Mental Floss: List Show

From strange roadside attractions to wonderfully weird museums, the United States is full of interesting sights that don't always show up in guidebooks. In this episode of The List Show, guest host Justin Dodd takes an off-kilter roadtrip through the United States, with stops at a self-flushing latrine, a bobblehead museum, and much more.

Sex Fruit, Robocop, Nutella... all real names people have tried to name their babies. Luckily (or, unfortunately, depending on your opinion) governments around the world have stepped in to prevent these absurd baby names, along with many others. Which do you think is the most outrageous monicker?

Explosions. Gun silencers. Chloroform. All very exciting cinematic tools, but none of them really act the way they do in movies. Today, we're going to break down some of the most egregious lies that movies have taught us over the years.

There are weird facts, facts that are hard to believe, and then there are facts so strange all you can do is say, "huh?" In this episode full of odd facts, you'll learn about Russian space porn and CIA-bankrolled animated films.

Some sources say that being "saved the bell" was originally a reference to people prematurely declared dead. Or that "dead ringers" were once people prematurely declared dead. Or that wakes were designed to ... you know what? Let's just say there are a lot of erroneous stories related to people being prematurely declared dead. In this episode of The List Show, Erin debunks popular (but incorrect) origin stories for popular expressions, from "bring home the bacon" to "raining cats and dogs."

Mermaids, Vampires, and Leprechauns are some of the most widely known mythical creatures, but where did these legendary beings come from?

Silly Putty, bug spray, and Cheetos. Would you ever have guessed this eclectic group of objects all owe a debt to the US Military? Today, we're giving you 9 little-known examples of inventions whose origins are with the military.

The best dish from each state would be impossible to say. Determining favorite food in each state would be nearly as difficult. But we can say that 50 dishes featured in this episode of The List Show have strong fandoms in their respective states. Regional foods of the USA teach us something about history, culture, and deliciousness.

Secret societies inspire equal parts suspicion and envy. Are these shadowy organizations controlling the world behind closed doors, or whiling away the hours with playing cards and silly rituals? In this episode of The List Show, host Erin McCarthy looks at the real, verifiable facts behind some secret (and not-so-secret) organizations, from the Illuminati to the Bohemian Club.

The stories behind these famous inventions are (almost) as incredible as the inventions themselves. From the X-ray to the Super Soaker, we're covering 13 amazing inventions and the stories of their creation.

Famous photographs like the Migrant Mother and Elvis meeting Nixon tell stories without words. Sometimes, though, those stories can be misleading or incomplete. In this episode of The List Show, Erin McCarthy shares the real stories behind some famous photos. She explains why Albert Einstein was snapped sticking his tongue out and how Princess Diana ended up cutting a rug with John Travolta.

Gen X has many names. The Latchkey Generation. The Twentynothings. The MTV Generation. But in many ways, they remain a mysterious group, sandwiched between Boomers and Millennials (which get a lot more societal focus). Let's see what Generation X is really about.

Dial-up modems, a cacophony of digital bleeps and bloops that is ingrained in many of our brains. But would a member of Gen Z even recognize it? How about AOL Instant Messenger? Or a rotary phone? Today on The List Show, we're telling the history of 7 sounds that kids today have probably never heard. I mean, when was the last time YOU used a mechanical typewriter?

Did you know that rats... can't vomit? Or that there's roughly 500 million pounds of hair across the world? Or how about Michael J. Fox's middle name REALLY stands for? Those are just three of 100 WEIRD facts about the world we're going to be sharing today. No theme, just strange facts that will make you go "Huh..." Let's get weird, shall we?

Why call someone a jerk when you can call them a shabaroon? Why use rascal when you can use rapscallion? In today's episode, we're breaking out our favorite old-timey insults that we should definitely start using again.

Which famous singer went out with the foreboding phrase "I'm losing"? And who followed up a rendition of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot with a beautiful promise to her family? On today's episode of the List Show, we're covering some of our favorite "last words" of famous people from history, from John Adams to James Brown.

Vampires, werewolves, killer clowns, America is full of some wild and sometimes disturbing urban legends. In this episode, Erin explains 50 urban legends from all across the United States.

An exploding corpse, a mid-funeral car chase, An exploding corpse, a 45-minute car chase, and a horse-related mishap that lead to a century-long royal tradition. On this episode of The List Show, host Justin Dodd covers funerals gone wrong. Like, really wrong.

The Kentucky Meat Shower? The Great Molasses Flood? What is going on in the world?? On today's episode of The List Show, we're covering some of the strangest disasters from history. Golfballs raining from the sky, fruit juice flooding the streets... who knew the apocalypse would be so... silly?

A nepo baby, or nepotism baby, is a famous or notable figure descended from another famous person or affluent family of some kind. In this episode of List Show, host Erin McCarthy lists 18 nepo babies from history, from Charlie Chaplin to Pericles.

Condoms, 3D movies, the name Tiffany ... All of these things have been around a lot longer than you might think. On today's episode of The List Show, we're breaking down our favorite deceptively old things, from synchronized swimming to Juicy Fruit.

Lightning crotch. Yes, lightning crotch. That's a real thing pregnant people experience, and it's about as bad as you're probably imagining. The record number of babies birthed at one time, the oldest person to give birth, and so much more on today's episode of The List Show, all about pregnancy.