90 Facts about the 90s - mental_floss - List Show (Ep. 236)

The nineties: a time of flannel, network TV success, and dial-up Internet. The 1990s also gave us 90 facts about the 90s for this episode of The List Show. Whether you call it the nineties, 90s, '90s or 9ties, you'll learn a lot (OK, please don't call it the 9ties).
A weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information. This week, John looks at 90 facts about the 1990s. As if!
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[@fiverthefabulist]

The 90s nostalgia has been popping up a lot lately. Yesterday a guy at work read off a list of the top 50 90s pop hits,while another guy sand each one from memory.

[@MrDavidMcNick]

4:21 - I grew up in Australia in the 90's and we only called them bucket hats. This video is the first time I've heard them called giggle hats.

[@illtardisyourdoctor]

I was so annoyed when he said that, I was thinking "who the fuck calls them giggle hats!??!"

[@lilmisshorngirl]

I was a teen in the 90s in Australia and I know neither what a giggle or bucket hat is.

[@MrDavidMcNick]

No one should wear them over the age of 10. I had to wear them at my school.

[@GEEKsomniac]

I thought they were fishing hats/caps lol

[@alexandramaclachlan7597]

Yep, deffs were always and still are bucket hats. Still love the list tho :P

[@harasnicole]

As someone who was born in '86, this brings back so many memories.

[@halfwhiteNnerdy]

Here's a random fact: I am one of the original 90's kids. I was recorded as the first baby to be born in Spain on January 1, 1990. WHoo! I'm as 90's as it gets

[@halfwhiteNnerdy]

***** lol thanks!

[@brandanberg7214]

pics or it didn't happen.

[@halfwhiteNnerdy]

brandan berg Well, they took a picture of my parents and I and put it in the base paper. (I was born on a military base). That's all I got for ya, sorry.

[@brandanberg7214]

halfwhiteNnerdy damn it seems that we have the same exact birth records... we are to well matched.

[@chopsticks8204]

I was born a day after you then :D

[@isabellaangeline2175]

I miss the 90’s. Best decade ever.

[@jordanmoore7340]

I can't believe you brought up the inspiration for Rugrats characters without mentioning that Tommy is based on The Doctor!

[@tweetthang96]

Wait WHAT?! My favorite childhood character is based on a favorite grown up character?! My life is made.

[@kobil316SH]

+Jordan Moore ...who the fuck is the doctor

[@strawberries1186]

+Kobil Shakur Heard of Doctor Who?

[@kobil316SH]

Angela Merkel Yes but never watched it

[@JennaLeigh]

Jordan Moore or that the reason that Chuckie was based on Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo is because Mothersbaugh wrote and produced all the music for Rugrats, including the iconic theme.

[@mizscoleman]

Pure, unadulterated awesomeness. It was a simpler time (sigh).

[@AD-uv5ws]

I miss these!!! Please BRING THEM BACK!!

[@emanlaer8945]

The 90's was an epic time! -Pliny The Younger's appointment as Urban Quaestor ends, but is later named Praetor -The Marcomanni were defeated by the Romans -The Book of Revelation was written. -Chinese emporer Ban Chiao establishes relations with the Parthians -Pope Evaristus succeeds Pople Clement the First -Nerva succeeds Titus Flavius Domitianus as emporer of Rome, only to die from a stroke in a few years and succeed by his adopted son Trajan. I miss the 90's. The music, the hairstyles, the world events...*sigh*

[@displacerkatsidhe]

I was amused to wonder into the comments expecting kids to be asking "What's Y2K?" and found people arguing about Poke'mon instead.

[@displacerkatsidhe]

Something to do with lazy programing. Using 2 digits for the year instead of 4, so 98 instead of 1998. It was pretty much a conspiracy theory that went viral before viral only meant youtube videos.

