39 Fun Museum Facts - mental_floss List Show Ep. 426

Facts about museums get hung up and put on display in this episode of The List Show. You'll learn fun facts about museums like the Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery of Art.
The List Show is a weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information. This week, John shares some little known facts about museums around the world!
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[@TeganX7]

I remember when I visited the National Gallery in London, and I wandered into one of the rooms, and looked up and saw "Viring of the Rocks" by DaVinci. I remember feeling actual goose bumps realizing that I was less than two feet from an actual DaVinci work, and there was no glass or other security. I felt humbled that you could be that close to a work like that, and it was simply trusted that you don't touch it, or do anything else but look and appreciate.

[@theldraspneumonoultramicro405]

i think the Vasa Museum in sweden deserves a spot here, its the only museum in the world that has a nearly perfectly preserved warship from early-mid 1600s, some 95-98% of the ship is original parts.

[@DaBoff99]

I love museums so much. The British Museum might be my favourite place in the world. Such great collections.

[@Kaneanite]

The Field Museum of Natural History not only has a nearly complete T. rex skeleton but they also have Emily Graslie, so whats not to love about it.

[@k8lynmae]

Kaneanite no they don’t. Dinosaurs never existed. A British museum guy invented them. So called dinosaur in museums bones are made in China and some are other animal bones

[@thejdnoland]

A few years ago I had the extreme pleasure of visiting the National Museum of the American Indian and it has since become one of my all-time favorites. I had been to the other D.C. Smithsonian museums multiple times on different trips but had somehow overlooked what is an incredibly moving museum. The history presented from the tribes from each of the different regions across the U.S. has had a tremendous impact on me ever since.

[@WonderfulAkari]

Restoring painting and artifacts is such a delicate task.

[@aperfect42]

The British Museum is just mindblowing

[@ScottJonesy]

Yeah, it's basically everything we stole from planet earth #sorrynotsorry

[@TrabberShir]

Not humans, brits Edit: I should note this was a reply to a comment that has since been deleted that said something along the lines of "London is on earth, so how did humans steal this from the earth"

[@patrickmccurry1563]

In other words, exactly like every other culture that ever existed.

[@pranamd1]

Just like you stole nutrients from your mother for nine months? #sorrynotsorry

[@mintzbuck]

Fun museum fact: The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan has both the chair Lincoln was shot in and the Lincoln Kennedy was shot in. And the Lincoln Reagan was shot in for bonus points.

[@jpr90]

It also has Thomas Edison's last breath in a glass tube.

[@vansaroukhanian1188]

best place ever

[@BlasphemousBill2023]

I love the Steam Engine’s and the Train at The Henry Ford. They do display some lovely cars too!:)

[@Fetidaf]

@@jpr90 there's a couple dozen of those floating around lol... Edison was weird

[@happyfacefries]

@@jpr90 wtf

[@nancyswass119]

John green, your presence on this show is reassuring.

[@kir-is-here]

(I'm very tired, so here are the thoughts/questions my sleep-deprived brain came up with while watching this video) 1. Are aquariums considered museums full of (mostly) living animals? 2. A lot of these are now on my bucket list! 3. How come only 3% of US museums are accredited? 4. I know you said "thank you for watching mental floss" at the end, but my brain heard "menopause". I have no idea why. If someone actually read this, thank you for reading these dumb notes haha

[@Master_Therion]

So, the person who made the fake Modigliani is innocent of criminal counterfeiting because... he was framed?

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

Haha

[@vampirica89]

Love the pun! but it's more likely because they had died in the 17th century, back when the frame was made.

[@vampirica89]

+Scattered Moon Shards Whoops, I'm definitely wrong unless they were time traveling. Seems like Modigliani died in early 20th century.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

@@vampirica89 you are correct! Sounded weird to me, too.

[@SaturnCanuck]

When you mentioned re-purposed museums you forgot the Imperial War Museum in London. The building was once called "Bedlam" -- an insane asylum. How fitting that a Museum about "war" was once as insane asylum, being as war is insane.

[@happyfacefries]

I don't think it's really insane... Barbaric maybe, but there's a purpose to it

[@atheryne]

I live in Missouri and the Nelson Atkins is great! There's a giant Buddha that's like 20 feet tall, and several huge shuttlecocks on the lawns outside.

[@PhyllisRogers]

City Museum in St. Louis, MO is amazing. It is comprised of repurposed, recycled, and reclaimed items turned into art and attractions. It has a school bus, airplane, giant slide, and ferris wheel on the roof.

[@giverofzerophux9051]

Their house is a museum... when people come to see them.... they really are a screa-um, the Adams Family

[@MetFanMac]

#30 is a major reason for why I am so contemptuous of modern art.

