Stacy Conradt

4 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Stacy Conradt

1 hour agoThe New Far-Right Coalition That’s Out to Destroy American Democracy“Money, Lies, and God” argues that the failed January 6 insurrection didn’t discourage those who want to dismantle the republic.

4 weeks ago | mentalfloss.com | Stacy Conradt

It’s no longer the largest church in Christendom, but St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is still the most fabulous. Whether you’re Catholic or not, it’s hard to argue with the fact that St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is an amazing feat of architecture and art. The cornerstone for this sanctified structure was laid on April 18, 1506, and it remains the scene of papal pomp and pageantry today. Here are a few facts about the house that Peter built (according to Catholic tradition, anyway).

1 month ago | mentalfloss.com | Stacy Conradt

Can people really explode into flames without warning? The cause of death in these mysterious cases has, at one time or another, been reported as spontaneous human combustion—but there was often a more realistic explanation. “Four feet distance from the bed there was a heap of ashes, two legs untouch’d, from the foot to the knee, with their stockings on,” wrote Paul Rolli, a fellow of the British Royal Society, describing the mysterious 1731 death of Countess Cornelia Bandi.

2 months ago | mentalfloss.com | Stacy Conradt

Ice cream flavors come and go, but the memory of some of these picks from Ben & Jerry’s can still make your taste buds melt. For some folks, it can be tough to choose a favorite ice cream flavor. The answer gets even harder to come by when you’re considering which Ben & Jerry’s flavor outdoes the rest.

2 months ago | mentalfloss.com | Stacy Conradt

There’s no accounting for taste when it comes to critics’ misguided impressions of cultural classics, from mini-skirts to ‘Moby-Dick.’Works that we consider classics—or, at the very least, valuable contributions to society—haven't always been seen as such. Sometimes it takes a little time and perspective for us to understand the true value of something. Here are a few examples of things that really tanked whey they were first released, but are now considered pretty important.