ERIK SASS is a freelance writer and editor holding a BA in history from Duke University and an MA in journalism from New York University. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Economic Standard. Since 2011 he has written a blog covering the causes of the First World War, as well as the events of the war itself, to commemorate the centennial of the conflict. He is also the author of The Mental Floss History of the United States and co-author of The Mental Floss History of the World.