Mental Floss

LISTS

Janelle Monáe performs at the State Theatre in Minneapolis in 2018.

In music, there are artists, original artists, and then there’s Janelle Monáe. Since breaking out a decade ago with her debut album, 2010's 'The ArchAndroid,' Monáe has been unstoppable.

Mimi Kenny








Alvin Langdon Coburn, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

With innovative techniques and a palette of dazzling colors, French artist Henri Matisse revolutionized modern art in the first half of the 20th century.

Carla Delgado
Venesection on male patient by Cintio d'Amato, 1671

From curing rabies with raw veal to using a red-hot poker to prevent nosebleeds, these treatments of old will make you especially thankful for science and modern medicine.

Meredith Danko








Steve Martin is The Jerk (1979).

Comedy generates an immediate, undeniable audience response. If people are smiling and laughing, then there's a good chance you made an effective funny movie.

Matthew Jackson
William Zabka and Ralph Macchio reunite in Cobra Kai.

'Cobra Kai'—the continuation of 'The Karate Kid' saga starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka—has been a hit for Netflix, but it wasn't the first time Ralph Macchio heard a Daniel LaRusso reboot pitch.

Jake Rossen




Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra in The Witcher (2019).

'The Witcher'—the Netflix series based on Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy book series, which spawned a popular video game franchise—became an immediate pop culture phenomenon when it debuted in December 2019.

Scott Beggs




Tilda Swinton in Pedro Almodóvar's The Human Voice (2020).

Few actors can automatically make a movie better quite like Tilda Swinton. Whether it’s a lead role or a supporting performance, the Oscar winner knows how to leave an impression.

Mimi Kenny