[@Nilguiri]

kattaylordesign In what way was it a "conspiracy theory"? What does that even mean? I worked for well over a year before 2000 in different companies and fixed dozens of applications. Companies all over the world spent millions to modify their systems so that they wouldn't screw up. It's a shame you weren't around to tell us all we were wasting our time and that they would actually work fine in spite of all the analysis that was done to identify and correct all of the problems. You could have saved billions of dollars all around the world.

[@alannar.8701]

I was born in '02, and I know what Y2K is. Everybody knows what Y2K is.

[@displacerkatsidhe]

Nilguiri Yeah that you took an internet comment WAY too personally. What I mean by conspiracy theory is how much panic the media was whipping up about it. I remember specials on what to do when all the computers crash, and remember to be stocked up on none perishable foods. Some people were literally on the edge of panic. Like the world was going to end. I don't doubt that the programing had to be updated, but the level of freakout some people were willing to get to because the media said jump was pretty hilarious. You have to admit.

[@blehblehbleh86]

kattaylordesign if the work was not done some of those scenarios would have happened...

[@Rathdrgnknight]

Um... Kadabra hasn't been retired. He's still in the game. >__>

[@blarghblarghblargh]

He wasn't used in the show or games by trainers and wasn't catchable in the wild until the last 2 games.

[@Rathdrgnknight]

Um... he's been used by several trainers in gens 4, 5, and 6, he's being used by several "brain and brawn" teams in the most recent Pokemon game, and is catchable, so no, he's definitely not "retired".

[@Tailikku1]

DavisForever I think John was referring to the Kadabra card, which has since been discontinued.

[@aidanboyle7374]

DavisForever I believe hearing that the main problem he had was with the Dark Kadabra card, because it made him look evil. The card was retired and Kadabra has never had another dark card.

[@Bopnan]

The fact itself it's incomplete: it was retired... But only from the card game and the anime. There hasn't been a Kadabra card since 2003. Curious enough, there was an Abra and Alakazam card in the Diamond and Pearl era and to avoid using Kadabra, Abra's PokéPower is to being able to evolve directly to Alakazam.

[@ukeleledotlove]

I was 9 when y2k happened. My mom believed that it was Armageddon and told me everyone on Earth was going to die. I spent those months in a state of horrified panic and mentally prepared myself for death. Fun times the 90's.

[@TheMimiSard]

+Emma Cox The Y2K freakout probably was exactly why it never happened. Everyone went and updated their computers.

[@everquestfan]

She was 20yrs off, now is the end of western civilization. We had a basement full of Cosco lol the mice loved us.

[@nyak63RUS]

*Man* Twin Peaks was such a good show. It's the best thing on this list.

[@JediCoati]

"Don't forget to be Uncle Jesse". I'm not even laughing, I'm just crying. That goes straight to my heart, John Green.

[@nandinimehta7846]

I love John green more than words can express

[@TheMohawkNinja]

As someone who grew up with light-up shoes, all I can say is that if I could wear them now that I'm a 19 year old in college... I would.

[@wyrmsroost]

You should. Install LEDs into your shoes. Do it. Now.

[@mandiemoore3272]

I have a really small foot I still do wear them I buy them in the boys section

[@agawthikkromance]

thank you so much for doing this episode. i'm still stuck in the 90's and i love it.

[@sen8610]

You should should do 0 facts about the 00's.

[@sen8610]

Thank you for complying with my demands

[@sydneyalpers7393]

kvtty wutr this is comedy gold

[@lucyw993]

edit fog lol

[@justinlau5136]

No, it should be 2000 facts about the 2000's.

[@Arachnid-XXX]

I'm an 80's baby, but that means I was actually old enough to truly experience and enjoy the 90's. 90's babies had to settle for the 2000's when music went to crap.

[@likenem]

Radio stations went to crap not music, Since Clear Channel bought all of the Radio stations in the U.S and many over seas. Even if you here a good song on the radio they play it 10 times in a hour.

[@s0ngf0rx]

ok that's it we NEED 1500 facts about the 1500's!!

