Mental Floss

TV

TV ads love to pit products against one another.

In the 1970s and 1980s, television was full of commercials featuring unsuspecting consumers discovering their preferred brand of peanut butter or coffee was hot garbage.

Jake Rossen
Rich Fury/Getty Images

From his start in 'Roots' to his decades-long role hosting Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton has spent years inspiring and educating legions of fans of all ages.

Lana Schwartz




BrAt_PiKaChU/iStock via Getty Images; MTV Networks, Public Domain // Wikimedia Commons

Although MTV has more recently become synonymous with reality TV and cheap clip shows, there was a time when the network truly did live up to its name. And it all began at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981.

Jon O'Brien


Justin Willman, who performs magic for humans.

'Magic for Humans' host Justin Willman has dazzled audiences on stage, on Netflix, and on Zoom during the pandemic. But learning to be a magician with two broken arms may have been his greatest trick of all.

Jake Rossen


Jean Smart stars in Hacks.

Ever since she played the sweet but sharp-tongued Charlene Frazier on 'Designing Women,' Jean Smart’s fans have been waiting for the rest of the world to realize just how terrific she is.

April Snellings




Did your favorite Bob make the cut?

You may know Bob to be a rather unremarkable name, but these individuals—and one haircut—have done some amazing things.

Jake Rossen












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