70 Bizarre Facts about Historical Figures - mental_floss List Show Ep. 439

This episode of the List Show features bizarre facts about historical figures, from weird facts about Albert Einstein to historical figures like Alan Turing and John D. Rockefeller. In case you forgot, The List Show is a weekly show where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information. This week, John tells you some little known facts about historical figures!
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For more bizarre facts about historical figures, check out our article detailing the mysterious deaths of famous historical figures: www.mentalflos...
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[@MentalFloss]

This Friday, 4/24/20 LIVE @ 7PM EST catch "Tub Trivia", the new quiz show from Mental Floss. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIPdd2VqabKXpdU

[@Liggliluff]

Today I learned that there are 24 months on a year :) Oh, and that there was a live event year 20 AD

[@lkbailey115]

I'll be honest, I only watch the list shows when John Green does them. I like his voice better. Lol

[@kevinnelson198]

Lbenneking word!

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

Seriously? Me as well lol In fact I wrote that as a comment on one of the videos about an hour ago lol. It was the editor of mental floss I don’t know her name but she’s making videos at her home presumably due to the corvid 19 virus lockdown.

[@shawnafleck4348]

Yes.

[@kathrynmast916]

I miss John Green! As they say in his hometown, he is awesome!😎👍

[@tjwash2]

Absolutely! He doesn’t up-talk and he speaks rapidly which always holds my interest

[@tesseraph]

You can practically see the smugness oozing out of John when he got to point out that Aristotle was wrong about something :D

[@countryfan98]

#22 HERE COMES THE GENERAL! RIIIISE UPPP!!!

[@IKlovur]

HERE COMES THE GENERAL

[@countryfan98]

WHAAAT -- AND HIS RIGHT HAND MAN. BOOM!

[@aritrahan5039]

My only complaint is that it wasn't number 51. Or that they didn't make a typo so it could be the other 51.

[@cowsparks]

glad i wasn't the only one that noticed/thought of that

[@coady181]

Hamilton sucks fuck you

[@yougosquishnow]

my favorite fact is also about tesla. he was afraid of physical contact and was once kissed by a woman on the cheek. his repsonse...run away screaming.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

He loved a pigeon.

[@justinfan2]

OMG THE HAMILTON REFERENCE!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!

[@rachelcuevasg]

George Washington loved interior design and was also a great dancer!

[@alexandrabailey9341]

He also came up with the title Mr. President, since he didn't want to have a royal title when he took over as leader of the nation.

[@TerenceClark]

70!!! John, you've outdone yourself.

[@alexcoffey8804]

A teacher once kept calling me Hank. I didn't change my name.

[@modernlacuna]

Who the eff is Hank?

[@Grobohalic]

My favorite fact is Ernest Hemmingway once comforted F. Scott Fitzgerald about the size of his, er, manhood after his wife Zelda insulted it. He insisted that Fitzgerald examine himself in a mirror rather than just looking down, since that distorts the perception. When that failed to cheer him, Hemmingway pulled Fitzgerald into the bathroom, inspected him for himself, and pronounced him "perfectly fine." To top it all off he then took Fitzgerald to the Louvre so he could look at nude paintings and see how he compared.

[@happyfacefries]

Aww, that's kinda cute :3 DON'T KNOCK IT TIL YOU'VE TRIED IT

[@Captain_Mike82]

The Mozart and Beethoven fact was the most interesting to me.

[@philheaton1619]

Christopher Columbus did cause an apocalypse of the Carib peoples. Most of them died off due to small pox and warfare by 1600.

[@ResortDog]

At least the natives gave all the explorers syphilis for Europe as a thank you very much for the genocide.

[@philheaton1619]

ResortDog Don't forget tobacco!

[@cherylcampbell9369]

ResortDog syphilis came FROM Europe.

[@happyfacefries]

You can't really blame the small pox on him. I mean, the warfare and crimes, totally, but that kind of science wasn't known at the time.

