Mental Floss

POP CULTURE

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Gucci

Acclaimed actor Tom Hiddleston is best known for his role as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but some people say his best performance is as a horse.

Jake Rossen




Pop Rocks caused an explosion of controversy.

Pop Rocks—General Foods' famously carbonated candy—flew off shelves in the 1970s, but rumors of exploding children brought the food fad to an untimely end.

Jake Rossen












Nora Ephron arrives at a screening of Julie & Julia in Westwood, California, in 2009.

If romantic comedies are synonymous with anyone, it’s writer/director Nora Ephron. Her landmark movies, including 'When Harry Met Sally...' and 'Sleepless in Seattle,' are widely credited with saving the rom-com genre.

Lana Schwartz


Kiefer Sutherland stars as Jack Bauer in 24.

With its unique real-time concept and nonstop action, '24' reinvented Kiefer Sutherland as an action star—and something of a serial killer.

Scott Beggs






Gallery Books via Amazon

'Flowers in the Attic,' V.C. Andrews's debut novel, was a Gothic gateway for many a young romance reader. And the numerous reviews that deemed the incestuous plot scandalous and shocking only enticed readers more.

Stacy Conradt