In 2001 , Mental Floss started as a small print magazine meant to make readers feel smart again . In the two decades since then , the magazine has shed its strong-arm form ( with the elision of asurprise special editionin 2019 ) and become a digital - only issue with a slew of societal media handles to match . While our mission to school and toy with the curious masses has n’t changed , thing look a little dissimilar today than they used to . From our first official photographic print cover version to our first YouTube telecasting , here ’s a virtual scrapbook of Mental Floss ’s memorable first dance step .
2000
1. The Campus Issue
In Spring 2000 , Mental Floss debut at Duke University with the Campus Issue . Three thousand copies were distributed . We ca n’t show you the cover , because it ’s made wholly of Mental Floss Encarta images , but we can tell you that it feature an Easter Island nous and James Brown , with coverlines like " Giant Heads Galore : What ’s the Deal with Easter Island ? " and " What the blue funk ? ! instruct to apprehend James Brown . " Inside were stories about beetle , conspiracy theories , and Russian story , among other very Flossy topics .
2001
2. First Newsstand Cover
What better way to get out your eye in the magazine gangway than with an image ofAlbert Einstein , tongue out ? Hopefully readers learned enough from our “ Stock Market Crash Course ” to weather the worst of 2008 ’s real stock food market crash . And while the existence has n’t yet reached world peace , computing equipment made of DNA have late shown promise — in 2019 , onelearnedhow to calculate satisfying roots .
2002
3. First Website Homepage
Mental Flosscontinuedas a photographic print publication through 2016 , but we introduced the website back in 2002 . The original design resembles a file folder , which could now probably go onthis listof thing we no longer see in office staff . As for that multiple choice question , theanswerisC.
2006
4. First Digital Article
In 2006 , the Mental Floss website was relaunched on a unexampled content management arrangement — the same one we use today . Which means that articles from 2006 look similar to late ones ( though today ’s floor have fewer random characters and grainy images ) . The very first piece , “ Cartesian Freakonomics , ” is all about how René Descartes ’s attraction to cross - eyed women help form his philosophy about loose will .
2008
5. First Facebook Post
Mental Floss entered the social medium arena in 2008 with a Facebookpostfeaturing a late cover of the mark magazine . The covering star ? Albert Einstein , of course . ( No lingua , though . ) For more on the now - defunct Golden Lobe Awards , hereare some notable winners .
2009
6. First Tweet
Ten month later , Mental Floss landed onTwitter , too . Albert Einstein was nowhere in good deal , but Jonathan La Rosa was . Big thanks , Jonathan !
2012
7. First Instagram Post
More than 50 years after the first Rice - A - Roni producthit shelvesin San Francisco , Mental Floss deem it a desirable subject for an inaugural Instagrampost . If we had to guess which Instagram filter was used for this picture , we ’d credibly say “ Vignette”—a Greco-Roman , just like Rice - A - Roni .
2013
8. First YouTube Video
In March 2013 , Mental Floss kickstarted a YouTube channel with the firstepisodeof “ The List Show ” hosted byJohn Green — yes , New York Timesbestselling source ofThe Fault In Our Stars , Paper Towns , and many other novels John Green . The issue was “ Common Misconceptions , ” which turn out popular enough to subsequently merit its own YouTube spinoff series : “ Misconceptions , ” which is currently hosted by Justin Dodd .
