Lizzy Whimsy adds wonderful captions to historical art to make them more relatable. And funnier! Redditor jerip123 collected the images of George Washington together to make a narrative album of the Father of Our Country acting like an everyday guy. There’s also a running gag about his wife Martha, who wants more children. You can see 33 of these panels at imgur and more of George's adventures at Rally 'Round the History. -via reddit
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In 1919, things weren’t looking good for women’s suffrage. Although the House haas passed the Nineteenth Amendment, the Senate had voted it down. Politicians were tired of the suffragists, and President Wilson wasn’t helping matters. Also, activists were being arrested left and right and were abused in prison. What to do? Organize a train ride!
They called it "Democracy Limited," but the public immediately dubbed the three-week suffrage tour of February 1919 "The Prison Special." Its purpose? Make one last push for suffrage by harnessing the power of personal narrative. Its focus? The inhumane prison sentences served by so many women who fought for the vote.
The concept was relatively simple: the tour's slogan was "From Prison to People" and the train traveled the nation, packed with 26 members of the National Women's Party. When they arrived at their destination, they would don uniforms like the ones they were forced to wear at the Occoquan Workhouse, the prison that would eventually house over 150 suffragists. Alice Paul was force-fed egg yolks and placed in solitary confinement in a psychiatric ward. There, women were beaten, dragged, kicked, and even knocked unconscious by guards unsympathetic to the crowds. Now the same women brought their tales of incarceration and unsanitary, shocking conditions to the public, concluding with passionate pleas for President Wilson to act at last.
Not everyone greeted the tour with open arms, but it ended up helping to push the Amendment through the Senate. Read the story of the Hail Mary move that served as the end of the campaign for the right for women to vote, at mental_floss.
(Image credit: The Library of Congress)
It’s turtles all the way down in today’s interactive xkcd panel. Randall Munroe invites you to enlarge the comic by scrolling and see lots more as the pixels enlarge. But careful! If you click at any point, you may lose the whole thing. Scroll in the right place, and you’ll see a story unfold. It has to be an infinite loop, but it’s a very big loop. I have yet to reach the point where anything repeats.
The comic is for a special occasion: the launch of Munroe’s new book What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Read more about it here.
Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website or at Facebook.
Charlie Sheen turns 49 years old today. In honor of the occasion, here are some Charlie Sheen facts you might never have heard before. (Image credit: Angela George)
1) Charlie was born Carlos Irwin Estavez. He was born a "blue baby.” The doctor who saved him was named “Irwin" and Charlie's middle name was in honor of him.
2) He has 12 tattoos. He has a tattoo on his chest that looks like a note, which says "Be back in 15 minutes."
3) He is an avid gun collector who believes in the right to bear arms. He does not use the guns for hunting, only recreational shooting. He always takes a gun with him when he films on location.
4) He and his future wife, Denise Richards, appeared in the same film in 1993 Loaded Weapon I. They did not share screen time and never met. Years later, they met and fell in love on the set of Good Advice in 2001.
5) Charlie Sheen has a noticeable scar on his chin, which he got filming No Man's Land in 1987. A prop explosive detonated accidentally during filming, ripping into his chin and requiring eight stitches.
6) He turned down roles in White Men Can't Jump (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993) and The Cowboy Way (1994). All three of his rejected roles went to Woody Harrelson.
This is raw footage from EuroNews of the Bardabunga volcano erupting today in Iceland. Lava fountains are spewing up to 100 meters high, yet journalists and sightseers are there to not only record it, but pose with it. The eruption, which began on Sunday, could continue for weeks. Read more about Bardabunga at Mashable.
You may have seen pictures of this sad-looking cat over the past few weeks. This is Tucker, and she has genetic abnormalities that give her droopy eyes, extremely sensitive skin (hence the t-shirts), and deformed legs. Yet Tucker is a sweet, gentle cat who came into the care of Purrfect Pals Cat Shelter in Arlington, Washington. And after a recent spate of publicity, Tucker has a new home!
