Mental Floss

POP CULTURE





Leonard Cohen in London in June 1974.

In the 35 years since its release, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" has been covered by more than 300 artists in a variety of genres and become a staple of TV singing shows. Not bad for a song that Cohen's own record label hated.

Kenneth Partridge


Warner Bros. Pictures/Getty Images

In 1997, an episode of the 'Pokémon' animated series used a strobe-light effect during a battle sequence. Hundreds of viewers in Japan suffered seizures and other symptoms. More than two decades later, no one is exactly sure why.

Jake Rossen








Joe Haupt, Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0

Every holiday season, Hess rolls out a new collectible Hess truck. Take a look at some of the rarest and most valuable Hess truck models that might be idling in your storage area.

Jake Rossen


American ornithologist James Bond, circa 1974.

On January 4, 1900, a child was born in Philadelphia. His name was Bond. James Bond. He would grow up to become an ornithologist, and lived a fairly quiet, normal life—until someone borrowed his name.

Matt Soniak


Disney

After an agonizing two-week wait, Disney has finally released official merchandise featuring Baby Yoda from 'The Mandalorian.' And while everyone seems to love Baby Yoda, not all fans are happy with the selection.

Michele Debczak






Kyle MacLachlan stars in David Lynch's Dune (1984).

After several different filmmakers tried (and failed) to adapt Frank Herbert's 'Dune' for the big screen, the movie finally arrived via David Lynch, a then up-and-coming filmmaker who’d never been tested on a film of that size and scope.

Matthew Jackson