[@sciencenate]

shimmy.ojeleye I think you mean 0 facts from the 16th century. Unless you meant 1580 - then you could get some facts

[@s0ngf0rx]

@@sciencenate i dont understand what you mean

[@Zippy306]

God, I miss the 90s... my favourite decade.

[@Zerepzerreitug]

oh the nineties. Time cannot pass too fast for us to forget you

[@MrHypnofan]

Johnathan Taylor Thomas voiced young Simba; and his television father, Tim Allen, voiced Buzz Lightyear. Both facts were referenced in episodes of Home Improvement.

[@RayDrouillard]

We spent $100,000,000,000 preparing for Y2K? Apperently, it worked. Actually, I was one of thousands of programmers diligently modifying software with the goal of making Y2K a non-incident. It worked. On the morning of 1/1/00, I posted on usenet, "Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!" My only regret is that I chickened out on my plan to throw the main breaker during the Y2K party.

[@hannahyep]

As an Australian, I am ashamed to have missed out on the use of "giggle hats". Everyone I know said "bucket hats".

[@tilywinn]

I grew up in the 90's; I had no idea how pagers worked then and I still haven't got a clue. They always seemed like they're more trouble than they're worth. Y'know, unless you're a doctor on daytime television. Then, they're indispensable.

[@Melissa-wx4lu]

It was pretty much all you had before cell phones. Otherwise there was no way for people to reach you unless you were at home with your land line. I also was mystified about how they worked.

[@Arachnid-XXX]

Melissa Lewis I had one in high school. It was cool because all my friends could contact me at any time. It sucked because so could my mother. :/

[@SunyiSideUp]

Back then, people used to use pagers as a way to get in touch with someone who wasn't near their (usually landline) phone. Even early cell phones didn't have texting, and only had calling, so pagers were still useful. I was never old enough to be in the pager era, as by the time I was in middle school, we had cell phones with texting, but I remember when pagers were a thing. I remember seeing cases for them at the mall, stuff.

[@elmascavidal1797]

Fact # 90 The 90’s was kick ass!!!!! ... 80’s baby raised in the 1990’s

[@3rdDayfan777]

Great video guys! I can't wait for "2000 Facts about the 2000s!"

[@wwbwbgohbc]

I still laugh when I think of Y2K. Just after midnight the local news cut to a live feed of a reporter outside a bank to see if ATMs were still useable. The reporter but in his bank card did what you do at an ATM, nothing happened. A small moment of panic and then the reporter realized he'd put in the wrong card.

[@Nilguiri]

Yes, Doctor Martens were invented by Klaus Märtens after a skiing accident... In 1945, not the 90's! First sold in the UK in 1960.

[@labpants]

Docs were SUPER popular in the '90s. The American grunge movement saw to that.

[@ThatSoddingGamer]

Well, it was probably because it was a "90's" shoe. I can remember reading books where teenagers specifically mention that their shoes are 'Docs'. Doesn't happen so often now, I think.

[@Nilguiri]

***** Cheers!

[@christinecrawford]

YAY - Hanson!!!! Thanks for including Mmmhops, Meredith! (I just know that had to be your doing.) lol!!!

[@Ravenclaw1991]

I have the exact same gyroscope that's on the shelf at 8:00!

[@JillH1995]

I love the Magic School Bus even more now.

[@tbyrn21]

As an Australian, I have never heard the term giggle hat... It has always been the bucket hat for me

[@heatherrichardson3640]

I laughed out loud several times during this one. Nice.

[@ambientmoder]

You should do 2000 facts about the 2000s!

[@SARA1133H]

"Don't forget to watch Blossom!" would also have totally fit here.

[@MatthewCampbell765]

"No, Sam Fisher. You're not allowed to bring your Furby to work."

[@Bluefire5ify]

I haven't seen a 90's kid post in a few years and I'm so thankful

[@SynchronizorVideos]

So much nostalgia!

