{"id":407,"date":"2026-01-08T09:19:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T09:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsliked.online\/?p=407"},"modified":"2026-01-08T09:19:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T09:19:39","slug":"mental-floss-our-35-favorite-stories-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsliked.online\/?p=407","title":{"rendered":"Mental Floss: Our 35 Favorite Stories of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though it feels a little bit like choosing a favorite child, of the thousands of stories Mental Floss publishes in any year, our staffers are bound to have some particular favorites. It could be a case of a long-gestating idea finally coming to fruition, or a story that is so unique (or just plain bizarre) that there\u2019s no way we could pass up the chance to write about it. As we’ve done in\u00a0years past<\/a>, we asked the Mental Floss team to share some of their favorite stories from 2020\u2014just in case you missed any of them.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0When John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Took a Piece of Shakespeare’s Chair<\/h2>\n

I absolutely love Michele Debczak\u2019s piece on the 18th- and 19th-century practice of \u201ctourist scavenging,\u201d featuring two founding fathers and future presidents.\u00a0\u2014Erin McCarthy, Editor-in-Chief<\/em><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0The Teenage Girl Gang that Seduced and Killed the Nazis<\/h2>\n
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D-Keine\/iStock via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Given the breadth of the topics we cover, it can sometimes be difficult to describe to someone what makes the “ideal” Mental Floss story\u2014but the headline of this history piece, written by Jake Rossen, sort of says it all. Who wouldn’t want to read that?\u00a0\u2014Jennifer M. Wood, Managing Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Bat Boy Lives! An Oral History of\u00a0Weekly World News<\/em><\/h2>\n

As a dumb kid, I remember nervously reading these tabloid news headlines every week at the checkout counter while my mom was grocery shopping. They always seemed to be about the apocalypse or aliens or World War III or some sort of Earth-shattering calamity that was on its way. Looking back on it, they probably introduced me to anxiety. But as an adult who’s no longer afraid of what Nostradamus did or didn’t predict, I really enjoyed this deep dive into the absurdity of it all.\u00a0\u2014Jay Serafino, Special Projects Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0If the Yacht Is a Rockin’: Riding the Yacht Rock Nostalgia Wave<\/h2>\n
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Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina making some waves on the cover of 1973’s “Full Sail” album. | Columbia Records<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you feel guilty about how much you love yacht rock, let Maggie Serota legitimize the genre for you in this smooth ride (sorry) through its history and mechanics. If you don\u2019t love yacht rock, what\u2019s wrong with you?\u00a0\u2014Ellen Gutoskey, Staff Writer<\/em><\/p>\n

5.\u00a010 Secrets of Epidemiologists<\/h2>\n

Ellen Gutoskey’s piece peering inside the minds of epidemiologists gave us a chance to better understand the people leading the way to return us to a sense of normalcy. Who knew so many people hang up on them?\u00a0\u2014Jake Rossen, Senior Staff Writer<\/em><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0The Coney Island Attraction That Took Its Riders to Hell<\/h2>\n
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Coney Island’s most unusual attraction, Hell Gate, debuted in 1905. | Damon Amato<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any story about a horrifying, turn-of-the-century amusement park ride gets my automatic approval. This piece about Coney Island’s hell-themed attraction from Erin McCarthy is no exception.\u00a0\u2014Michele Debczak, Senior Writer<\/em><\/p>\n

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7.\u00a0Zabiba and the King<\/em>: The 2000 Romance Novel … Written by Saddam Hussein<\/h2>\n

This is one of those surprising stories that makes you stop and go, \u201cwhat?!\u201d Ellen Gutoskey\u2019s piece will almost make you want to read Hussein\u2019s novel \u2026 almost.\u00a0\u2014EMC<\/em><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0Misconceptions About Depression<\/h2>\n