Mental Floss

THE '80S

Chris Gentile

On the surface, it seemed like an impossible task. Take an $8800, NASA-approved interface glove running on $250,000 worth of computer hardware, then replicate the performance in a consumer-grade toy with parts costing less than $26.

Jake Rossen
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It's hard to imagine that a movie as well known and dissected as 'Ghostbusters' can show us anything new, but according to the film's production company, some previously unreleased footage from the original 1984 film has just been found.

Jason Serafino




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Tom Cruise admitted that the film was not a "crowning jewel" in his career, but—nearly 20 years later—it's still a beloved guilty pleasure.

Roger Cormier




Courtesy of Tim Finn // A Real American Book

Opening on May 22, 1985, 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' was a fantasy fever dream of jingoism, Sylvester Stallone’s titular character a monosyllabic redeemer of an America that had failed itself in Vietnam.

Jake Rossen








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For better and for worse, some movies are better about predicting the future than others. Nobody wants to eat Soylent Green, but we’re OK with most of these elements from other movies coming true.

Rebecca Pahle
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On September 13, 1986, Siskel and Ebert and the Movies (which was later renamed Siskel and Ebert At the Movies) made its television debut, and turned arguing about films into a national pastime.

Jennifer M Wood