Paul Anthony Jones
- Indexed articles, last 90 days
- 54
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
- Outlet visibility, for Mental Floss
- Top 50K sites
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 4, 2026
Latest articles
5 Words for Pirates (And Why They’re Not Actually All The Same) (opens the original)
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Picture a pirate in your head, and chances are you’ll imagine a surly looking man with a black skull-and-crossbones hat, eyepatch, wooden leg, a parrot perched on his shoulder, and a cutlass or flintlock pistol in hand. Much of that stereotype comes from the long-lasting popularity of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel Treasure Island (and its innumerable big-screen adaptations), which have established the gruff captain Long John Silver as the archetypal pirate. But what about a buccaneer? Or a
8 School Supplies Children Used in Medieval Times (opens the original)
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Formal schooling in medieval times was typically reserved only for the children of the very wealthiest families, who were often trained by private tutors or at home, or else those who were being lined up to join the church; for that reason, most schools were typically joined to or associated with religious establishments, like cathedrals and monasteries. Although municipal schools existed in the Middle Ages, they too were often organized around a fairly religious education. The vast majority of
8 School Rules Victorian Children Had to Follow (opens the original)
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In the early Victorian era, typically only the children of richer families could be afforded an education, often from a private tutor or governess in the comfort of their home. Children of poorer families, on the other hand, were expected to work and play their part in supporting the home from an early age, and as a result wouldn’t receive much in the way of any formal education. The introduction of so-called “ragged” schools in the 1840s—charitable organizations that offered free school lessons
The Shocking 2007 Magazine Story Behind Robert Pattinson's 'Primetime' (opens the original)
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Directed by documentarian Lance Oppenheim in his feature narrative debut, A24’s latest movie Primetime tells a behind-the-scenes story from the controversial 2000s Dateline reality series To Catch a Predator, which ran on NBC for three years, from 2004 to 2007. An Oscar-primed Robert Pattinson stars as the show’s Emmy-winning news-journalist-turned-presenter Chris Hansen, alongside a supporting cast including Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers. Hansen, across a total of twenty ep
The Gross “Witch Cake” Salem Residents Surprisingly Used to Detect Witchcraft (opens the original)
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Back in a time when people lived in genuine fear of malevolent witchcraft, those given responsibility for finding and prosecuting supposed witches concocted all manner of bizarre methods and tests for ascertaining whether or not someone was truly guilty. Accused witches might be physically examined for revealing bodily signs, like oddly shaped birthmarks, moles, or extra nipples. A “touch test” involved the witch being forced to touch their supposed victim, as doing so was believed to stop the w
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