Will Pearson - Mental Floss Presents Know It All

mental_floss: The Book

Edited by
Ethan Trex,
Will Pearson,
and Mangesh Hattikudur

HARPER

NEW YORK LONDON TORONTO SYDNEY

I have a confession to make: mental_floss is not the first media start-up Ive been involved in. Back when I was 9, my friends and I had a genius idea for a very different publication. It was called Dogs of My Neighborhood! As youve probably guessed, the magazine contained hilarious cartoons and exciting reporting on the neighborhoods most lovable mutts. The facts are a little hazy, but I think the staff spent one or two long bus rides talking about how many quarters the business would generate. Then we devoted an entire afternoon to writing, drawing, and stapling loose leaf sheets together. It was grueling work, but we believed in the product. Sadly, Dogs of My Neighborhood! was a commercial failure. And like many of the dogs it had once so joyously covered, it was mercifully put to sleep.

Luckily, my second stint in the media business has been more successful. As the very official 10 Outstanding Years seal on the front of this book indicates, mental_floss turns ten this year. In many ways, this collection is a celebration of that milestone. But instead of boring you with the full story of how a pair of college friends started a knowledge magazine and website (you can find that stuff online!), or why you should read this book (its great!), I thought we could instead use this space to cover how we kept this media property around for a decade. And in the spirit of this book, Im presenting the information in list form. Here are:

Dont Poke a Sleeping Big-Foot Believer

mental_floss isnt intended to offend. We try to have fun without being political or mean-spirited. So, when the magazine featured an article on Ray Wallace and his famous Big Foot hoax (in 1958, Wallace strapped 16-inch paddles to his shoes, stomped around some mud fields, then let people discover the giant footprints), we didnt expect a backlash. Instead, the hate mail poured in. Apparently, a society of Big Foot Believers had discovered our article, and in their outrage, started a campaign to get mental_floss to retract the statement. While we never wrote an apology, we also never spoke ill of Big Foot again. This is a good rule for any media start-up (especially those made up of scrawny wimps). But, just to be clear, Big Foot isnt the only creature on our do not offend list. Other no-nos include: the Loch Ness monster, the Brontosaurus, Leprechauns, and Voldemort. Yetis and unicorns were taken off the list in late 2006.

Be Careful with the New York Times

I dont mean plagiarism or stealing story ideas, though if you intend to run a publication, you should avoid that too. I mean, be careful where you physically place the paper! Back when mental_floss had an office in Birmingham, we also had a tiny, adorable office puppy named Bailey. At the time, we were trying to impress the local press, and before one particular reporter came by, we left marked-up newspapers and magazines strewn all over the conference table. Then, after we met for a while, we went to lunch. But during that break, the puppy whod been newspaper-trained couldnt find a place to go, so he used his 3-foot vertical to leap onto the table and squat over the front page of the nations most prestigious paper. Thankfully, we got to the mess before the reporter did. But since the pup wasnt going anywhere, and the guests werent going to stop dropping by, we instituted a newspaper rulenamely, dont leave them in hopping distance!

Dont Try to Outsmart Google Employees

When Will and I were invited to visit Google headquarters in California, we decided to have some fun with the event. Before the talk, we handed out the Worlds Geekiest Crossword puzzle, where all the answers came from constructed languages: Klingon, Elvish, Esperanto, etc. Since we didnt really expect anyone to know these languages off the top of his head, we offered elaborate prizes to anyone who filled out the puzzle correctly. When a slew of people approached us, waving completed puzzles in their hands, we knew wed made a mistake. If youre going to lay down the gauntlet at Google, make sure you cap the prizes you dont want to be bankrupted by a generous giveaway.

Surround Yourself with Wonderful People

For all the joking, this is the real secret to success. My business partner Will Pearson astounds me with his talents every day. Our company lucked into the kindest investors and some of the best mentors two 20-year-old kids could have ever asked for. And the amount of talent thats come through mental_floss is remarkable. Just scan the contributors to this book, and youll find bestselling authors, editors at top blogs and magazines, and a few names of people who arent famous yet, but soon will be. And the talent weve managed to hold on to is pretty extraordinary as well. Id like to thank Jason English for curating such a rich and addictive website, Winslow Taft for always performing under such horrible deadlines (my fault!), Mike Rogalski for his lightning-speed layout, and Ethan Trex, who did the heros work in assembling the content of this book. You make my job easy.

Happy reading,
Mangesh Hattikudur

Thomas Jefferson sometimes greeted dignitaries while wearing his PJs. On one such occasion, British minister to the United States Andrew Merry was on the receiving end of Jeffersons casual attire. He was not happy about it, writing,

I, in my official costume, found myself at the hour of reception he had himself appointed, introduced to a man as president of the United States, not merely in an undress, but ACTUALLY STANDING IN SLIPPERS DOWN TO THE HEELS, and both pantaloons, coat and under-clothes indicative of utter slovenliness and indifference to appearances, and in a state of negligence actually studied.

Although the Revolutionary War was long over by the time James Monroe took his post, he insisted on dressing as if the war was still raging outside the White House. That means britches, a buffcoat, a powdered wig, and a cocked hat. It was outdated and a little bit odd.