Ellen Gutoskey

New York

Senior Staff Writer at Mental Floss

Senior staff writer for @mental_floss. She/her

Articles

The Quest for the North Pole, Episode 3: The Turning Point

4 days ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

Subscribe here, or by clicking subscribe above!It’s June 17, 1896, and Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen is waking up after another frigid night spent on Franz Josef Land. It’s an uninhabited archipelago north of Siberia in the Arctic Ocean. With his assistant Hjalmar Johansen still snoozing nearby, Nansen starts a fire, tosses some meat into a pot to make soup, and climbs atop a rocky hill to admire the view. That’s when he hears it—the unmistakable sound of dogs barking.
The Quest for the North Pole: A Historical Timeline of Arctic Exploration

4 days ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

In the 19th century, explorers were obsessed with reaching Earth’s most unattainable spot: the North Pole. Their expeditions captivated the public, and the adventurers themselves became venerated celebrities. It’s such a fascinating part of history that we decided to make it the subject of our latest podcast, The Quest for the North Pole. Keep track of all the explorers’ progress with the timeline below.
History Vs. Bonus Episode: Epilogue - The Other Roosevelts

4 days ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

Mental Floss has a new podcast with iHeartRadio called History Vs., about how your favorite historical figures faced off against their greatest foes. Our first season is all about President Theodore Roosevelt. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts here, and for more TR content, visit the History Vs. site. Theodore Roosevelt was many things: a writer, a rancher, a president. But above all, he was a family man. TR was exceptionally close to, and dearly loved, his family.
Definition Detective Quiz #39

1 week ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

In Definition Detective, we give you an obscure word with four possible definitions. Only one is correct—the other three we made up. Can you identify the real meaning from the fakes? Try Other Definition Detective Quizzes:
Definition Detective Quiz #38

2 weeks ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

In Definition Detective, we give you an obscure word with four possible definitions. Only one is correct—the other three we made up. Can you identify the real meaning from the fakes? Try Other Definition Detective Quizzes:
Definition Detective Quiz #37

1 month ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

In Definition Detective, we give you an obscure word with four possible definitions. Only one is correct—the other three we made up. Can you identify the real meaning from the fakes? Try Other Definition Detective Quizzes:
What Exactly Is Cool Whip?

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Ellen Gutoskey

Exclusive | Biohackers and stars like Hailey Bieber are obsessed with this longevity molecule — but is it the ‘holy grail of supplements’? You know about DNA, but you may not have heard of NAD. You wouldn’t be alive without it. NAD — short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide — is …
What Exactly Is Cool Whip?

1 month ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

For decades, it claimed to be nondairy. But that label is complicated. In Mad Men’s “Lady Lazarus” (season 5, episode 8), Don Draper and his team tackle a campaign for a new product from General Foods: Cool Whip. “I read a 30-page dossier that fails to use the words fake whipped cream,” Stan quips.
Definition Detective Quiz #36

1 month ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

In Definition Detective, we give you an obscure word with four possible definitions. Only one is correct—the other three we made up. Can you identify the real meaning from the fakes? Try Other Definition Detective Quizzes:
The Dark History Behind the Phrase ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’

1 month ago | mentalfloss.com | Ellen Gutoskey

Canaries were used in coal mines much more recently than you might have thought. In 2013, as certain butterfly populations plummeted across North American prairies, Canadian conservationist Cary Hamel explained why people should care. “Butterflies are a bit of a canary in a coal mine,” he told The Canadian Press. “They’re really sensitive to changes in weather. They’re sensitive to changes in habitat loss. They’re sensitive to invasive species and land management.