100 Interesting Facts We Learned in 2020

This year proved, once again, that discoveries in science, history, and virtually every other sphere simply never stop—not even during a pandemic.

On the latest episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy counts down (or up, rather) an epic list of 100 fascinating things we learned in 2020. Don’t worry, it’s not all about zoonotic diseases and the efficacy of face masks.

We recently found out, for example, that Bob Odenkirk almost nabbed the role of The Office’s Michael Scott; and Paul Rudd was in the running for Jim Halpert. And as for those centuries-old rumors that Renaissance painter Raphael died of syphilis? A new study explained why they’re probably just rumors. 2020 also gave us dazzling, high-resolution photos of the sun, the truth about a massive fossil egg previously known as “The Thing,” and intriguing details about Britain’s most infamous 19th-century shipwreck.

Press play below for our fact-filled year in review.

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