September 2016 – Page 44

September 19, 2016

Dewey Bozella, a Boston native was imprisoned for 26 years…

Dewey Bozella, a Boston native was imprisoned for 26 years for a murder he did not commit. In those 26 years, 2 felons put the murder on him, was denied parole several times, the evidence against him was destroyed by police, and evidence proving his innocence was never brought to trial.

September 19, 2016

Felix Batista, an expert on kidnapping, was kidnapped…

Felix Batista, an expert on kidnapping, was kidnapped in Mexico. He Had already negotiated nearly 100 kidnapping and ransom deals and after his disappearance nobody took credit and he’s been missing ever since.

September 19, 2016

Ancient Romans had to get tickets to go to the…

Ancient Romans had to get tickets to go to the Colosseum. The tickets had the section, row, and seat number written on it for assigned seating, just like stadiums do today.

September 19, 2016

Tips for a Safe, Stress-Free Hospital Stay

Kirstin Fawcett

filed under: health

Image credit:

iStock

Hospitals are places of healing, but the thought of spending the night in one can be scary. You might be worried about catching a healthcare-associated infection (approximately 1 in 25 hospital patients has at least one), or that you’ll be discharged before you feel 100 percent better. Plus, it’s hard to advocate for yourself, let alone remember to provide doctors with your full medical history, when you’re sick or injured. Want to make your next major medical visit a little less stressful? Johns Hopkins Medicine compiled the list of tips below to ensure your next hospital trip is safe, simple, and salubrious.

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

September 19, 2016 – 3:00am

September 19, 2016

Take a Virtual Tour Inside the World’s Parliaments

Shaunacy Ferro

filed under: architecture, books, design, politics

Image credit:

Screenshot via parliamentbook.com

Not all houses of government are alike. That’s true in the abstract sense, but it’s also a physical fact. Some parliament houses are set up in a horseshoe shape, others in a circle, and some in a rectangular, classroom-shaped layout. Parliament—a book from the Amsterdam-based creative agency XML and available at ideabooks.nl—explores how the different layouts of the physical rooms where parliaments hold their sessions reflect the political processes that go on inside, WIRED reports.

In 2010, XML began researching the physical layouts of the parliaments of all 193 of the United Nations member countries.

“Parliament is the space where politics literally takes shape,” the book’s authors write on the accompanying website. “Here, collective decisions take form in a specific setting where relationships between political actors are organized through architecture.”

The layout of Brazil’s parliament, pictured in the photo above. Image Credit: Parliament / XML

In some rooms, opposing sides argue from across the room, and in others, they sit directly next to each other. Russia’s government, classified as authoritarian in the book, is decidedly classroom-shaped. The layout is a metaphorical reflection of the top-down ruling structure of a state that is increasingly being called a dictatorship.

And while you may never get to see inside the government halls of Bangladesh or Germany or South Africa or the European Union in Brussels, you can visit them virtually and see where the laws that affect us in daily life actually get discussed and passed. On the parliament website, visitors can take in the layouts of some of the government spaces featured, as well as explore 360° photography of the rooms, giving an experience inside the halls that is similar to Google Street View. All of the images were taken between 2011 and 2013 by the book’s authors.

[h/t WIRED]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

September 19, 2016 – 1:00am

September 18, 2016

How the Band-Aid Was Invented

Chris Higgins

filed under: inventions, medicine, video

Image credit:

YouTube // TED-Ed

Johnson & Johnson has made an estimated 100 billion Band-Aids since their invention in 1920. But what led to this invention? It took a little ingenuity, some sticky tape, and plenty of scrapes around the house.

In 1920, Josephine and Earle Dickson were newly married, and Josephine often suffered minor cuts and burns around the house. Earle was a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson, and the pair worked together to make improvised stick-on bandages for Josephine’s minor injuries. These were made from sticky surgical tape and trimmed-down sterile bandages.

Eventually, the pair figured out that they could make a lot of pre-made bandages by laying out a long roll of sticky tape and cutting out lots of little pads. Together with some crinoline to keep the sticky bits from getting prematurely stuck, they had created adhesive bandages…later known as BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages (ahem).

