100 Interesting Facts We Learned in 2020

Interesting facts about science, math, and much more comprise this episode of The List Show. You’ll learn fun 2020 facts about archeological discoveries and the world of entertainment. You'll glean insights from cutting-edge research in a number of fields as Erin (@erincmccarthy) lays out 100 interesting facts we learned this year.
Glowing newts and gene-manipulating scientists will want to watch. You’ll learn more than you wanted to know about cow poop and less than you wanted to know about life on Mars. This 2020 rewind focuses on the steps human beings continue to take in advancing our understanding of the world around us.
In case you forgot, The List Show is a trivia-tastic, fact-filled show for curious people. Subscribe here for new List Show episodes the first and third Wednesday of each month: / @mentalfloss
Website: www.mentalfloss.com
Twitter: / mental_floss
Facebook: / mentalflossmagazine

[@MentalFloss]

If you prefer your facts a couple thousands years old, check out our episode of Misconceptions about the Roman Empire: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3yQl5isiN9kobs

[@philliprogers964]

Another fun fact... we have broken the natural cycle of the earth (ice ages every 10s of thousands years). Now we are in the uncharted waters of global warming

[@timkunits3426]

FACT: I stopped watching this due to how annoying your attempt at humor was.

[@timkunits3426]

@@philliprogers964 What global warning & based on what science. Humans only started recording weather globally for about 140yrs. 1 says the hottest yr globally was 1922. Another 2016. Another 2019. 1 claims 1983 to be the coldest yr. 1 claim predates that while others claim after. Another disagrees with all of them. Depends on what graph you decide to go by i guess. Fear is a powerful thing when it works so well on a populace.

[@kristinarobinson5277]

We had a Welsh corgi that we adopted from the humane society in 2002, we were told that he was apx 2 to 3 years old at that time, he lived until 2019, he was such a good boy

[@pvtpain66k]

"Cache me outside, I'm a belligerent wolverine" I don't need more bad tattoo ideas, thanks.

[@Digitalhunny]

Maybe have Robin hood shooting an arrow at a target with the word mom on it? That sounds like a horrible tattoo idea, nobody needs! But, here ya go. 🤣🤣🤣

[@alphatrion6362]

☝️ no. Just no.

[@mannytrada6864]

And who are you?

[@TheOfficialTarynTots]

I just love to devour random facts! Most of these I didn't know. Thank U, now Im off to annoy my friends with the new info.

[@quantumkitsune5661]

I was *not* expecting the first entry to be about penguin droppings.

[@MentalFloss]

*Nobody* expects the first entry to be about penguin droppings!

[@MalachiTheBowlingGod]

@@MentalFloss *Nobody* expects the Spanish Inquisition!

[@phosphorus4]

Well, what DID you expect?……

[@michellewightman1380]

First time stumbling upon your channel. You have an absolute beautiful voice. However can you please have your editors slow down the speed in which you guys flash That list 100 between facts just a little bit, as I understand why it is fast to begin with. It began to trigger my seizures so I had to turn away and just listen ....

[@no1bengalfan]

@@michellewightman1380 you can adjust the speed in all videos by going to the gear symbol and adjusting it slower than normal, or even faster than normal. but in your case, you don't want to go faster, but try the slower settings.

[@user-ix3yt2rx7s]

to say a black hole is slightly terrifying is a huuge understatement

[@genewaddlerandomstuff2122]

I always enjoy these videos and for some reason the intro always makes me feel good. Thanks for sharing these. 🙂

[@hawkin939]

You said "Nevada" correctly and with such force, I can tell you practiced it. Thank you! It made my heart grow three sizes!

[@michaelluna6854]

Nuhvaaaaduh

[@camarossdriver]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[@katelynkotowski1401]

People say it wrong?

[@hawkin939]

@@katelynkotowski1401 they pronounce it "Nevawda"

[@laceawho3530]

I think people pronounce it wrong when they're pronouncing it the actual Spanish way. People from Nevada insist on pronouncing it in a way that is actually wrong.

