The Jonestown cult had a youth basketball team that was away at a tournament when the group engaged in a massive ritual suicide.

Why do people join cults?

This quick TED video dives into some of the social psychology behind membership in radical cults, including famous ones where members took their own lives.

A psychedelic hamburger led one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, to testify against the group's leader.

A family's yearslong poisoning

Over 14 years, a southern Indian family slowly lost six members, several of whom were found foaming at their mouths. Upon the third death, a post-mortem examination was requested, revealing cyanide had been ingested, though it was ruled as self-inflicted. Several will edits and three deaths later, relatives turned a critical eye toward Joliyamma "Jolly" Joseph, who had married into the family and been present at each death.

The American missionary and the uncontacted tribe

When a 26-year-old American missionary set out for a lush island in the Indian Ocean last year, it was with one objective in mind: to convert the uncontacted Sentinelese tribe, who had lived for centuries in isolation, free from modern technology, disease, and religion. John Chau's mission had ambitions for a great awakening, but what awaited instead was tragedy.

The Takaro Lodge, a therapeutic New Zealand community turned wellness cult

Founded by Slovenian "energy" healer Aiping Wang, the lodge members were promised spiritual growth, healing, and even radical gifts like flight and foresight. Things turned dark as the group embraced extreme beliefs and practices.

The Punch: Tomjanovich and Washington both still feel the pain from that terrible moment

In the NBA of the 1970s, cocaine use was prevalent and fights were a regular occurrence. On one early December in 1977, a fight broke out between the Lakers and the Rockets. Read this gripping LA Times story from 1985 that recounts a near-fatal punch thrown by Laker forward Kermit Washington and the devastating consequences paid by Houston Rocket forward Rudy Tomjanovich.

A murdered pastor had a penchant for life insurance fraud

In 1977, Robert Burns went to a funeral and shot the pastor, the Rev. Willie Maxwell, in the head in front of 300 people. Burns did this due to accusations Maxwell had murdered several people—including his wife—to collect their life insurance. Listen to the incredible story of a high-profile murder and life insurance fraud case with this podcast.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent a summer training with monks in central China to train his body and mind.

Rick James and Neil Young both played in a band that was signed to Motown

The Mynah Birds were a short-lived Canadian rock group active before either artist's career took off. In 1966, the band signed to Motown Records and released a single. That same year, they were dropped by the label after it was revealed that James had settled down in Canada to avoid US military service.

The US first hosted the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that lives in soccer infamy for its poor planning and the game that led to the murder of Colombian player Andres Escobar, who had accidentally scored on his own net.

In 1957, a vice president at JPMorgan became an outspoken evangelist for psychedelic mushrooms

R. Gordon Wasson wrote "Seeking the Magic Mushroom" for Life magazine in 1957. It was a groundbreaking piece of journalism that introduced mainstream society to psychedelic mushrooms. He retired from JPMorgan in 1963 and continued researching and writing about psychedelic experiences for the rest of his life.

The tragic history of 'the 27 Club'

Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide followed an eerie pattern in rock 'n' roll history: Several of the music's brightest stars' lives end at the age of 27. That group includes Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Amy Winehouse. This exploration of the phenomenon delves into the eerie and tragic circumstances that continue to shape its relevance.

Steve Jobs mandated that a legendary book on yoga be distributed at his memorial service

The iconic entrepreneur died in 2011, but before he did, he planned the details for his memorial service. One of the instructions was to leave attendees with a parting gift: a brown box that contained Paramahansa Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of a Yogi,” a book he read as a teenager and then returned to annually.

The strange story behind President Jimmy Carter's brother's 'Billy Beer'

During Carter's 1976 presidential campaign, his brother, Billy Carter, became a sideshow attraction as a country bumpkin. The Louisville-based Falls City Brewing Company decided to capitalize on the attention and hired Carter has a brand ambassador to promote his own "Billy Beer." What followed was a strange, suspicious bit of guerilla marketing and hucksterism, all of it documented in this Mental Floss retrospective.

The first US Olympic basketball team was made up of amateurs from company teams

In 1936, the first year the Olympics featured basketball, the US squad featured players from two companies: an oil refinery in Kansas and Universal Pictures in Hollywood.

The Maya played a ballgame that symbolized the conflict between good and evil

Played on I-shaped courts across Mesoamerica, the Maya ballgame was a ritualized sport tied to cosmic struggle. Contrary to popular belief, the game did not involve mass sacrifice or basketball-style scoring.

Inside entrepreneur Bryan Johnson's race to live forever

Created by entrepreneur Bryan Johnson in 2022, the Rejuvenation Olympics asks participants to find ways, including exercise and dietary supplements, to slow their biological aging. But some of these tactics are extreme in cost or nature—such as Johnson's regular injections of blood from his teenage son.

A 13-year-old was declared brain-dead yet went through puberty on a ventilator

This podcast details Jahi McMath's highly controversial case. She was declared brain-dead in 2013 following surgical complications, but her family, citing religious beliefs, kept her connected to a ventilator for the five years that followed. She continued to grow and went through puberty before being issued a second death certificate in New Jersey.