[@wiet111]

That voice of fire thing cost $1.8 million. I get why people are upset. I know art is subjective and all, but that seems like a colossal waste of money.

[@lethalwolf7455]

This video belongs in a MUSEUM!!!

[@shantim7740]

I love love museums. Some of my favourites are the British Musuem, Auckland War Memorial Musuem, The Ashmolean, and Melbourne Musuem!

[@sarahschouveller1993]

Sometimes when he says "thanks for watching Mental Floss video" it sounds like "thanks for watching menopause video"

[@Catherine3385]

Thought it was just me hearing that I actually replayed it to double check lol

[@That-Google-Guy]

Still true 3 + years later

[@ianswart3651]

No! Why!? Now I hear it every time

[@MissLilyputt]

I've seen a fee shows and documentaries about the Mutter Museum. I'd love to see it in person. It looks so fascinating.

[@MatthewSchooley94]

Here's a little fact for you: the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana has the Studebaker from the original Muppets movie. It's been part of their collection since they found it in a junkyard.

[@Trekkie_Gal]

My favorite museum is the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I like it so much that I've been a volunteer there for 9 years.

[@BrutticusForce]

wait, a man who turned to soap. Show me the way, internet

[@lonerChise]

Internet got your back! earthsky.org/human-world/soapman-man-buried-in-1800s-has-turned-to-soap

[@BrutticusForce]

thank you, internet

[@nataliesmith3952]

A woman also turned to soap too

[@BrutticusForce]

show me!

[@lonerChise]

internet still totalz got ya muttermuseum.org/exhibitions/the-soap-lady/

[@G_Rad_Ski]

Great video, I travel abroad to visit museums and find it to be one of the most rewarding (and cheap) experiences one can have while visiting different countries.

[@ChristopherJohnsonIsAwesome]

I love these videos. Every channel you're on makes KZbin a better place.

[@csims.22]

I was at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City. Really interesting paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from all different kinds of culture and generations. A replica of The Thinker is outside the building along with the many of the museum's almost trademark image, the shuttlecock. There's also a glass labyrinth on the premises!

[@rainbowkenz]

I used to live in an apartment with a view of the Nelson-Atkins. Mondays were admission for $1, and you could always wander through the gardens with their huge Moore sculpture collection for free. I miss that place.

[@realmenchangediapers]

The Israel museum in Jerusalem is amazing. Especially the archaeological department and the Dead Sea scrolls.

[@realspacemodels]

One of my favorite museums is The Art Institute of Chicago which displays 68 (1/12 scale) miniature rooms in their Thorn Room collection. The detail in these displays is amazing. www.artic.edu/aic/collections/thorne

[@raging.cardboard]

Omg, yes! I love that room, it blew my mind the first time I saw it. I love the Art Institute of Chi, in general. :)

[@LoveofChocolate18]

If possible, please do another Life Hacks Debunked Video!

[@gordonstewart8258]

Second only to libraries, museums are my favorite places. If you're ever in Leith Scotland, check out the lovely little museum of the local fishing industry across from the boat harbor and next to the old fish marker.

[@goodegiggles]

One of my favorite museums is the Pink Palace in Memphis TN because it has a Piggly Wiggly in it.

[@happyfacefries]

Lol

[@mistymornin104]

I love museums, this was soooo great!! I love the Philly art museum!

[@Fivehe]

thanks for watching menopause video

[@mikleman996]

the Egyptian Muuseum is awesome! lots of cool and interest things there.

[@kateakerboom7365]

My favorite museum is the Lower East Side Tenement Muesum in NYC!

[@notsosmall2830]

I loved it! I went there the day after doing Liberty Island and Ellis Island, so it felt like the next chapter of learning about immigrants in the States. It's also great how they explain what they know and how they know it, and what they can speculate based on what they know.

[@firstcynic92]

My favorite museum is the Chicago Art Institute. I've noticed that most art museums have really good food. Other museums food are usually not much better than school cafeterias.

[@TechCristina]

I'm a science nut, so any science museum is great...love the Museum of Science in Boston and the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.

[@whispernaut]

The Mutter museum in PA is my favorite museum!

[@NathansWargames]

I live in Oxford the Ashmolean is a great Museum :)

[@samwoodhouse1139]

I love the Field Museum in Chicago

[@AFKei]

So... Was the unfinished project at the Metropolitan was gonna be a Mutant of Ark?

[@MichaelZelenak11212]

+MadeofAwesome4ever nice

[@happypasta6]

But only calibrary cuff paula deen is allowed in

[@WickedWonder1979]

Children's Museum in Indianapolis. Even though I have not been a kid since before the turn of the century. It's so fun!