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

Uri Geller actually had more claim than you'd think. In Japan, Kadabra's name is Yungeller. In Denmark, bucket hats are called "Rascal hats". And Will Smith got the "Call him Will Smith" advice from Alfonso, his co-star, who played Carlton. ~ TDG

[@bearscookies9645]

Nostalgia is strong with this video...

[@TacComControl]

Fun fact about the Hamster Dance website. The song is a sped up version of a segment of the opening song from Disney's cartoon classic "Robin Hood", complete with the rooster's giggle.

[@TheCrabError]

All this time I have been forgetting to be Uncle Jesse. Thanks for the reminder.

[@jvpeters-liamwb249]

Bucket hats are NEVER to be referred to as GIGGLE HATS!!! Where did you get that fact from? (I live in Australia and I've never heard anyone say that)

[@aussietom85]

Also Australian, also never heard a bucket hat called a giggle hat

[@JoeCoughlin]

Dr. Astrô Nauth are you Australian?

[@Tyngdlyftning1]

***** Yeah mate. Put a shrimp on the barbie.

[@aussietom85]

I wore bucket hats in the 90s mate and called them bucket hats

[@Decembirth]

*Wikipedia [citation needed]* In Australia, this hat is referred to as a "Bucket Hat" and not a "Giggle Hat" contrary to popular belief. Giggle hat can be used to refer to a "Boonie Hat" which is commonly worn by the Australian army or gardeners.

[@fatebreakerproductions]

1999: People think Furbies contain recording chips 2020: People think Furbies are possessed

[@happyfacefries]

Because it's a known fact that they are

[@WhereWhoMe]

Some interesting facts, about that time. Brings back some memories.

[@addlebrainali]

So many memories.

[@randomcomplex6155]

What do you mean that Kadabra has been retired. It still exists in the games.

[@wyrmsroost]

He's been retired from the trading card game. The last one printed was in '03.

[@randomcomplex6155]

WyrmsRoost Fair enough, but his statement was still very missleading.

[@wyrmsroost]

Random Complex I agree.

[@likenem]

WyrmsRoost Oh wow I have one of those I wonder if its worth any thing

[@wyrmsroost]

likenem No. It's a common card. Those usually aren't worth much. a quick serch shows me that card is worth between $0.99-1.49.

[@catherinesvideos156]

I still use my AOL email address which I created shortly after our house got dial up Internet for the first time in about 1998 Ahh, memories

[@jhangelgurl]

Wow talk about reliving my childhood. I knew a good handful of these. Any 86 babies out there?

[@shadow81818]

This episode mentions my name and my home state. Yay!

[@ArchoniusXXVII]

Hamster Dance: The music was a sped up sample of Whistle Stop from Disney's Robin Hood.

[@MartaBearr]

I'm so glad Uma ended up playing Mia.

[@haliaosorio]

ONLY 90'S KIDS WILL REMEMBER THIS VIDEO

[@D3C0Y]

This should be re-named to 90 facts that make you feel old.

[@PantheraOnca60]

WHAT?? The Taco Bell Chihuahua was the best company spokesperson ever!

[@littleweirdguy]

being a Aussie, never hear bucket hats as giggle hats

[@bossfan49]

The Rembrandts' 1990 song "Just The Way It Is, Baby" charted at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 ...3 pts higher than "I'll Be There For You". 90's kids are not going to remember Silence Of The Lambs because it came out in 1991 and was rated R. That was an H3 in the picture, not an original Hummer H-1. The Hummer H1 Alpha was the heaviest at 8,000 lbs.

[@typograf62]

Y2K: A programmer guru, Ed Yourdon, went into hiding because he expected Armageddon to come from software crashes. The rest of us programmers quietly fixed almost all the problems in advance. There would have been some sort of chaos otherwise (but probably not exploding reactors and WW3). After the "event" (were really nothing crashed) a magazine wrote: Ed, you're done! It might have been Dr. Dobb's.

