From scientific breakthroughs to behind-the-scenes facts about your favorite TV shows from the 1980s, our readers have a thirst for all sorts of knowledge. Fortunately, our editors and writers share that quality. For proof, look no further than our 35 most popular stories of 2016. In case you weren’t obsessively refreshing mentalfloss.com all year, here’s what you missed:
1. Olive Oatman: The Pioneer Girl Who Became a Marked Woman, by Meg Van Huygen
2. Scientists Think They Figured Out What the Appendix Does, by Jordan Rosenfeld
3. 19 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of IKEA Employees, by Jessica Hullinger
4. 12 Fun Facts About ‘You Can’t Do That on Television,’ by Jennifer M. Wood
5. What Ever Happened to Waterbeds?, by Jeff Wells
6. How Scientists Are Preparing for the First Ever ‘All-American’ Eclipse, by David W. Brown
7. Scientists Find Non-Gluten Cause of Wheat Sensitivity, by Kate Horowitz
8. We’ve All Been Playing Uno Wrong, by Stacy Conradt
9. Zomething Different: A Brief History of Zima, by Jake Rossen
10. There’s an Oscar Among These C-3POs. Can You Spot It?, by Jennifer M. Wood
11. 9 Apps All Young Adults Should Have on Their Phones, by Shaunacy Ferro
12. The Tragic History of RC Cola, by Jeff Wells
13. 11 Twisted Facts About ‘The Far Side,’ by Mark Mancini
14. 22 Things You Owned in the ‘90s That are Worth a Fortune Today, by Shaunacy Ferro
15. West Michigan Is Home to a Giant Lavender Labyrinth, by Caitlin Schneider
16. A More Accurate World Map Wins Prestigious Japanese Design Award, by Shaunacy Ferro
17. 8 Under-the-Radar Costco Perks You’re Probably Missing Out On, by Kate Rockwood
18. Study Confirms What We Already Knew: Living Near Water Can Reduce Stress, by Kate Horowitz
19. 7 Mysterious People Without a Past, by Meg Van Huygen
20. 9 of the Most Isolated Towns on Earth, by Michele Debczak
21. Police Sketches of Literary Characters Based on Their Book Descriptions, by Andrew LaSane
22. Trash for Cash: An Oral History of Garbage Pail Kids, by Jake Rossen
23. 42 of the Least Popular Baby Names from 100 Years Ago, by Arika Okrent
24. 9 Movies That Were Supposed to Be Sequels to Other Movies, by Rudie Obias
25. How Starter Jackets Came Unraveled, by Jake Rossen
26. What is Imposter Syndrome, and What Can You Do About It?, by Jordan Rosenfeld
27. Why Is It ‘Eleven, Twelve’ Instead of ‘Oneteen, Twoteen’?, by Arika Okrent
28. How One Earthquake Erased an Empire and Changed the Course of Human History, by David W. Brown
29. Where Are They Now? The Key Players in The O.J. Simpson Trial, by Jennifer M. Wood
30. 9 Musicians Who Refused to Let “Weird Al” Yankovic Parody Their Songs, by Rudie Obias
31. The Photographer Who Captured America’s Dark Side, by Lucas Reilly
32. 15 Eerie Things About Japan’s Suicide Forest, by Kristy Puchko
33. These 10 Famous Songs Were All Written About the Same Woman, by Roger Cormier
34. Here’s One Way to Rid Your Facebook Feed of Fake News, by Michele Debczak
35. Her Name Was Skeeter: The Mystery of the Missing Muppet, by Jake Rossen
December 31, 2016 – 2:31pm