[@QSqsQSqsQS]

Why exactly did it take to 2020 to figure out cows have corn in their dookie? All you have to do is go to a farm and look down. The evidence is everywhere.

[@TheSamknu]

Scientific discovery.

[@randomsandra4039]

Quinn?

[@EMdemo]

Pretzel is my pet's name. She's a floooof of the Chow variety

[@Cherri_Stars]

That's SO CUTE! Excellent naming choice

[@MentalFloss]

@@Cherri_Stars +1 to Pretzel! Although I am sucker for basically any dog named after food.

[@BioniclesaurKing4t2]

If the historical weapons episode includes the hwacha's rocket-propelled arrows, mention that the Mythbusters made a working one.

[@The_Horse-leafs_Cabbage]

I was about to take a sip of coffee when you started talking about penguin poop and laughing gas. lol, I think I'll wait for that image to clear from my head, before I take another sip

[@cherylcampbell9369]

Did you hear about civet poop coffee?

[@lezorford7155]

As long as you wait until after breakfast to take that sip 😉☕️

[@lilolebob]

#98 The way she over annunciated Arizona as Arizonia makes me think I'm missing a reference or joke. Enough poop facts that I thought you need to do a crossover with Minute Earth.

[@darknight1220]

Arizo-ñya is my new fave state

[@kirstieKABOOM]

Really felt your husband's offence to the neck tattoo idea 😂

[@LuisHuangSF]

Yup

[@joelbrown3479]

BRILLIANT 😎 Bronx Love guyz

[@jackalopejane2021]

Thnx for entertaining and educating. Will probably watch this a number of times to be entertained during low times👌😻

[@MentalFloss]

Aw, thanks for watching/commenting!

[@ninogaggi]

My dog is called Molly, she’s a wee puppy, so cute. My cat is called Murphy, he’s an old boy, rescue, vet thinks he’s around 12-13. My goldfish is called Xenaaarf the usurper; destroyer of worlds and eater of souls, he’s 3.

[@CritterKeeper01]

Cat Mary, named when I also had a papillon named Pippin. :-) Current papillon came with the name Mickey, which I always give as "Mickey, like the mouse" because otherwise half the time people hear Nicky or other variations. When I volunteered in the Wildlife Medical Clinic in vet school, we had a beaver named Sigourney and geese named Lucy, Duck Duck, Spruce, Silly, etc. ;-)

[@Gutterrat69]

Me in Washington: yay we have wolverines again! Me 5 seconds later: Oh my god we have killer hornets 😦

[@JamesKing-lw1xp]

The perfect random facts list video!!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️. Thank you!

[@BGPhilbin]

Our last pet was a doxie-pin - part Dachshund, part Doberman Pinscher - named Mr. Bingley (my daughters named him). He looked like someone took a muscular Doberman and shrunk him down to a little less than a third his normal size. Super cute, because his Dachshund features made him particularly expressive (but also made him a kind of control freak, which required constant vigilance and *lots* of excercise).

[@lethalwolf7455]

You are so entertaining, I love your vids

[@camillastacey4674]

Loving the fact that Matt Berry is one of the 100

[@MentalFloss]

The list was originally "100 reasons to love Matt Berry," but we talked Erin out of it.

[@mattyt1961]

@@MentalFloss why would you talk her out of it??? :(

[@Observer31]

@@MentalFloss ... but I don't even understand the fact. I'm sure it's funny, but to me it was merely baffling.

[@k2lar]

@@Observer31 Same. Baffling is a really good word for it.

[@Observer31]

@@k2lar thank you. It felt like I was reading a badly written sentence in an instruction manual. "To clean the filter, reach into the forward then push will void warranty".

[@cindystrachan8566]

I believe the farting corgis in “The BFG” are the reason why they are so popular.

