Mental floss
Encyclopedia
Mental Floss is a bi-monthly American magazine, launched in 2001 in Birmingham, Alabama
, that presents facts and trivia
in a humorous way. MentalFloss.com is also host to a popular blog, which contains additional trivia, features, and interesting news articles.
The company now has additional offices in Brooklyn, New York and Chesterland, Ohio
(in suburban Cleveland), and the magazine has a circulation of more than 100,000 subscribers in over 17 countries. The publication also has been included in Inc. magazine's
list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies.
The magazine frequently publishes books and sells T-shirts with humorous sayings, such as "There's no right way to eat a Rhesus
". In addition, there is a licensed trivia board game
similar to Trivial Pursuit
. The magazine also produces the "In a Box" series, which is a tin containing a book, flash cards, exam, and diploma for a law school, med school, or MBA student.
Dennis Publishing
bought the magazine in 2011.
and Mangesh Hattikudur
while they were students at Duke University
. According to the Mental Floss website, the idea came from conversations at the Duke cafeteria about the need for an educational magazine that was funny and entertaining. According to Hattikudur, they wanted to emulate the lectures from some of their favorite professors while maintaining their enthusiasm on a regular basis.
Later Will Pearson met with the president of Duke University, who loved the idea, but disliked the name. The first published issue was known as the "Campus Edition" published in spring of 2000, distributing 3,000 issues.
The founders spent much of their first year looking for investors and staff members while raising funds to publish the first issue, which was released in May 2001. Over the following summer, 8,000 copies were distributed, and 60% sold out on newsstands.
Each issue of Mental Floss magazine is divided up into the following sections:
.
, Los Angeles Times
, CNN.com, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Entertainment Weekly
, Newsweek
, Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal
, and the Washington Post. Other media coverage includes:
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, that presents facts and trivia
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
in a humorous way. MentalFloss.com is also host to a popular blog, which contains additional trivia, features, and interesting news articles.
The company now has additional offices in Brooklyn, New York and Chesterland, Ohio
Chesterland, Ohio
Chesterland is a census-designated place in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,646 at the 2000 census. "Chesterland" is also the name by which most of unincorporated Chester Township is known...
(in suburban Cleveland), and the magazine has a circulation of more than 100,000 subscribers in over 17 countries. The publication also has been included in Inc. magazine's
Inc. (magazine)
Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies.
The magazine frequently publishes books and sells T-shirts with humorous sayings, such as "There's no right way to eat a Rhesus
Rhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
". In addition, there is a licensed trivia board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
similar to Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
. The magazine also produces the "In a Box" series, which is a tin containing a book, flash cards, exam, and diploma for a law school, med school, or MBA student.
Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing Ltd. is an independent publisher. It was founded in 1974.As of April 2010 the company publishes 31 magazine or online titles, predominately in the UK....
bought the magazine in 2011.
Origin
The magazine was co-founded by William E. PearsonWill Pearson
William E. Pearson is the co-founder of mental_floss, a bi-monthly magazine, which he started with Mangesh Hattikudur when both were students at Duke University...
and Mangesh Hattikudur
Mangesh Hattikudur
Mangesh Hattikudur is the co-founder of the American humor magazine mental floss, which he started with Will Pearson when both were students at Duke University. Hattikudur graduated from Duke in 2001, with a Bachelor of Arts degree...
while they were students at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. According to the Mental Floss website, the idea came from conversations at the Duke cafeteria about the need for an educational magazine that was funny and entertaining. According to Hattikudur, they wanted to emulate the lectures from some of their favorite professors while maintaining their enthusiasm on a regular basis.
Later Will Pearson met with the president of Duke University, who loved the idea, but disliked the name. The first published issue was known as the "Campus Edition" published in spring of 2000, distributing 3,000 issues.
The founders spent much of their first year looking for investors and staff members while raising funds to publish the first issue, which was released in May 2001. Over the following summer, 8,000 copies were distributed, and 60% sold out on newsstands.
Notable contributors
- A.J. JacobsA.J. JacobsArnold Stephen Jacobs, Jr., commonly called A.J. Jacobs is an American journalist and author.-Personal:...
contributed articles based on what he has learned after reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, as described in his book The Know-It-AllThe Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the WorldThe Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World is the title of a book by Esquire editor A. J. Jacobs, published in 2004....
.
- Ken JenningsKen JenningsKenneth Wayne "Ken" Jennings III is an American game show contestant and author. Jennings is noted for holding the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show Jeopardy! and as being the all-time leading money winner on American game shows...