[@bananawanable]

"The parties are advised to chill" hahahaha :')

[@ecureuil85]

Ahhh Napster, reminds me so much of my first boyfriend :)

[@LukeHarris1]

An Aussie here who's never heard of the term "giggle hats"!

[@KnaveMurdok]

That Marilyn Manson fact is woefully incomplete. In fact, every one of Manson's original lineup was named after a combination of a famous female model, sing or actress's first name coupled with a serial killer's last name. This tradition persisted until 1998 when guitarist "John 5" entered the group, replacing then lead guitarist "Zim Zum". Since then, people who have join Manson's band have usually been people whose names are already too well known, (ie: Tim Skold of KMFDM, Chris Vrenna of Nine Inch Nails) and thusly the naming convention was dropped completely. Since then, musicians who join Manson have kept either thie given name, or thier previously established stage names.

[@devildriverrule111]

i haven't heard them called giggle hats in years!!! hahaha

[@JakeOBallen]

I'm Australian and I have never ever heard anyone call a bucket hat a giggle hat. I'm a bit dubious about that one.

[@EmmaSpAce111]

I had a toy taco bell chihuahua that said "hey lizard lizard" and I loved it as a child, I might still have it.

[@EmmaSpAce111]

I also got a tickle me elmo from my parents at age one or twoish so either 98 or 99

[@EmmaSpAce111]

that compute pic, dang, I'm getting flash backs to children's computer games, all my early digital art, the dialup noise, and watching my dad play a game with a time traveling raptor scientist. I type this on a macbook air.

[@EmmaSpAce111]

aww egg friend is so cute

[@LEpicFails913]

I've lived in Australia my entire life and I've never heard the term "giggle hat" bucket hats continue to be ever popular

[@CottonDrifting]

You had a fact about Sabrina the Teenage Witch and missed out Buffy the Vampire Slayer?? What were you thinking!?

[@bradydawson3705]

Never heard of giggle hats, we've always called them bucket hats

[@McSwagger111]

Dear mentalfloss, Thank you

[@highfivehangten]

Haha Y2K, those were fun times. We had a competition at school to name the Y2K bug, and I won with the name "Willy Byte". Original punster.

[@epicnerdofeverything1795]

Choker necklaces are also now popular, in all colors, including rainbow form.

[@TheDiplomancer]

"The parties are advised to chill." Wow. that is the most 90s thing ever.

[@iceman1731]

The last video promised 92 facts, you still owe us two more facts Green.

[@TiasTravels]

I was watching the Magic School Bus yesterday (shhhh) and was just thinking that it was really well balanced as far as races and genders! This explains it!

[@PokeBeast2]

Never realized until now John is one of the Vlog Bros.

[@chopsticks8204]

I never knew what a pager was, only saw them in movies when i was a kid.

[@jesseondrumsjd]

I have not forgotten sir.

[@Decembirth]

Do understand that if you were born in the 80s _then_ you're "90s kid" but an "80s baby". If you were born in the 90s then you are "Millennial kid" but a "90s baby". A lot of what happened within the 1980s I experienced well after they were over. Such as animated shows that were a series during my birth year. These shows continued to rerun (at the most) six years 'after' I could comprehend what I was seeing. i.e. My Little Pony, which was in 1983. So I would have been about 5 years old by the time I really could appreciate it and wanting toys about it.

[@JogInTheFog]

I was born in 1975 -- when Nirvana was big I was 16. I dunno, I *felt* like a kid at the time ...

[@GeoDGeo]

Joining the "Kadabra is still canon and is in the games, among other places" chorus.

[@davovovovovovo]

90?! Holy 90s, Batman!

[@btetschner]

A+ video! Amazing facts! They very interesting and important!

[@clyogren]

Thank you for reminding me that I am old. Well done! ;-)

[@brandonbuchner1771]

I can't wait for the video of 00 facts about the 00's.

[@LordMarcus]

Fact 40 about Chuckie from the Rugrats makes more sense when you realize Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo was one of the songwriters for that show.

