Book of the Dead.
Unlike the nearby pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza wasn’t built from a bunch of hefty stones it was carved from a single massive hunk of limestone. And while some of the finer details of that process are still a mystery, we do know one thing: Napoleon isn’t responsible for the Sphinx’s missing nose.
As legend would have it, Napoleon ordered it to be shot off with a cannon when he marched into Egypt in 1798. But more than 60 years earlier, Danish explorer Frederic Louis Norden had painted a picture of the Sphinx … without a nose. So who maimed Earth’s greatest sculpture?
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If you spent your childhood listening to well-meaning adults chastise you for cracking your knuckles “You’ll get arthritis!” you’re not alone. So did Donald Unger, which prompted him to launch what became a 50-year-long experiment (tested only on himself) to discover if cracking his knuckles really would cause any joint damage.
On this episode of Misconceptions, Mental Floss s Justin Dodd is sharing Unger’s findings and debunking some other pervasive myths about health and wellness. Who, for example, convinced everyone that eight glasses of H2O per day was the one-size-fits-all hydration quota for humans and does that advice actually hold water? Also, how good is vitamin C at keeping the common cold at bay (if at all)?
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We know that French fries come from a French-speaking country, but their exact origin is unclear. The Belgians claim they first fried potatoes cut into the shape of fish when the river Meuse froze over in the 17th century, preventing them from catching real seafood. According to the French, fried potato wedges didn t appear until Parisian street vendors starting selling them 100 years later in the 18th century. The true story is still up for debate, but the passion people have for this potato product is undeniable.
In the latest episode of Food History, host Justin Dodd looks at the crispy, crunchy world of deep-fried potatoes. A French fry is just one of the many forms the food group can take. The video also explores the stories behind tater tots, hash browns, latkes, and potato chips.
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Like other dos and don’ts from the Middle Ages, medieval pet advice hasn’t exactly withstood the test of time. A diet of dirty, soggy bread, for example, isn’t a good way to keep your dog puppy-sized forever. And applying a mixture of salt, honey, and onion to a monkey bite sounds more like an invitation for a second monkey bite than a cure for the first one.
On this episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy is delving into dozens of strange recommendations from purported pet experts of the era. While most of the tips are dubious at best, there are at least a few that you might want to co-opt for yourself like calling your dog
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