[@rachaelwatson2867]

It wasn't just during the war that valuable paintings are sent to Wales. There's a huge old salt mine there and in the hollowed out tunnels of the salt mine, which are miles long, there are archives of so many important works of art and manuscripts including Shakespeare's original works. The salt walls help to regulate temperature and humidity making it the perfect place to store valuables

[@SmartK8]

Don't forget the famous Kitsch Museum of Mental Floss.

[@DestBassoonist]

I remember one installation at the Tate Modern last summer--"Tiny Deaths" by Bill Viola--that was so freaky that it triggered a panic attack in my (then 28-year-old) sister. Every other museum we visited in London was great! I'd still say that the Holocaust Museum in D.C. is my favorite, though; my university wind ensemble performed at the Kennedy Center this spring, and the morning of the performance I ventured on my own to the museum. Incredible.

[@14goldforcanada]

Appart from art museums and such my favourite would have to be the Vasa Museum.

[@remittri]

Wow made me realise how many museums are in London. I have so much time and they are so close I don't know why I don't go!

[@abbyroadme]

Banksy did do that for real. The British Museum realized it was fake and gave it back to Banksy. Then Banksy had an art show not too long after and displayed it. Though he put a sign next to it that said "On loan from The British Museum."

[@Yshtola.]

art is amazing

[@MrDavid7769]

Favorite by far is the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. Deftly chronicles the history of flight.

[@megtully6425]

MONA in Tasmania, Australia, completely privately owned & run - and also completely awesome

[@swirlyswirl8369]

I'm torn between the IMA, the Henry Ford museum, and the museum of science and industry in Chicago

[@JorWat25]

I was going to complain about your pronunciation of 'Tussauds', but it turns out it's pronounced differently in the UK and the US (UK says it like 'two swords')

[@PinkChucky15]

I LOVE museums! The Met is definitely my favorite so far :-)

[@tweetthang96]

The British Museum is amazing and I really regret having to go through it so fast. I missed a lot. But I /did/ see the Elgin Marbles (the Parthenon marbles) live and in person. Massive pieces that my art history book didn't do justice to. And the Rosetta Stone. Also got to go to the Victoria and Albert (an even shorter trip as my group had to catch our bus back to the Midlands where we were staying) and the Natural History museum (which I saw in its entirety!). Next trip, totally want to see more museums and spend more time in the British Museum because it's truly amazing, full of stuff.

[@frankhooper7871]

My Nan grew up near the British Museum and used to play there on rainy days. The V&A is my absolute favourite.

[@vickymc9695]

yay! you mentioned my home town. Aberystwyth's National Library of Wales is where the paintings were taken two. :-D we still have bomb shelters for artwork and books of national importance.

[@deborahmckinney1770]

My favorite museum the American Museum of Natural History, NYC

[@MeredithWhitfield]

The Cooper-Hewitt in New York is truly incredible. I also love (and volunteer at!) the Folger Shakespeare Library in DC, where we have a bracelet made of Edwin Booth (John Wilkes's brother)'s hair! And the National Museum of Health & Medicine just outside DC, in Silver Spring, has some very freaky-creepy objects and will teach you a lot about the history of medicine, especially in wartime. YAY MUSEUMS!

[@travischapman6763]

The Vatican has a pretty stellar museum. Much more than just religious artifacts.

[@ScottJonesy]

What about the London Science Museum!!! Also maybe you should have mentioned that all of London's museums are free - as art and history should be free to all (kinda like education and health care ;) )

[@happyfacefries]

I have always been fascinated about US presidents since I can remember anything and when I was 3-4, my family lived in Colorado Springs. In that area, there was a wax museum of the presidents. I barely remember it but I remember that we went several times and I thought it was so cool. When I was a teenager, my family was back in that area to visit a relative and were going to visit the museum. We were super bummed that it had closed. The Hollywood wax museum was also really cool. We got to see it on one of its last days open.

[@LauraFindlay]

Fun 2016 update on that Barnett Newman painting acquired by the National Gallery of Canada. Estimates put it worth over $40 million USD today.

[@muckapucka7712]

MONA in Tasmania would be up there in terms of interesting museums. The museum exhibits are as fascinating as the story behind the museums inception. Not for the weak, prude or narrow minded! MONA hosts a festival each winter where the annual nude solstice swim attracts hundreds of people each year. Plus it's in Tassie, hands down one of the most beautiful places in Australia to visit!

[@ordinaryyoutubechannel582]

Employees FACE charges for breaking a mask.

[@happyfacefries]

Boo

[@Pratchettgaiman]

I'm a big fan of the Portland Art Museum

[@charlietuba]

You should have mentioned two of my favorites: the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, and the Museum of Making Music. The Schulz Museum has a reproduction of Schulz's office. The MMoM has a theremin that you can play.

[@CeeBeeTee80]

I love the Cloisters. My 6 year old is partial to the childrens museum of the upstate.

