Magazine of the Month - Mental Floss

Submitted by Mary on March 28, 2012 - 5:21pm

Do you like trivia? Are you a fan of "Jeopardy"? Need to find the answers to such burning questions as - Does hand sanitizer really work? If I touch a baby bird, will its mother abandon it? Then this is the magazine for you.

Started in 2001 by a couple of students at Duke University, Mental Floss presents facts and trivia in a fun and entertaining style. You will find information on science, history, literature, music, popular culture and just about anything else you can think of all in a lighthearted style.

If you like your info in list form there is the 10 issue. It features lists of 10 things on one subject like Ten not so bright ideas in science, ten things you don't know about Afghanistan, ten provocative questions about chickens answered.

The web site is great time wasting fun with quizzes, lists, articles and a store where you can buy books, games, toys and funny t-shirts. Try the amazing fact generator. With one click of the mouse you can find random facts like - Reno, Nevada is farther west than Los Angeles, California, the electric chair was invented by a dentist (I'm not surprised) and John Quincy Adams was elected President despite losing both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote.

My favorite is the Lunchtime Quiz. I didn't do very well on the slogans of cheap beer quiz but I'm happy to say I aced the Dewey Decimal quiz.

Try this quiz from the web site: from this list can you tell which are Ikea products and which are fancy cheeses.