Mental Floss

POP CULTURE

Dr. Demento makes a live appearance in Los Angeles in 2014.

Radio personality Dr. Demento spent four decades curating weird novelty songs for an enraptured audience—including a young "Weird" Al Yankovic.

Jake Rossen






L to R: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, and Ellie Kemper star in Bridesmaids (2011).

In 2011, 'Bridesmaids' silenced chauvinists who believed that men had the monopoly on laughs and spearheaded a wave of female-fronted comedies. It also turned Melissa McCarthy into a bankable leading lady.

Jon O'Brien






Apple once tried to take a bite out of the video gaming market.

Plenty of consumer brands have abandoned their core market to try something new. Sometimes it works, and sometimes you wind up with Bic pantyhose.

Jake Rossen








Pictured: The 1980s.

In the 1980s, shopping malls across America hosted everything from video game demonstrations to fans screaming for Patrick Duffy.

Jake Rossen




In March 2021, digital artist Beeple sold a JPG of Everydays: The First 5000 Days for a record-setting $69.3 million.

There are three kinds of people in the world: those who know what an NFT is, those who don't, and those who don't care.

Jason Tselentis