[@TheFabulousGabbasaurous]

I'm 6 years late but simba was voiced by 3 actors Jason Weaver was his singing voice and Matthew Broderick was adult Simba. Originally Jason Weaver was supposed to be Simba only youth voice but due to scheduling conflicts JTT was brought in to do the speaking parts.

[@joshuaworden274]

Just an FYI, Kadabra didn't get retired, in fact it has been obtainable in every main-series game in the franchise, pre and post lawsuit, as well as appearing in an episode of the television show several years after the case was brought to court. Furthermore, Uri Geller's case against Nintendo was dismissed by US District Judge Vaughn Walker, for want of jurisdiction. Kinda weird, you guys usually have your facts straight. www.serebii.net/anime/dex/064.shtml bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Kadabra_(Pok%C3%A9mon)#Game_locations en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uri_Geller#Copyright_claims

[@TessaBain]

Yes, they're wrong in saying the character was retired, but you've totally ignored the cards. They've even purposely released Abra and Alakazam where the Abra can instantly evolve into Alakazam instead of releasing a Kadabra card. It hasn't been a card since and was only in one episode of the show since as well. I would also note, it being thrown out of court means nothing. It's Japanese name and the fact that it deals with spoons clearly shows it is in fact somewhat based on him. Doesn't give him the right to sue them because they can easily claim parody, but only a moron would try to argue it isn't. Wondering why someone doesn't have their facts straight and not entirely having the facts yourself? Good job, kiddo.

[@joshuaworden274]

Tessa Bain I didn't mention the cards because I don't really know much about the cards; however I did look it up. Kadabra was, in fact, released as a card twice after the lawsuit. Once in the Expedition set released in 2002 and again in the Skyridge set released in 2003. Also, what the case's dismissal means is that Nintendo had no reason to retire the character. www.serebii.net/card/dex/064.shtml

[@DanielJamesMillar]

We call them 'bucket hats' in Australia too. I've never, ever heard the phrase 'giggle hat'.

[@joltster109]

In Jurassic Park, they only used the dog sound for when T-Rex kills a Gallimimus. Her ROAR is a mix of baby whale, walrus, and lion. I LOVE Jurassic Park/World. :D

[@Liquiddrums]

Just a thing about the T-rex roar... "According to the book The Making of Jurassic Park: An Adventure 65 million Years in the Making, the T. rex roar from the film was a combination of a baby elephant’s squeal, an alligator’s gurgling, and a tiger’s snarl. Its breath was the sound of air escaping a whale’s blowhole. Drawing from these animals, you can almost hear the composite T. rex roar from the film. Indeed, amateurs have tried recreating the combination and the result is pretty convincing." So now you know...cheers!

[@Nilguiri]

Julia Louis-Dreyfus instead of Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction? Wow, they dodged a bullet there!

[@AnkhInfinitus]

Pogs were banned in my junior high for that exact reason. People were gambling with them and using them as currency.

[@00mazone]

Mine too. As soon as they where banned they where done. I still have some stuffed in a box somewhere. I learned not to get caught up in fads that year.

[@skevoid]

Did they also ban money?

[@wightwitch]

We used pokemon cards as our currency!

[@Jedikaaa]

Australian here and I've never in my life called a bucket hat a giggle hat.

[@SLACKLINEDUDE]

I remember on our high school announcements one morning that there was a craft club that was making choker necklaces

[@cinderblockstudios]

Ok so #61 made me laugh so hard!

[@snarkyguy]

Takes me back to when I loaded my super soaker up with bleach water and made some AWESOME custom jeans. I'd totally wear them today if my wife allowed it.

[@mandiemoore3272]

I'm gonna do that.

[@toneinspace]

I'm Australian and we call them bucket hats. I've never heard of a giggle hat.

[@illtardisyourdoctor]

I have lived in Australia my entire life and not once have I ever heard a bucket hat referred to as anything other than a bucket hat.

[@mandydax]

Thank you for not deadnaming Lana, John. We appreciate it.