Mental Floss

CELEBRITIES

Run-DMC pictured in 1987.

It took a little convincing, but in 1987—fresh off their smash hit album 'Raising Hell'—Run-DMC agreed to record a holiday song for the star-studded charity album 'A Very Special Christmas.' And a Christmas classic was born.

Kenneth Partridge


Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex leave following their wedding ceremony in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.

From England to Japan, royal family members have been upending tradition and risking it all to be with the people they love for decades.

Kaeli Conforti




George Clooney and Brad Pitt star in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (2001).

In 2001, newly minted Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh gathered up some of the biggest names in Hollywood and pulled off a heist movie for the ages.

Jon O'Brien


Keanu Reeves moments after discovering he will never be able to remove Babes in Toyland from YouTube.

In 1986, Keanu Reeves starred in a three-hour made-for-television adaptation of the operetta 'Babes in Toyland.' One critic declared he "looked understandably embarrassed each time he is required to join in another dreary song."

Jake Rossen
Madonna in 2016.

Madonna has been an innovator in music for four decades and counting, but doesn't mean she still doesn't get called for jury duty.

Jake Rossen




Jerry Springer tapes an episode of his show in December 1998.

From Wendy Williams’s “Dula Peep” coinage to a guest’s death on ‘The Dick Cavett Show,’ here are the talk show incidents we’ll never stop talking about.

Ellen Gutoskey




Daniel Craig stars in No Time to Die (2021).

Six decades, 25 films, six actors, and billions of dollars in box office later, and we're still talking about James Bond, his literary legacy, and his big screen adventures.

Matthew Jackson
Joshua Tree National Park.

Only two hours outside Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park has always had a glamorous cachet. But it also has a fascinating history filled with Hollywood-style drama.

Mac Carey






Jim Morrison and his The Doors band mates—Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, and Robby Krieger—pose for their first album cover in 1967.

Jim Morrison was the self-styled Lizard King, a leather-pants-loving rock deity who fronted the Doors and represented the dark and druggy flipside of the utopian ’60s dream.

Kenneth Partridge


Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Since making his acting debut in 1977, Denzel Washington has appeared in more than 50 movies, where he has awed audiences and garnered critical acclaim by delivering one powerful performance after the next. But there’s much more to the man than his movies

Kristy Puchko