[@alexgrigas1696]

The Barnes Foundation is amazing

[@PegasusPablo]

Please, bring misconceptions back!

[@Lokitty719]

the "The voice of fire" is one expensive stripe

[@glknight1813]

I think it might be time for a new installment for Weird Museums, I believe. I also want to open a museum for comic history exclusively. Just scores upon scores of comic books, panels, sequences, photos and so on, both Western and Eastern. And workshops on comic creation from professionals and whatnot.

[@dallasdobson8831]

John Green is awesome

[@SomeBritishGal1]

Science Museum, London. Really good and very interesting.

[@shiasan101]

I've been to Intuit for a class project about a year ago. It's really neat but I wish it was bigger than two galleries.

[@karendobrowolski2219]

I have just discovered your channel and think it's great! I'll be subscribing for more interesting tidbits.

[@NotElarie]

Wales doesn't only have sheep how dare you !!!!! We also have cows, goats and horses

[@Emily-sc7hz]

I think my favorite two museums are the international spy museum in DC and the British Museum

[@ImCrossingYouInStyle]

I work at the Edinburgh Gallery of Modern Art and have never heard about the fake Modigliani. I'm asking my boss asap if I can see it, it's definitley not on display rn, but it does exist!

[@alpinechick53]

Good thing I live in DC and a five minute walk from the national gallery and american indian museum!

[@NoFancyTitlesNeeded]

The Smithsonian Air & Space museum is and awesome museum.

[@andresrinki]

The National Museum of Colombia, the biggest one in the country, used to be a panopticon prison. Just throwing that fact there.

[@CrystalWilliamsoncoach]

I went down the slide at the NEW MUSEUM also!!

[@cyrilio]

You totally forgot about the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It's the only museum where you can cycle through it on your bike! Crazy right?

[@latenighter1965]

Hey, John, question. I am making etched glassware, and would like to send you an etched mug with "Mental Floss" on it. Where would I send it? And would you have it on your mantle?

[@fresa2you]

the toilet seat museum in San Antonio is pretty cool.

[@Crasho327]

Philadelphia has some interesting museums. There's the Mütter Museum which shows medical oddities as well as the Franklin Institute that is largely dedicated to science and technology. It has a really large beating human heart that people can walk through. I also like the Intrepid Museum in New York's harbor since it's a repurposed aircraft carrier.

[@rgescalona6368]

Brand new not art at all, but the Mob museum in Las Vegas is so interesting.

[@radagastwiz]

When you got to relocating art for WWII, I was hoping we'd hear about how the Rijksmuseum had Rembrandt's 'Night Watch' (a gigantic 12' tall piece) rolled up and hidden in a mine tunnel in Limburg. Also, those closing Kardashian bits are from Meredith, right? That's got Meredith all over it...

[@msKita43]

love

[@joe4490]

Another awesome fact - all museums in the UK have been free to enter since 1997!

[@notsosmall2830]

Well not all museums, there's a significant number that aren't free.

[@jpalongo]

joe4490 you're maybe thinking of Scotland. Just about all museums are free in Scotland because Andrew Carnegie left a large portion of his money to the country's museum trust in his will. Museums in England are particularly expensive.

[@joe4490]

Nope. I'm thinking of England too. I should correct myself to all publicly funded museums in the UK. Private museums, and some exhibits at public museums, are indeed NOT automatically free.

[@dwrose68]

Fire pit aside, the food variety and quality at the Museum of the Native American in DC is a best kept secret in touring the National Mall.

[@hannahbillings2364]

Tbh a lot of Canadians are still mad about the strip painting

[@seanisawesome000]

My favourite museum is the royal Ontario museum because it's the closest one to me.

[@Vanilla0729]

If you are such a fan, visit the National Mueseum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio. Simply amazing.

[@koolnomi95]

The Ulster Museum in Belfast has the original stone on which the High Kings of Ireland were crowned on

[@AnnBearForFreedom]

I obviously need more coffee. In your closing remarks...."Thanks for watching MentalFloss..." I heard "Thanks for watching menopause." Yep, need more coffee.

[@BayviewFinch]

Surprised nothing came up regarding the Vancouver Art Gallery. There are original Emily Carr paintings there. She documented aboriginal villages that have been disappearing ever since the arrival of the Europeans.

[@lauraashleythomson3067]

My favorites are the Museum of Science and Industry and the Chicago Art Institute (I'm a bit biased to my home city)

[@alphabeticalsoup8789]

With the Elgin Marbles a.k.a. the Parthenon Marbles, it makes most sense for them to remain in the UK, primarily because Lord Elgin did use the internationally recognised standard for the transfer of property - i.e. saying 'yoink' when taking them. Some scholars go through deep and important debates over cultural worth, safety of the exhibits, rights and history (which I make no comment on) but the legal requirements seem to have been met.