The Mental Floss History of the World

The Mental Floss History of the World PDF Author: Erik Sass
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060784776
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
History is . . . (a) more or less bunk. (b) a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken. (c) as thoroughly infected with lies as a street whore with syphilis. Match your answers: (1) Stephen Daedalus of James Joyce's Ulysses (2) Henry Ford (3) Arthur Schopenhauer It turns out that answer need not be bunk, nightmarish, or diseased. In the hands of mental_floss, history's most interesting bits have been handpicked and roasted to perfection. Packed with little-known stories and outrageous—but accurate—facts, you'll laugh yourself smarter on this joyride through 60,000 years of human civilization. Remember: just because it's true, doesn't mean it's boring!

The Mental Floss History of the World

The Mental Floss History of the World PDF Author: Erik Sass
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060784776
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 433

Get Book Here

Book Description
History is . . . (a) more or less bunk. (b) a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken. (c) as thoroughly infected with lies as a street whore with syphilis. Match your answers: (1) Stephen Daedalus of James Joyce's Ulysses (2) Henry Ford (3) Arthur Schopenhauer It turns out that answer need not be bunk, nightmarish, or diseased. In the hands of mental_floss, history's most interesting bits have been handpicked and roasted to perfection. Packed with little-known stories and outrageous—but accurate—facts, you'll laugh yourself smarter on this joyride through 60,000 years of human civilization. Remember: just because it's true, doesn't mean it's boring!

The Mental Floss History of the United States

The Mental Floss History of the United States PDF Author: Erik Sass
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006201434X
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 696

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Book Description
Smarter than your old history teacher, funnier than the founding fathers, and more American than apple pie, The Mental Floss History of the United States is an almost (but not entirely) comprehensive primer on American history (or at least, the good stuff). From the editors of MentalFloss.com and mental_floss magazine—with its tagline: “Feel smart again”—comes an American History text packed with hilarious (but true!) trivia written in the smart-aleck tradition of The Mental Floss History of the World, Mental Floss Presents In the Beginning, and the first mental_floss book, Condensed Knowledge. Perfect for trivia buffs, history lovers, college students, and anyone who likes to laugh and learn. United States history has never been so fun.

The Book

The Book PDF Author: Ethan Trex
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062069314
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
For ten years, the knowledge seekers at mental_floss have been hunting and trapping the world’s rarest facts, locking them into captivating lists for the world to admire. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Mental Floss: The Book is packed with a decade’s worth of the smartest, quirkiest stories around, including: Five Presidential Fashion Flubs Seven Shameless Abuses of Diplomatic Immunity Five Units of Measurement Weirder Than the Metric System Four Toys That Have Gone to War for America Seven Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever Five Things Your Body Can Do After You Die Six of Baseball’s Strangest Trades Four Foods People Actually Die For Seven Things Walmart Has Banned Four TV Shows That Changed the Course of History Ten “Q” Words That Aren’t “Q-U” Words Four Horrifying Parasites to Keep You Awake at Night Eight Fake Archaeological Finds Five Articles of Clothing That Caused Riots Four Memorable Moments in Cross-Dressing History Five Doomsdays We’ve Already Survived And 124 Other Extraordinary Lists!

Mental Floss: What's the Difference?

Mental Floss: What's the Difference? PDF Author: Editors of Mental Floss
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006174770X
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
Enlighten Up Already! Monet? Manet? Who can even tell the difference? Well, with the help of the newest mental_floss tome, you can! Want to learn how to tell egg rolls from spring rolls, nuclear bombs from dirty nuclear bombs, or even how to tell an idiot from a moron (there's a real scientific difference)? Piece of cake! Whether you're trying to impress your boss, your mother-in-law, attractive singles, or a pack of fourth graders (you know how they love semantics), mental_floss gives you all the tips and tricks to have you sounding like a genius.

Mental Floss: The Curious Reader

Mental Floss: The Curious Reader PDF Author: Erin McCarthy
Publisher: Weldon Owen International
ISBN: 1681888076
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
"With sumptuous, visually stimulating spreads, this book delivers on its promise– to unearth strange stories, bizarre facts, or unexpected details about the books on our shelves. Good for curious readers, whether they want to delve into authors and books they love, feel competent faking knowledge about books everyone else seems to have read, or just dip into and out of literary worlds" – Library Journal Readers rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for lovers of literature. From Americanah to War and Peace, from Chinua Achebe and Jane Austen to Jesmyn Ward and George R.R. Martin, learn surprising facts about the world’s most famous novels and novelists. The Curious Reader will delight bookworms everywhere. This literary compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world’s most famous authors and their literary works. Readers will learn about George Orwell’s near-death experience during the writing of 1984; meet the real man who may have inspired Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy; discover which famous author kept her husband’s heart after he passed away; and learn about the influence of psychedelics on Dune. The Curious Reader also contains the most-loved book-related articles from 20 years of Mental Floss, including “Cat-Loving Writers,” “Famous Authors’ Unfinished Manuscripts,” “Literary Characters Based on Real People,” and “Books You Didn’t Know Were Self-Published.” This literary miscellany is certain to inspire book lovers, aspiring writers, students, and teachers alike to discover a diverse selection of curated literary works—leading to an expansion of their library!

Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer Ultimate TV Trivia & Quiz Book

Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer Ultimate TV Trivia & Quiz Book PDF Author: Mental Floss
Publisher: Weldon Owen International
ISBN:
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
Impress your friends, family, and coworkers with fascinating facts about favorite TV shows and test your own TV trivia knowledge with dozens of challenging and entertaining quizzes. Did you know... Succession relies on “wealth consultants” to ensure authenticity on how the richest of the rich live? A fan of The Office, after recalling the episode where Steve Carell’s character arranges a (disastrous) CPR training session, successfully performed CPR on an unconscious stranger? Fraggle Rock was the first American TV series broadcast in Russia? Learn the stories behind these obscure TV tidbits and much more! With fun trivia, challenging quizzes, and log pages for your own lists, Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer Ultimate Quiz and Trivia Book will become as indispensable for your next binge-watch as your remote control. DOZENS OF FUN AND CHALLENGING QUIZZES: Test your TV knowledge with quizzes like "Two Degrees Of" your favorite celebrities, and "Match the Quote to the Simpsons Character" TRIVIA ABOUT MORE THAN 100 TV SHOWS: Get the inside scoop, fascinating facts, and mind-boggling trivia on the greatest shows from the past 20 years, from serious dramas such as Law and Order to seriously funny comedies like Ted Lasso MAKE IT YOUR OWN: Dozens of pages with fill-in lists, such as "Shows I Want to Binge" and "My Favorite TV Quotes" to "Shows I Started but Never Finished" and "My Favorite Shows of All Time."

The Disappearing Spoon

The Disappearing Spoon PDF Author: Sam Kean
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 0316089087
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, finance, mythology, the arts, medicine, and more, as told by the Periodic Table. Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters? The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. The Disappearing Spoon masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery -- from the Big Bang through the end of time. Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. A classic science prank is to mold gallium spoons, serve them with tea, and watch guests recoil as their utensils disappear.

Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer

Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer PDF Author: Jennifer M. Wood
Publisher: Weldon Owen International
ISBN: 1681887894
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
From Mental Floss, the premier online destination for curious minds, comes a deep dive into the greatest television shows from the last 20 years. Filled with little-known facts and lists of must-see shows, this fascinating collection includes: The hardest role to cast on Game of Thrones • The DEA’s involvement in Breaking Bad • The lost Black-ish episode deemed too divisive for TV • The real-life inspiration for Mad Men’s Don Draper • The identity of “Ugly Naked Guy” on Friends • When George Lucas sued Battlestar Galactica • How Curb Your Enthusiasm saved a man from the death penalty • When Doctor Who’s TARDIS went to court • The story behind Law & Order’s iconic “dun-dun” sound effect Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer also contains many of Mental Floss’s famously fascinating lists, such as Actors Who Asked for Their Characters to Be Killed Off, The Most-Watched TV Series Finales Ever, TV Characters Who Were Inspired by Real People, Bizarre TV Crossovers, Amazing One-Season Shows, Important Moments in LGBTQ+ History on TV, and Unforgettable Television Cliff-Hangers.

The Madman's Library

The Madman's Library PDF Author: Edward Brooke-Hitching
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1797212052
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
This fascinating and bizarre collection compiles the most unusual, obscure books from the far reaches of the human imagination throughout history. From the author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Phantom Atlas and The Sky Atlas comes a unique and beautifully illustrated journey through the history of literature. The Madman's Library delves into its darkest territories to hunt down the oddest books and manuscripts ever written, uncovering the intriguing stories behind their creation. From the Qur'an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, to the gorgeously decorated fifteenth-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus, to the most enormous book ever created, The Madman's Library features many long forgotten, eccentric, and extraordinary volumes gathered from around the world. Books written in blood and books that kill, books of the insane and books that hoaxed the globe, books invisible to the naked eye and books so long they could destroy the Universe, books worn into battle and books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered. Spell books, alchemist scrolls, wearable books, edible books, books to summon demons, books written by ghosts, and more all come together in the most curiously strange library imaginable. Featuring hundreds of remarkable images and packed with entertaining facts and stories to discover, The Madman’s Library is a captivating compendium perfect for bibliophiles, literature enthusiasts, and collectors intrigued by bizarre oddities, obscure history, and the macabre. • MUST-HAVE FOR BOOKLOVERS: Anyone who appreciates a good read will love delving into this weird world of books and adding this collection to their own bookshelf. • DISCOVER SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE: The Madman's Library will let you in on the secret and obscure histories of the strangest books ever made. • EXPERT AUTHOR: Edward Brooke-Hitching is the son of an antiquarian book dealer, a lifelong rare book collector, and a master of taking visual deep dives into unusual historical subjects, such as the maps of imaginary geography in The Phantom Atlas or ancient pathways through the stars in The Sky Atlas.

Spinning World History

Spinning World History PDF Author: Eric Burnett
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781546693840
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 668

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Book Description
Do you know how we got to here? In "Spinning World History," Eric Burnett takes you through all the major tales, traditions and turning points of world history - not just European history, but WORLD history. You'll figure out real quick that the West might have had some crowning moments, but for the whole of human history, it's been the Persians, the Indians, the Chinese, the Muslims or some horse peoples from the steppe that have truly turned us into the clever little creatures we are today. And when most world history books fade off once the Cold War comes to a close, this sometimes cheekily-written tome just gets going. Updated to include contemporary debates over topics such as Brexit, the rise of ISIS, claims to the South China Sea, the mounting refugee crisis and the controversial presidency of Donald Trump, this second edition finishes with a distinctively comprehensive look at the 21st century challenges facing the nine major regions of today's world - Africa, Latin America, Japan, China, the Middle East, India, Russia, Europe and the United States.