot-button topic refers to any matter that is fraught with emotion, especially the ...

Idioms and proverbs can be found in thousands of different cultures and languages across the world—and although there are ...

Live, laugh, love actually has dual origins. There’s the phrase itself, which appears to have grown popular thanks to a poem ...

A domed lid: Oxygen is released inside the pickle jar when the veggies ferment and go bad. Because that oxygen has no place to go, it causes the lid to bulge and create a dome-like appearance.

The United States government knew it needed to step up its espionage game during World War II. The Office of Strategic ...