Mental Floss referee are a curious crowd . Need substantiation ? count no further than our listing of the year ’s most popular stories , which covered everything from how much those Beanie Babies gathering dust in your noggin might be worth to the living and legacy of Rosa Parks .
1. The 10 MostValuable Beanie BabiesThat Could Be Hiding in Your Attic
Beanie Babies like the royal Princess Diana bear are listed for $ 600,000 on eBay , but how much money are the nostalgic toys really worth ? We fag into the detail .
2. Why Do DogsKick Their FeetAfter They Poop?
heel that labor into the flat coat after exempt themselves are n’t test to bury their wastefulness . They ’re leaving a fecal subject matter for other dogs .
3. The 25Highest-Grossing Moviesof All Time Worldwide
Shortly after gross $ 2 billion in record time , Avengers : Endgameofficially became the highest - gross movie of all meter — knocking James Cameron’sAvatar , which had held the top spot for a full 10 years , to runner - up status .
4. 10 Examples of theMandela Effect
Did Tom Cruise really trip the light fantastic toe in his underclothing and a pair of Ray - Bans inRisky Business ? If you answered “ yes , ” you might be suffering from the Mandela Effect .
5. If You Can Correctly Pronounce Every Word inThis 1920s Poem, You’re Among the English-Speaking Elite
English is a tricksy words to check . Native speaker may take this for grant , fail to realize how intricate — and inconsistent — many of its orthoepy rules are . But how unspoiled are you ?
6. 6Conspiracy TheoriesThat Turned Out to Be True
Humans make love cabal theory , and always have ( there ’s even grounds that ancient Romans had a few ) . But with the advent of the internet , they seem to be everywhere — and some of them are actually true .
7. McDonald’s Happy Meals Now Come WithRoald Dahl BooksInstead of Toys in New Zealand
Would you like aMatildaorBFGto go with your hamburger and fries ? If you ’re a untested Kiwi , you just might have gotten your wish in 2019 .
8. The 35Best-Selling Albumsin American History
What albums are most beloved by Americans ? Well , a lot of us seem to own the Eagles’sGreatest Hits .
9. Why You ShouldNever RinseYour Dishes Before Putting Them in the Dishwasher
If you give your plate and bowl a ready rinsing before sticking them in the dishwashing machine , you may be surprised ( and tired of ) to learn that it does n’t make them any cleaner .
10. 10 Highest-GrossingMovie Franchisesof All Time
Star Wars has a prospicient way to go to get up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe .
11. 10Bizarre DocumentariesThat Are Stranger Than Fiction
If these were fictitious stories , you ’d have a hard time swallowing them .
12. The Right Way toPet a Dog, According to Veterinarians
Much like humans , domestic dog are complex creatures with a spacious range of personality .
13. 45 Amazing Facts About All 44American Presidents
Discover which American United States President need to be a concert violinist , which stock a lexicon around in his pocket , and who sunburn his official White House portrait .
14. Why You Should AlwaysLeave the Capon a Plastic Bottle Before You Recycle It
Many of us were teach to trounce plastic bottle and leave the cap off . As it turns out , that is n’t the best approach .
15. The 100 Most PopularBaby Namesof 2019
If you ’re looking for a baby name that sounds cool or alone , Posie and Milo could be a right place to start .
16. You’ve Been Assembling Your Hard-Shell Tacosall wrong
There ’s a dewy-eyed trick for forestall your crunchy backbreaking - case taco from ruin apart in your hand .
17. 30 HilariousGerman InsultsYou Should Start Using Immediately
Some of these insults are divertingly destitute - sounding , while others are reasonably devastating — so let ’s hope you do n’t wind up on the receiving final stage of one of those .
18. TheClassic NovelThat Is Most Often Abandoned By Readers
Just because you bribe or borrow a book does n’t necessarily intend that you ’ll actually finish — or even start — reading it . Though trailing which books do n’t get finished is not an precise scientific discipline , people have tried to forecast it out .
19. 10 Surprising Facts AboutAnimal Sex
When the movie maker behindJurassic Parkwanted to make velociraptor strait , they used recordings of tortoises get it on .
20. Robert Downey Jr.ImprovisedOne of Iron Man’s Most Memorable Lines
ThoughIron Manmade it seem as if Tony Stark was the role Robert Downey Jr. was born to flirt , Marvel actively rooted against casting him .
21. 11 Secrets ofTarget Employees
Target employee , or “ team members , ” adhere to a company policy of going out of their way of life to ensure customers leave behind happy . A number of current and former associates enjoin us about life-time under the bull’s - eye .
22. What’s the Difference Between aPossum and an Opossum?
Possumandopossumare sometimes synonyms — but sometimes they refer to different animal . ( Also , there ’s a fortune you ’ve been pronouncingopossumwrong all along . )
23. TheBest Bookstoresin All 50 States
From their resident cats to that old book smell , there ’s something about wandering up and down the aisles of a brick - and - mortar bookstore that on-line merchant could never replicate .
24. The Ingenious Reason Medieval Castle Staircases WereBuilt Clockwise
If you ’re a fan ofGame of Thronesor medieval programs in general , you ’re probably intimate with action mechanism - packed battle view during which soldier storm castles , scheme arrows , and dash up voluted staircase . And , while those spiral staircases might not inevitably ascend clockwise in every television set show or motion picture you ’ve watched , they unremarkably did in substantial life .
25. 8 Inspiring Facts AboutRosa Parks
Rosa Parks ’s historical arrest is n’t the only thing she should be commend for .
26. The Reason Behind ThoseBrightly Colored BallsAlong Power Lines
If you ’ve ever driven past those colorful balls strung up along a power line , you might have wondered about what intention they serve — a thought that usually disappears as before long as the balls have faded from your rearview mirror .
27. The Reason Why Your Car Window Is Edged WithTiny Black Dots
Those little polka dots circulate your windscreen might be easy to miss , but they really serve well a few important functions .
28. 25Amazing Booksby African-American Writers You Need to Read
From literary ikon to fresh , buzzworthy talent , we spotlight 25 books by African - American authors you should add up to your recitation listing today .
29. Why MarvelDidn’t Wantto Cast Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
Further proof that Tony Stark is the office Downey was born to play .
30. The True Story BehindGentleman Jack: 10 Facts AboutAnne Lister
Anne Lister was a businesswoman , a mountain climber , a world traveler , and a skill enthusiast . But it ’s her love life history that she ’s mainly remembered for today .
31. This Test Will Tell YouHow Many BooksYou Can Read in a Year
The average individual in the U.S. reads about 12 books per year — but that number wo n’t help you if you read at a different yard than the average American .
32. 10VHS TapesThat Are Worth Money (No, Really)
Normally relegated to junk bins , some VHS tapes are in demand by aggregator due to their scarcity , nostalgia value , or cool box seat artistry .
33. 8 Facts About theAnimals of Chernobyl
researcher thought the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster was unable to patronize life . But a crowd of savage , cervid , wild boars , bears , foxes , and dogs disagreed .
34. 50 ThingsTurning 50in 2019
From the first manned Moon landing to Monty Python , here are 50 thing that stigmatize a half - one C on this major planet ( and beyond ) in 2019 .
35. 12 Surprising Facts AboutEmilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke became a household name playing Daenerys Targaryen onGame of Thrones , but she still goes largely unrecognised in world .
