Mental Floss

THE '80S

George Michael, Bono, Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Howard Jones, Bob Geldof and other musicians gather on stage for the finale of the Live Aid concert at London's Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985.

While 1984 was iconic, 1985 was an even bigger year for pop culture: New Coke, 'Back to the Future,' WrestleMania, Live Aid, Calvin & Hobbes, the first .com domain ... it all happened.

Chris Higgins






It is true that some of these things can still be found, either old and faded on eBay or earnestly reproduced on specialty sites like The Vermont Country Store. But these products and deserve more; they have timeless appeal that would suit our 21st centur

Therese Oneill




Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly in Back to the Future (1985).

'Back to the Future' may be a classic movie today, but the script was originally rejected more than 40 times. Here are some other things you might not know about Marty, Doc, and Doc's pet chimpanzee

Jason English


YouTube

Plenty of grown-up former Nickelodeon viewers remember the network as the home of such programs as Clarissa Explains It All, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Rugrats, and SpongeBob SquarePants, the channel has a rich history of interesting programming that

Kate Erbland


Erin McCarthy

While most people associate the concept of trading cards with sports and their most famous players—even non-baseball fans are dimly aware of the value of a “mint” card of a legendary slugger—the cardboard treatment isn’t just reserved for major league end

Kate Erbland


Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as Crockett and Tubbs in the TV detective series Miami Vice, circa 1988.

On September 28, 1984, 'Miami Vice' made its premiere on NBC, and a new kind of cop show was born. The series also kickstarted the careers of dozens of soon-to-be stars.

Jennifer M Wood


YouTube / Computer Chronicles

Our definition of portability has changed over the years, from 1975's IBM 5100 (what we used to call a "luggable" computer) all the way to today's ultrabooks, which are finally actually "notebook" sized -- and still have halfway decent battery life.

Chris Higgins




TheOverlookHotel.com

The version of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining that most of us have seen ends with two iconic images: Jack Torrance frozen in the snow, and a long shot through the lobby of the Overlook Hotel to a photo dated July 4, 1921, in which the doomed caretaker some

Erin McCarthy


Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Don't say, "I don't know." Since making its debut on 'You Can't Do That on Television,' Nickelodeon’s green slime has become an icon of pop culture.

Matt Soniak

The specter of an extended work stoppage means we don’t know exactly when we’ll get to watch pro football again. We’re not experts on the lockout, but we thought this might be a good time to fill you in on the details of the NFL’s last major labor crisis

Ethan Trex