Virtually experience a euthanasia roller coaster

In 2010, Lithuanian artist Julijonas Urbonas came up with a fictional euthanasia coaster to generate conversation about humanely ending life. His idea involved using extreme G-forces on a roller coaster, aiming to give participants feelings of euphoria before death. In reality, the ride would probably be extremely unpleasant.

Browse a pamphlet warning parents about the dangers of 'Dungeons & Dragons'

Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons was a nonprofit dedicated to counteracting what it considered the "Witchcraft Suicide Violence" of the fantasy roleplaying game. It includes a list of recent teenage suicides, arguing that they all had "one common denominator: ALL WERE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS."

The World Football League, the most disastrous sports league ever

In the mid-1970s, a group of investors attempted to compete with the dominant National Football League. This short video highlights the league's intriguing innovations and speedy downfall. The investors dubbed their project the World Football...

The ‘Bullshit Bombers’ of the Vietnam War and their mountain ghost

Armed with marketing insight and leaflets, these US soldiers tried to use propaganda to get the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese military to abandon their weapons and leave the war. But what’s more effective than a leaflet’s promise of a decent cup of coffee amid bombing? Ghostly threats from the great beyond. Learn more about weaponized superstition in this 42-minute podcast episode.

The tragic story of tennis upstart Monica Seles

At just 17, Monica Seles reached the top of the WTA, becoming the youngest player to do so at the time. She was expected to have a long career, but shortly after she turned 19, a deranged fan stabbed her in the back in the middle of a match. This Cult Tennis video explores the motivation of the fan who stabbed her, how he got away with it, and the impact on the rankings.

Peloton, 'And Just Like That …,' and Chris Noth: all about Mr. Big's Peloton death and the following ad

In the "Sex and the City" spin-off "And Just Like That …", Mr. Big—played by Chris Noth—dies after having a heart attack after a Peloton class. In real life, the Peloton team had not been informed of the plot point. Peloton worked quickly to create an ad starring Noth in just two days in an attempt to get ahead of the story. But very soon after, Noth received public sexual assault allegations, leading to Peloton pulling the ad.

Chris Lighty represented some of New York's biggest rappers

Lighty founded Violator—a record label and management firm—in 1996 and went on to represent Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, 50 Cent and others. In 2012, he was found dead on the patio of his apartment. The death was ruled a suicide, though many close to Lighty believed otherwise.

The tragic story of Jim Peters

At the 1954 Commonwealth Games, Jim Peters, then one of England's best marathoners, was just steps away from victory. He then fell to the ground and staggered about for 11 minutes until medical services took him out of the race. He'd entered the stadium 17 minutes ahead of the pack, but ultimately never finished. It was the last race of his career.

Jackson’s ‘The Lottery’ inspired a trove of angry letters to The New Yorker

The writer’s short story “The Lottery” is widely taught in American schools and with good reason—it’s a masterful and horrifying story about the dangers of blind tradition. After its initial publication in The New Yorker, 150 readers wrote letters calling the story “outrageous,” “gruesome,” and “utterly pointless.” Listen to a reading of the story below and a discussion of why it provoked such outraged responses.

Punk band Devo formed after witnessing the Kent State shootings

Band members Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh were students at the Ohio university when the National Guard shot and killed student protestors. Casale said that the experience led them to pursue the project, which was a satirical critique of mindless consumerism and conformity.

The inside story of the 1969 murder of coal union leader Jock Yablonski

In 1969, Jock Yablonski challenged the longtime president of the United Mine Workers, Tony Boyle. On New Year's Eve of that year, Yablonski, his wife, and their daughter were brutally murdered in their beds.

A movie helped make JFK assassination conspiracies widespread

Oliver Stone's film "JFK" (1991) imagined the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy as the result of a conspiracy by US government agents. Before the film, this belief was not common, but it became widely adopted afterward. The film's impact contributed to the release of major CIA files in subsequent decades. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

The failed attempt to assassinate an English king and blow up Parliament

This article and gallery detail the Gunpower Plot, a religiously motivated assassination attempt to blow up English King James I, his heir, and other nobles. Late on Nov. 4, 1605, as the clock chimed toward Nov. 5, guards patrolling the Palace of...

Trader Joe's hired a college student to advise on health food lingo

The grocer jumped into the 1970s health food movement by selling granola, fresh juice, nuts, and raw milk. Joe Coulombe, the company’s founder and namesake, hired “a young hippie woman” from the University of California at Santa Cruz to teach employees the language of the health food movement to properly label their products.

Two festival-goers were hospitalized after receiving peptide injections, raising questions

Investigative journalism shop ProPublica wrote about two people who became extremely ill following antiaging peptide injections. Authorities were examining whether the individuals were sickened by an infection, contamination related to the injections, or an issue with the medication itself, according to documents obtained by the journalists at ProPublica.

The Beat Generation inspired significant parts of 1960s counterculture

The Beat Generation championed the transformative power of psychedelics, rebelled against the post-war social order, and called for more radical politics. With a strong foothold in San Francisco, it's no surprise these themes were carried over to the city's 1960s counterculture, informing the larger national hippie movement.