With a little further engineering—and some clever marketing to the Boy Scouts—Band-Aids became a household name. Here’s the history of the invention in just 100 seconds:

Further viewing: Watch a Super Silly ‘50s Band-Aid Commercial.

September 18, 2016 – 12:00pm

September 18, 2016

You Can Still Get This Week’s Best Amazon Deals

Smart Shopping Team

filed under: shopping

Image credit:

amazon / istock

As a recurring feature, we share some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. These items were the ones that were the most popular with our readers this week, and they’re still available.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers (including Amazon) and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Good luck deal hunting!

September 18, 2016 – 11:00am

Amazon Product Id:

B00GH501T2

September 18, 2016

Amazing/Weird Period Board Game Teaches Kids About Menstruation

Shaunacy Ferro

filed under: games, health, sex

Back in my day, kids learned about periods the old fashioned way: By being shoved into a gender-segregated classroom with the lights off and forced to watch a cartoon about deodorant, new hair growth, and monthly bleeding. But this is 2016, and ladies no longer need to hide in dark classrooms to learn about the joys of sanitary napkins and the maze that is the fallopian tubes. Champion swimmers talk about their periods on international television, and marathon runners let their blood flow freely down their legs as they cross the finish line.

Now you can learn about menarche with a spin of the ovaries. Designers Daniela Gilsanz and Ryan Murphy created the Period Board Game in a Rhode Island School of Design class to turn the awkwardness of menstruation education into a fun experience.

To play, you just have to turn one of the two ovaries, releasing a marble that’s either red or clear. If it’s red, you’re on your period, and you get to move forward on the game board. If it’s clear, sorry, you’ve just learned about vaginal discharge.

You can play cards that protect you from period woes like leaks and PMS, or end up without a tampon headed for the nurse’s office to sit out your next turn. The first person to get around the board—past ovulation, periods, and PMS—wins.

Will this actually turn talking about periods with young girls into a fun, positive experience? Maybe. It at least forces kids to say the word tampon a few times, although without a doubt, kids will find a way to find the whole situation mortifying regardless. But hey, every child should have to confront the realities of ovulation at some point. Plus, it’s so cute!

The game doesn’t have a distributor yet, since it was a student project, but hopefully some company will pick it up and put one in every kid’s hands soon enough.

See it in action in the video below:

The Period Game from Daniela Gilsanz on Vimeo.

All images courtesy The Period Game.

September 18, 2016 – 8:00am

September 18, 2016

‘Monopoly’ Gets a Miami-Inspired Makeover

Kirstin Fawcett

filed under: art, games

Image credit:

Winning Solutions

Monopoly is no stranger to makeovers. Fans of the classic game can play a Game of Thrones-inspired version, an edition that replaces paper money with debit cards, and a special 80^th anniversary “World Edition” featuring major global cities on its board, among other editions. Now, Gizmodo reports, Winning Solutions—a game manufacturer that sells unique twists on Hasbro brands like Scrabble, Clue, Yahtzee, and more—has collaborated with famed pop artist Romero Britto to give the rec room staple a colorful, Florida-inspired facelift.

Unlike most of its predecessors, Monopoly Miami Edition isn’t made from cardboard. The oversized game board is framed inside a 2-inch wooden-and-glass cabinet, and its surface is decorated with custom art, foil, and glitter. Each limited-edition version is numbered and signed by Britto, and comes with equally vibrant title deed cards, chance and community chest cards, money, and tokens.

Monopoly Miami Edition costs $499—a steep price to pay for a game, but a relatively small one for a piece of art. Visit Winning Solution’s website for more information, or view some pictures below.

[h/t Gizmodo]

Images courtesy of Winning Solutions.

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

September 18, 2016 – 6:00am

September 18, 2016

JFK was a superb golfer, but kept his golfing a secret…

JFK was a superb golfer, but kept his golfing a secret because he didn’t want to seem out of touch with average Americans. JFK reacted with terror when he nearly hit a hole-in-one while running for President.

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