[@louisejohnson6767]

When I was younger I had low blood pressure. My doctor recommended black salted licorice.

[@Cherri_Stars]

Amazing video, I learned so much! And since we're sharing, my puppy's name is Phineas

[@MentalFloss]

Extra points for Phineas-in-your-avatar!

[@kaimanat8553]

Levi Opala Barkowski (Shih Tzu/Lhasa Apso mix) - We got him from a rescue program. He was, they thought, 12-14yrs old when we adopted him a year ago. He's blind in one eye and 30% blind in the other. There's major hearing loss and all but 3 of his teeth had to be pulled. Animal Control found him in an alley huddled betw trash cans dying, emaciated and barely responding. His middle name Opala,, rubbish in Hawaiian, is because of where they found him. It's very hard to find forever homes for older animals so please consider it when you go to adopt. Many die in shelters.

[@DracoGem]

Some of these facts aren’t aging too well right now!

[@iamorangehat]

Thanks for the info! My day is much brighter now!

[@missheadbanger]

I love black licorice, I wouldn't eat it all the time though. I love licorice allsorts, Tiger Tiger ice cream and black jelly beans.

[@Olive-oilien]

The titanic joke landed. Nicely done

[@joewilson3393]

I had heard the rotten peanut butter thing before. I did some digging and found that technically it dosent really "Rot", it goes rancid. The difference is in the butters fat content and lack of oxygen.

[@alphatrion6362]

Yeah but isnt rancid basically rot? My point is both are bad! I don’t want to eat rot or rancid anything! I guess im wondering what the difference really is. If something is rancid is it still edible (even if it tastes bad?). Is rancid just a different kind of rot? So kany questions and im too lazy to bing it... hmmm... yeah im thinking rancid and rot are basically two sides of the same coin...

[@hannahadams5059]

not me at 1:00 wondering what the hell a ‘woof’ puppy is

[@RwingDsquad]

Now I know all the things.

[@MentalFloss]

Our work here is done.

[@AmberWool]

I've known cows crap whole corn for most of my 56 years. Since they are ruminants, they cannot digest whole corn. Almost all of the corn they're fed has been ground. It's the stray whole kernel that goes through all four stomachs and comes out the other end.

[@Astro_Owl]

Some of the weapons Leonardo Da Vinci designed were pretty weird. One of them was a horse-drawn cart with spinning sythes attached.

[@pokemonfanthings4444]

Who else got excited by the mini-moon only to be disappointed by its departure?

[@MDNphil]

Twin hook blades are my fave historical weapon but I also like the kusari gama from Japan

[@JohnWilsonComicsGuy]

My dog's name is Tesla. When he was little, we thought he was brilliant. Now, the name is just ironic.

[@donwarbacon7516]

Lol same. I named him einstien but he peeked early. Not so smart now

[@kjsauser3300]

I've been wanting to name a dog Tesla for the longest time!!!! love it still!!!!

[@lethalwolf7455]

My favorite host!

[@jimmysgameclips]

Can we also give it to Matt Berry for making absolutely killer music

[@peggywoods4327]

Fah-ther!

[@leumas75]

Irish Wolfhound: Mulligan; Standard Poodle: Ellie; Maltese: Milo. 175, 48, 7 lbs, respectively.

[@allisonbergh4429]

Irish wolfhounds are the very best dogs!

[@leumas75]

@@allisonbergh4429 Indeed. My Mulligan agrees.

[@langolier9]

Cash me outside I’m a belligerent wolverine is my funniest reference joke of the year I mean favorite I mean all of the glove

[@disposablebasterd]

The popcorn thing explains why the book for my new microwave form amazon suggested a subscription to microwave popcorn

[@kayisfish]

I love everything Titanic! (Long before the movie lol) so this info was so cool!

[@backpacker3421]

Can't wait until they develop Top Ramen Spectroscopy. That stuff will be amazing!

