Mental Floss

POP CULTURE

The affable actor takes a Zen approach to his career, alternating smaller parts with event films like the 'John Wick' and 'Matrix' franchises. He also may have married Winona Ryder by accident.

Jake Rossen, Todd Gilchrist
Drew Angerer, Getty Images

What began as a single store that sold jeans and records ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar fashion brand with more than 3500 stores in 43 countries.

Garin Pirnia








Jimmy Stewart in Alfred Hitchock's Rear Window (1954).

Alfred Hitchcock taught us all the dangers of spying on your neighbors with his 1954 thriller 'Rear Window'.

Kristin Hunt




Roddy Piper stars in They Live (1988).

John Carpenter’s masterpiece about a man who sees the world for what it really is with the help of a pair of sunglasses is one of greatest cult films of the '80s—and features one of the greatest movie lines of all time.

Matthew Jackson




Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Mark Twain is widely considered the author of the first great American novel—'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'—but his rollicking tales aren’t the only legacy he left behind.

Emily Petsko
Chris Jackson, Getty Images

The popular puzzle game grew out of a childhood activity played by inventor Leslie Scott and her brother.

Jake Rossen




Claire Danes and Jared Leto star in My So-Called Life (1994).

On August 25, 1994, teenagers across the country were introduced to Angela Chase, Claire Danes's character in the beloved, albeit short-lived, teen drama 'My So-Called Life.'

Rudie Obias




Amazon

The Pet Rock was the brainchild of copywriter Gary Dahl, who thought America needed a laugh during the largely humorless post-Vietnam and Watergate era.

Jake Rossen
EvgeniiAnd/iStock via Getty Images

In the United States, children who leave a newly lost tooth under their pillow know to expect a nocturnal visit from the Tooth Fairy, who might leave a shiny quarter, a new toothbrush, or perhaps even a crisp $20 bill!

Garrett Williams
Joan Weldon and James Arness star in Them! (1954).

Find out about the real-world nuclear fears and trailblazing creature effects that went into this “big bug” blockbuster.

Mark Mancini