Many people applied to adopt Tucker. She ultimately went home with Katie, who is a vet tech and, along with her husband, lives with their cat Poe, who has similar special needs. Tucker couldn’t have ordered up a more perfect match. Now she will have a loving family, custom-made t-shirts, and a companion cat that can relate. -via Daily of the Day
In Romania’s Valcea County, there are boulders called trovants that grow. Really. They also multiply, by sprouting bulbs that form into rocks. It sounds like a tall tale or urban legend, but science confirms it. There’s a perfectly logical but rather complicated explanation, involving the nearby sand quarry, the mineral-rich rain of the area, and other factors that make the location unique. You can read how it happens, and see plenty of pictures at When On Earth. -via the Presurfer
(Image credit: Flickr user Daniela Constantinescu)
The BBC TV show Fawlty Towers aired only twelve episodes, but the talents of John Cleese and the rest of the cast left an indelible mark on the show’s fans 40 years ago. One of those fans has recreated the hotel setting completely in LEGO!
Nathan Feist, the Fawlty Towers fan who built the reproduction, honored the show in such meticulous detail that even small things like fire extinguishers were reproduced in LEGO form. And have you ever seen a LEGO moose? Well, look no further. The famous moose head from the show is up in glorious detail, broken antler and all, on the wall above the reception desk.
Feist debuted the project at Brickfair Virgini over the summer. See more pictures at Nerdist. -via Wellbelove
Craig Benzine explains how decaffeinated coffee is made. The answer is, of course, chemicals. The bigger question in my mind is why would anyone make decaf coffee. That's akin to non-alcoholic beer, which seems to defeat the purpose.
This is the premiere episode of mental_floss video’s new show The Big Question. Each Monday, we'll hear the answer to one burning question from readers.
The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad. These mysteries are from The Little Giant® Book of Whodunits by Hy Conrad and Matt LaFleur. Can you solve the mystery before you read the solution?
(Image credit: Flickr user Andy)
It was late at night at the Drakemore Hotel. A member of the cleaning staff was dusting the courtesy phones in the lobby when she heard the breaking of glass in the side lobby. And then the alarm went off.
The side lobby contained a display case holding memorabilia from the Drakemore's opening fifty years ago: the hotel's first menu, a laughably antiquated price list for rooms, a few rare coins and stamps from that year, photographs, and the dusty signatures of the first famous guests.
The night manager showed up a few seconds later. He and the staff member circled the lobby and discovered three guests who had been in the vicinity. Diplomatically but firmly, the manager suggested all three remain in the lobby until the police arrived.
The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad. These mysteries are from The Little Giant® Book of Whodunits by Hy Conrad and Matt LaFleur. Can you solve the mystery before you read the solution?
(Image credit: Flickr user slworking2)
"I was just pulling into the Piney Bluffs gas station," the shaken witness told the operator. "I heard a gunshot. And then I saw the men—two of them—running out of the station and hopping into a recreation vehicle. They'd killed the attendant." She gave a description of the R.V and a general description of the men.
The R.V was found, abandoned south of one of the roadblocks the highway patrol had set up. The vehicle was just feet away from Piney Bluffs State Park, which was enjoying its first rain in weeks. It was assumed that the men had hiked away into the hundreds of acres of parkland. Officers were sent in to interview the campers.
The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad. These mysteries are from The Little Giant® Book of Whodunits by Hy Conrad and Matt LaFleur. Can you solve the mystery before you read the solution?
(Image credit: Flickr user Peter Morgan)
The American agent used his skeleton keys to work on the lock while his female partner acted as lookout. It was hard to see clearly in the dreary hall light in the dreary apartment building in the dreary winter weather of Beijing. But David Richman finally cracked the mechanism and opened the door.
"Hurry," he whispered, motioning for Julia to join him. Inside it was just as chilly as the hall.
"We're looking for photographic negatives," he told Julia for perhaps the tenth time. "35 millimeter. Lu Ching hasn't had time to reduce them any further. Thank goodness it's a small apartment."
It was small, all right. The tiny studio contained a futon bed that doubled as a sofa. There were also a bookcase, a table, two chairs, and an old-fashioned desk fan that whirred noisily on top of a cluttered desk. A hot plate served as the apartment's kitchen. From a small adjoining bathroom came the sound of a leaky toilet.