[@pimpyourbrain260]

Great Video 💪

[@Digitalhunny]

That's why penguins don't care about the cold.... they're fricking high as a kite! 😂😂 No pain, no gain? 🤣🤣

[@celeraviceroy7718]

Historical weapons? I hope you're able to include something about the invention of the high heel being the companion of the invention of the stirrup. These combine to be great for horse mounted combat and archery.

[@likenem]

If you fail at making peanut butter beer you know what rotten peanut butter smells like

[@questerjonesiv1484]

I'm not going to lie, she had me at Penguin pooh.

[@MentalFloss]

The *very* alternative ending to Jerry Maguire.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

I found the mammoth bone circle the most amazing

[@avikofacts4017]

The love your video and work

[@summerlewis2971]

You are SOOOOOO articulate!

[@gigamaster001]

Please do the Lantern Shield! That thing is insane!!

[@joylox]

I wonder if the one about coffee is related to why my pharmacist told me to take my stimulant medication after breakfast. I've also heard that some people with ADHD self-medicate with coffee, but I never found it did much to me, other than make me slightly tired.

[@nate2396]

Woah u said St cloud Minnesota that's extremely close to me like 40 miles away. 👍😋

[@Observer31]

Cool historical weapon? The Goedendag, of course. Also, thank you for not murdering your husband.

[@progsea]

Omg that's so cool!

[@fredflintstoner596]

Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view !" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam. " Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?"

[@anythingyoucando1546]

Cool update.

[@bigkevonbass]

The roboglove. You just know a few years from now some dude will be in hospital after trying to self pleasure whilst wearing said glove....

[@terrafirma5327]

I am probably one of the few people who learned about Mental Floss from Flipboard before the KZbin channel. Which, I didn't go looking for, it just showed up in suggested lol

[@MentalFloss]

Welcome, and thanks for making the jump over here!

[@terrafirma5327]

@@MentalFloss Glad I found it, its good info and good conversation.

[@facelessfigure7985]

i'm sorry for laughing at Antonie van Leeuwenhoek's description of a sperm being an 'earth nut'

[@jameshowlett1546]

Thanks for fighting for the (bad) jokes you believe in!

[@adamalma2945]

Your jokes are fire. Lol

[@alphatrion6362]

Im addicted to this kind of learning lol! I love trivia tid bits and this reminds me of my Big john bathroom books. Anyway ✌️ ❤️ 😷

[@TheOfficialTarynTots]

As far as historical weapons I have a mace I keep in my bedroom but I wouldn't mind a morning star. They can scare off intruders and are great at smashing fruit like Gallagher.

[@waynemarvin5661]

Gallagher is not a fruit.

[@TheOfficialTarynTots]

@@waynemarvin5661 😁

[@nato7.62mm4]

Climate change can also be blamed for the disappearance of unicorns...

[@rosefong65]

Pet's names: Pups and Clover the doggos; Bella, Popcorn, Dusty, and Falcor the danger noodles; Leo, Two Dots, Three Dots, and Lil Guy the lizards; Dave the Spade Toad; and I think my husband and I ran out of energy when we got around to naming the trio of frogs.

[@VideoGamePhilosopher]

I still think it’s caused by fairies! Their magic just looks like fusion.

[@TheSamknu]

Murder hornet error: they do not feed the bodies of the decapitated bees to their young. They feed on the young of the decapitated.

[@damenwhelan3236]

The wolf fact. Currently also leans towards a learned behavior.

[@gracie_cat]

In 2020, I got my first dog.. his name is Ludo

[@freethemindame848]

Time to get some sensitive areas tattooed, I am sure I can find someone to mix up the perfect shade of cream 😎 😂

[@brandons3765]

Umm farmers knew long ago that cows will not digest whole kernels of corn, thats why we grind it first

[@jamesvitera3404]

"Honestly? Same" Same what ? O.o

[@godnoble]

You gotta include the yo-yo as a historical weapon.

