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Why Popcorn Pops

First off, popcorn isn’t just any old corn. It’s a cultivated strain of flint corn known as zea mays everta. Its kernel is also a whole grain—it consists of the bran (the hull or outer covering), the...

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8 Government Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be Right

   Please follow Military & Defense on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »

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5 Unseen Parts Of NYC's Subway System

First opened on October 27, 1904, the New York City subway system now has more than 400 stations over the course of 842 miles of track.Please follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook.Join the...

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9 Common Misconceptions About Alcohol

You may drink, and you may party, but do you get My Drunk Kitchen wasted?Well, it seems drunk-cooking video host Hannah Hart's learned her fair share from her series — she hosted Mental Floss's weekly...

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7 Movies With Backstage Antics That Inspired Other Films

Just about anything can inspire a movie, but we don't often hear that another movie, and much less events behind-the-scenes, as being the muse for a film.Our friends at mental_floss have rounded up...

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7 TV Shows That Were Saved By Their Fans

Never doubt the power of a devoted audience: Time and again, adoring fan bases have brought television shows back from the brink of cancellation—or actual cancellation.See the TV shows >Shows like...

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13 Reasons People Think The Number 13 Is Unlucky

This is going to be a very trying year for people with Triskaidekaphobia, also known as the fear of the number 13.While the superstitious folks afflicted with this problem can easily stay home on...

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11 Great Stephen Hawking Quotes For His 71st Birthday

When Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at age 21, doctors thought he’d only survive a few more years. But the theoretical physicist defied the odds: Hawking turned 71 this week...

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Why Booze Makes You Feel All Warm And Fuzzy

Daven Hiskey runs the wildly popular interesting fact website Today I Found Out. To subscribe to his “Daily Knowledge” newsletter, click here.Here's something tailgaters, ice skaters, skiers and other...

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7 Outrageous Retro Airline Commercials

The airline industry has undergone several upheavals and gut-punches in the past two decades.There was the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, the Air Traffic Controllers' strike of 1981, and the tragic...

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The 12 Craziest Things Celebrities Have Confessed To Oprah

There’s a reason Oprah is one of the world’s most famous television personalities: She gets celebrities to crack faster than Anonymous can crack Shirley Phelps-Roper’s Twitter password.Lance Armstrong...

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Why So Many People Get The Flu In Winter

The 2012-2013 flu season is shaping up to be a doozy.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that during the first week of 2013, 7.3 percent of all deaths reported through their...

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The Early TV Appearances Of 9 Hollywood Stars

A lot of readers seemed to enjoy our first look at the early roles of actors who went on to bigger and better things (and you guys came up with a lot of good ones on your own as well!)Your collective...

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10 Actors' Dramatic Departures From Popular TV Shows

Charlie Sheen isn't the first major character to be axed from a hit show ("Two and a Half Men"), and there are others who (sometimes) ill-advisedly killed their own golden goose while their former...

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Here's Where Americans Spend Their Money

Last year, Americans spent $10.7 trillion shopping.With that much dough, you could buy over 2,000 aircraft carriers, 300 private islands, and still have money left over for a latte.Here’s a taste of...

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10 Convenience Foods That Even Americans Didn't Want To Eat

From Celery Jell-O to chocolate French fries, here are ten foods that didn't have a very long shelf-life.1. Coffee-Flavored Jell-O (Celery, Too!)In 1918, the makers of Jell-O introduced a new flavor:...

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18 Complicated Scientific Ideas Explained In Plain English

A few months ago, Randall Munroe of the webcomic xkcd published a description of the Saturn V rocket using only the 1000 most frequent words in English.Under this restriction, the rocket was called...

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11 Strange Things You Need To Know About Your Heart

Your heart isn't gold. It isn't sweet. And don't put in on your sleeve — you'll make a mess!Just in time for Valentine's Day, here are 11 scientific facts about your ticker.1. Heart attacksThe most...

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The Favorite Drinks Of 11 Iconic People

When these celebrities and iconic characters want to knock one back, these are the drinks they choose.1. Madeira – Ben FranklinIf there are two things Big Ben Franklin will always be remembered for,...

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9 Common Misconceptions About Alcohol

You may drink, and you may party, but do you get My Drunk Kitchen wasted?Well, it seems drunk-cooking video host Hannah Hart's learned her fair share from her series — she hosted Mental Floss's weekly...

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