"We have to find them," David whispered as he went directly for the bookcase. "The lives of a dozen Chinese contacts depend on our finding those eight negatives." He was already going through the books page by page, checking the covers for any telltale slits where the agent for the People's Republic might have stuffed them.
The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad. These mysteries are from The Little Giant® Book of Whodunits by Hy Conrad and Matt LaFleur. Can you solve the mystery before you read the solution?
(Image credit: Flickr user Alan English CPA)
The Tafel nephews had finally persuaded their sedentary Uncle Gil to go camping with them. "I love food and I hate discomfort," the heavyset man protested as he wedged his huge frame into the four-wheel drive. "This will be the death of me."
On the first evening it poured. The nephews all pitched in, building a fire and setting up a rain cover for food preparation. The ensuing meal was haphazard, with each camper fixing a plate for himself, then scurrying back to his own tent and eating alone.
As they finished their meal, the rain stopped. Ed, the eldest, was the first one out of his tent. "I hope Uncle Gil got enough to eat," he said as he surveyed the empty pots.
His youngest brother joined him under the dripping tarp. "You can bet on it," Richie said, flashing his usual, dazzling white smile. "I saw him going back for thirds."
The middle brother, Pete, was the last one out. They washed the pots in the river, then, on their way back, stopped by Uncle Gil's tent. He lay collapsed among his empty plates. Dead.
"A heart attack," Pete deduced. "I mean, it couldn't have been the food. We all ate the same things."
"Not quite." Richie was eyeing the dead man's glass. "Maybe it was the wine. I don't drink white wine and Ed doesn't drink at all."
The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad. These mysteries are from The Little Giant® Book of Whodunits by Hy Conrad and Matt LaFleur. Can you solve the mystery before you read the solution?
(Image credit: Flickr user Peter Kemmer)
"I was trying to be a good neighbor," Jake Spado told the sergeant. "I was watching TV at about midnight when Shamus started barking next door. The Whitakers were away. So out I went in the driving rain. I made a circuit of the Whitaker house. Everything seemed safe and secure, so I went back home." Jake bristled. "And here's the thanks I get, being suspected of burglary."
The other neighbor told a slightly different story. Millie Overlock had been awakened by the barking. "I finally got up and looked out. By the light of a street lamp I could see Jake disappear around the side of the Whitaker house. A few minutes later he came around the other side, then went back toward his own house. Since I was up, I made myself a cup of tea. The rain was just stopping as I got back into bed."
Millie leaned over to the sergeant. "It had to be Jake. Shamus barks when anyone comes near, even the Whitakers. I would have heard if Shamus had started up again."
The sergeant went from Millie's to the crime scene. As expected, the Rottweiler let out a chorus of barks. Jimmy, the Whitakers' nephew, quieted Shamus, then invited the officer in to inspect the damage in the rear living area.
The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad. These mysteries are from The Little Giant® Book of Whodunits by Hy Conrad and Matt LaFleur. Can you solve the mystery before you read the solution?
(Image credit: Flickr user Thaddäus Zoltkowski)
The secret police warned the prime minister to cancel the Pretenders' Ball. But the costume ball was a 200-year-old tradition in the small Grand Duchy. Despite threats from the rebels, the annual celebration had to take place as scheduled.
The prime minister made a handful of concessions to security. The peg-legged pirate had his sword confiscated, and the Turkish sultan gave up his curved, bulky dagger. But the baseball player was allowed to keep his bat, and the chukka sticks were not taken from the masked Ninja. No one was expecting an attack by a blunt instrument.
But that's exactly what happened. On one of the palace's two dozen balconies, the 80-year-old grand duke was cornered by an assassin and bludgeoned to death. When the chief of police discovered the body, the old duke, dressed as a peasant, was draped over a ledge, his royal blood dripping into the dark chasm below.
"Quick," the chief said to the nearest costumed reveler. "Close the doors. Alert the guards."
The pirate, in reality a provincial mayor, immediately ran to obey, taking the steps two at a time down to the main ballroom.
"We have to find the murder weapon," the chief's assistant said a few minutes later as he lined up all the shocked and grief-stricken guests.
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