[@elijah-jamesmac2039]

Not my pet, but my parents have this little white Lhasa Apso (long hair tiny dog) and her name is swiffer, it’s too cute

[@fuggetaboutit90]

My pet's names are Mumford and Rowdy :)

[@Libratarot]

Rosie (pit mix). RIP Kracker (yellow lab mix) and, sister cats Missy Fern and Butterfly Punisher

[@darknight1220]

39:29 Arizo-ñya >:3c

[@happyfacefries]

Lol

[@papastalin69]

*snorts penguin guano* wooooooo!

[@MentalFloss]

That's not how-.... It's too late.

[@katherinelynch4193]

I have two dogs, their names are Dudley and Bobo, and I love them so much! Happy holidays Erin, offscreen-voice-married-to-Erin, and the whole Mental Floss crew!

[@frankunderbush]

17:37 68F? come on writers...we don't do freedom units in the civilized world

[@DeliveryMcGee]

Weird historical weapons? Gotta include Greek fire, the precursor to napalm, and the 16" Mark 7 guns on the Iowa-class battleships -- the armor-piercing shell was 2700 pounds, most of it solid steel (IIRC the bursting charge to turn it to splinters once it was inside the enemy ship was ~45lb). Basically throwing cars at rifle velocities.

[@I_am_Irisarc]

The licorice death was not caused by licorice candy. There is a different kind of licorice made in Sweden that is very salty. No reason to stop with the black licorice candy!

[@pyrotheevilplatypus]

@36:20 - wait...this is NEWS? I've been told this since I was 6/7. I ADORE licorice root and will eat it to the point of making myself ill, and older relatives have always warned me about how it would screw up my heart. (I usually take a break from eating it when the muscle twitches start up because of potassium deficiency).

[@stocktonjoans]

Alexa, Is it legal to own king penguin's as pets in the UK?

[@fancydarlin1]

My yorkie was named Shake Ya Laffytaffy, or just Taffy for short 💜

[@NathanAsh]

where can buy the little calendar with facts :(

[@mjouwbuis]

The seeking nature effect might also be due to vitamin D deficiency. Even if sunlight won't help that much in the winter. Now we're on the subject: I learned in 2020 that vitamin D is very beneficial in reducing occurance and severity of upper airway infections. Both the regular flu and Covid. We should all be taking it during fall, winter and early spring.

[@LizzyMarieTina]

My cats' names are Barney, Midnight, and Shadow. I also claim a chihuahua named Simba. He is my BF's dog.

[@DeckerBlueray]

Evaine in homage to Neil Gaimen's Stardust. She has a white "star" on her chest.

[@AmericanTreeElf]

My dog Is named Hannibal Asher Vladimir- the Anointed Cherub. The other is Cambian Phinrey-Terroristic Warrior Bringer of the Abyss.

[@deltatango6793]

My doggy is named Dallas :)

[@bigchillandlilchill4536]

My Jack Russell is name Spirit O'Joy.

[@ironchefcheezsteak]

I watched the whole thing so I shall share my Cats names Beefeater J Whiskerton & Sazerac Metrion Zinthos

[@UniqueornBacon]

Azerath?*

[@ironchefcheezsteak]

@@UniqueornBacon nope Sazerac cause all my cats are named after alcohol

[@lauranemeth8184]

Pets names: Aurora (Golden retriever) Midnight (Bombay cat) Ming Yue (Mackerel tabby cat) Spike (Albino blizzard corn snake) Joker and Harley (mated Mocha Da Vinci clown fish pair)

[@nickkwasak]

It's appropriate that the host is wearing a cow shirt. It took me a little while to realize that she wasn't actually livestock.

[@waynemarvin5661]

So you judge people by how they look, rather than what they say? That's cute. Do you plan to grow up anytime soon?

[@nickkwasak]

@@waynemarvin5661 ur mom gay

[@nebulan]

Bucket. She's a good tortie.