In 1988, Basquiat died from a heroin overdose

Basquiat’s fame took a toll on the young artist. He felt pigeonholed and caricatured as a Black artist. He used heroin to cope with the pressure, but his addiction grew worse after the death of his mentor, Andy Warhol. He overdosed in 1988, after attempts to get clean.

Ibogaine, a psychedelic substance, can be used to treat mental illness

Although the substance is banned in the US, it's legal in Mexico. Americans who have traveled there for treatment, including the NFL's Braden Smith, say the drug helps deal with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A poignant account of what happened on Flight 93

Todd Beamer was a religious family man. Mark Bingham was gay, a PR executive and a keen sportsman. The story of Flight 93 shows how these two very different men became heroes of America.

During the first Biosphere 2 mission, crew members lost 16% of their body weight

Food and oxygen shortages drove the “Biospherians” to split into two factions—one seeking to bring in outside resources and another aiming to maintain isolation for the experiment’s integrity. Psychological stress was exacerbated further by the increasing prevalence of insect pests.

'Blackout challenge' can cause brain damage or death in under 5 minutes

A social media trend that encourages viewers to asphyxiate themselves until they lose consciousness in the hopes of feeling "high" or euphoric has garnered the interest of teens and adolescents, with dangerous results. Variations of this deadly challenge have been adolescent trends every few years.

The sordid soirées of the Olympic Village

The Olympic Village brings together some of the world's most physically fit young people for two weeks. That leads to lots of romantic connections, as this firsthand account from a few who have been there attests. The degree of connection at some Games in recent decades has required the village's medical facility to distribute more than 100,000 prophylactics.

'Twenty-One' producers presented fabricated narratives as reality

Producers of “Twenty-One,” which featured two contestants competing from separate isolation booths, knew the quiz show format could use storytelling in the same way that any fictional program could. They found a perfect narrative in the matchup between Charles Van Doren, an all-American Columbia University instructor, and Herb Stempel, an arrogant Queens native. Stempel intentionally lost the game, pretending not to know the answer to a question about his favorite movie, “Marty.”

'The Big Lebowski' slowly spawned a cult following—and a religion

When it was released in 1998, the Coen brothers' film didn't garner overwhelming critical praise or generate impressive ticket sales. Over time, though, it's become one of the defining cult movies, with midnight showings where audience members dress as Jeff Bridges' "Dude" and drink White Russians. It's even spawned its own religion: dudeism.

Unitarian Frank Lloyd Wright made Unity Temple to honor his own faith

In 1905, a Unitarian church in Frank Lloyd Wright's town was struck by lightning and destroyed. Wright, a Unitarian himself, was commissioned to build the replacement and constructed a simple yet radical concrete sanctuary known as Unity Temple.

Toasting was likely inspired by libation ceremonies

The practice, common in many Indigenous communities, involved people honoring the deceased by pouring out water, which seeps into the Earth in their honor. Although it didn’t necessarily include alcohol, the practice mirrors many modern toasts, which sometimes pay tribute to loved ones who have died. Libation ceremonies are still practiced today by those seeking to connect with the ancient tradition.

Teenager Guy Gabaldon captured the most prisoners in US military history

After the vicious battle of Saipan outside Japan in World War II, the Japanese were opting for suicide rather than surrender. Gabaldon, a Marine with a track record for skillfully convincing the enemy to surrender, managed to capture 800 Japanese single-handedly.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon.

The "Balloon Boy" event received coverage from news outlets, and a search began after his parents claimed he was trapped inside his balloon. Later that day, the boy emerged from his attic where he had been hiding the whole time. His parents were later accused of orchestrating a hoax.

The story of Olympian Ryan Wedding's rise and fall as drug kingpin

After a disappointing finish representing Canada in the slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics, Wedding turned to growing cannabis and selling cocaine. After serving prison time, he upped his game and came to control major drug routes in North America, finding himself on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. He was captured in Mexico City in January 2026.

67 US high school athletes died from exertional heatstroke between 1982 and 2022

Many of those deaths were from football specifically, where student athletes play in hot conditions while wearing heavy protective gear. Few states mandate heat guidelines for school athletes, and this article says that's of increasing concern with more high heat index days.

Quincy Jones' 'Big Band Bossa Nova' helped introduce bossa nova to the US

Released a few months after Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd's "Jazz Samba," Jones' 1962 album similarly exposed American audiences to bossa nova. The record's first song, "Soul Bossa Nova," which Jones said only took him 20 minutes to compose, would later become the theme music for the "Austin Powers" movie trilogy.

Hughes lived in the Soviet Union in the 1930s

Hughes grew interested in the Soviet Union and radical politics in the early 1930s after the Communist Party of the United States defended the Scottsboro Boys, nine Black teenagers wrongly accused and convicted of raping two white women. In 1932, he lived there while working on a film that ultimately fizzled out, and returned home. In 1937, he planned to lead a tour of the country, as advertised below, but canceled it when a newspaper offered him a position reporting from the Spanish Civil War.