, of Jeopardy fame, writes a feature each issue called Six Degrees of Ken Jennings, in which he plays the game Six degrees of separationSix degrees of separationSix degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer...
with two people or things that are unrelated except by the way they sound, like Benedict XVI and Benedict ArnoldBenedict ArnoldBenedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
or Isaac NewtonIsaac NewtonSir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
and Apple ComputerApple ComputerApple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
.
Magazine sections
- Features: Some examples of featured articles include an expose on Shel Silverstein'sShel SilversteinSheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
darker side and a collection of the 25 Most Important Questions in the Universe. - right_brain: Contains articles about "right brain" topics, like art and literature. Some examples of right_brain articles have included The ThinkerThe ThinkerThe Thinker is a bronze and marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin, whose first cast, of 1902, is now in the Musée Rodin in Paris; there are some twenty other original castings as well as various other versions, studies, and posthumous castings. It depicts a man in sober meditation battling with a...
, James JoyceJames JoyceJames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, and Ming vases. - left_brain: Contains articles about "left brainLeft BrainLeft Brain, born Vyron Dalyan Turner, is an American record producer, rapper, and photographer from Los Angeles. He serves as one of the main producers in OFWGKTA, having produced portions on nearly all Odd Future releases...
" topics, like science and logic. Some examples of left_brain articles have included string theoryString theoryString theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
, the Human Genome ProjectHuman Genome ProjectThe Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA, and of identifying and mapping the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional...
, and black holeBlack holeA black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
s. - scatter_brained: Contains 10 pages of trivia, facts, and anecdotes from all different categories of knowledge.
- spinning the_globe Contains articles about religion, history, and world culture.
- The Quiz Each issue contains a brief quiz in the back of the magazine.
Recurring themes
- Every year, one issue of Mental Floss is known as the "Ten Issue". It will usually feature lists of ten things focusing on one subject such as: "Ten Most Forgettable Presidents", or "Ten Famous Monkeys in Science". Mental Floss has currently put out ten "ten issues" to date.
Recurring blog categories
- The Quick 10: Brief lists of ten people, locations, events, or products that fit a specific category
- Brain Game: Original logic and math puzzles
- Morning Cup of Links: Interesting links to news stories, videos, and memes from across the internet
- 5 Questions: Daily sets of questions which ask trivia from several different subjects
- Lunchtime Quiz: Daily quizzes which ask trivia questions from one specific subject
- Feel Art Again: Lists of trivia related to an artist or famous work of art
- Dietribes: Lists of trivia about food and nutrition
- The Amazing Fact Generator: A page which generates random facts and trivia
Merchandise
Mental Floss provides merchandise through their online store as well as a retail store located in Chesterland, OhioChesterland, Ohio
Chesterland is a census-designated place in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,646 at the 2000 census. "Chesterland" is also the name by which most of unincorporated Chester Township is known...
.
T-shirts
The Mental Floss online store boasts over 70 t-shirt designs, many of which involve clever puns. Some of their best selling t-shirts include:- "PlutoPlutoPluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
1930-2006, Revolve in Peace" - "There's No Right Way to Eat a RhesusRhesus MacaqueThe Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
" - "Simple as 3.141592...Pi' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
- "When Life Gives You ScurvyScurvyScurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
, Make Lemonade" - "PavlovIvan PavlovIvan Petrovich Pavlov was a famous Russian physiologist. Although he made significant contributions to psychology, he was not in fact a psychologist himself but was a mathematician and actually had strong distaste for the field....
: The Name That Rings a Bell"
Books
- Mental Floss History of the World: An Irreverent Romp Through Civilization's Best Bits
- Genius Instruction Manual
- Scatterbrained
- What's the Difference?
- Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets
- Condensed Knowledge
- Forbidden Knowledge
- Instant Knowledge
- In the Beginning
- Be Amazing
Other
- Mental Floss board game
- Mental Floss water bottle
- Split Decision card game
Media coverage
Mental Floss has been covered by magazines and newspapers such as Reader's DigestReader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, CNN.com, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, and the Washington Post. Other media coverage includes:
- Listed as one of the Chicago Tribune
' sChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
50 favorite magazines in June 2007 - Listed as one of PC World
' sPC World (magazine)PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
100 favorite blogs in June 2007 - Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur among Inc. magazine'sInc. (magazine)Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
30 "coolest young entrepreneurs
External links
- Official website
- Official blog
- Official Twitter feed
- Feeling Smart Duke Magazine, Volume 87, No.4, May-June 2001