[@agirlwithbooks1294]

THAT HAMILTON REFERENCE IS LIFE

[@narwhalgaming5597]

2:47 RRRIIISSSSE UPP!!!!

[@DeeMoe811]

He said they took air baths, Hilarious.

[@jessiebullock]

All the Hamilton references!

[@YCCCm7]

Well, I can tell you right now my wife has fewer teeth than I do. Coincidence? You decide. Not her attorney, though. That guy's biased.

[@stefanf922]

ahoy hoy, I'm going to use that from now on.

[@jaydunedin2930]

It's actually "ahoy ahoy".

[@iron60bitch62]

French cutting the cable in the Eiffel tower was maybe the most radical thing the French ever did against fascism

[@bferguson7794]

Thank you for the Hamilton reference. Much appreciated.

[@torispaide1347]

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain facts (because I'm a nerd) 1) There’s a rock named after him on Mars 2) A bullet went through his horse's neck, hit the picture frame, entered under Chamberlain's skin in the front of his chest, traveled around his body under the skin along the rib, and exited his back. To all observers Union and Confederate, it appeared that he was shot through his chest. Yet he continued to encourage his men to attack. All sides cheered his valiant courage. 3) His victory in running for governor of Maine in 1866 set the record for the most votes and the highest percentage for any Maine governor by that time. He would break his own record in 1868. 4) There were threats of assassination and kidnapping him, and on one occasion, he went outside to face down a crowd of 25-30 men intending to kill him 5) He was injured 6 times in the Civil War and had 6 horses shot out from under him 6) He spoke 10 languages

[@EnzoDraws]

I love how one of the plugged vids at the end is about birds. "Fun facts about birds - Nikola Tesla was once in love with a pigeon". I didn't watch it yet but I will be dissapointed if that fact isn't there right after hearing it here.

[@SunflowerSpotlight]

Enzo To be fair, it’d most likely take the place of a fact no one has heard yet, so it’s kind of a bonus warm up fact to prep us for the next video! He didn’t wanna startle us. 😅 That was a great observation about the connection with the next video!

[@nerdlife6676]

John, you really should get Diet Dr. Pepper or Snickers to sponsor these episodes!

[@terijones2847]

Frederick the Great composed some wonderful pieces for the flute. He is also credited with the phrase "dog is man's best friend".

[@jliller]

Most important thing I learned from this video: all my life I've been mispronouncing/misreading the famous comet's name as "Hailey's" instead of "Halley's".

[@matthewdumm4096]

YOU SAID HERE COMES THE GENERAL MY LIFE IS COMPLETE MEMEMEMMEME

[@mastermarkus5307]

I can't believe Mother Theresa got a Nobel Peace Prize. She was a hell-beast of a person.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

Henry Kissinger got one and he pushed heavily to nuke Viet Nam and committed so much crap that would get an American hit squad sent out if he hadn't been part of the American government.

[@mastermarkus5307]

Patrick McCurry Ooh. I didn't know he got a Peace Prize! All I know of him is that he's a war criminal. What the hell? Is the Nobel Peace Prize a _sarcastic_ award?

[@DiagonalByte]

Agreed.

[@saividhyakannan]

Obama won the noble peace prize. Nominations that year closed 11 days after he became the president. It's a farce at best.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

saividhyakannan Hey, we all knew he wasn't going to be Bush. That's apparently what most voters and the planet dreamed was the best possible outcome. He did follow through on that lofty promise. Not much else, but he was great at not being Bush.

[@99thTuesday]

I feel that even if he was very good, there's another reason Mao's work is still displayed

[@commentcopbadge6665]

Actually, Babe Ruth does look like a tailor from the 40s. lol

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

I've been early to a surprising amount of videos today. I am pleased :)

[@samharper4038]

Lawrence Calablaster no one cares tho

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

Sam Harper Ok :(

[@dangeroustourmichael7028]

Hey Sam, don't put people down.

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

***** :)

[@johnclewis8353]

Number, not amount.

[@BiPaganMan]

Sappho of Lesbos was probably bisexual. At least she wrote love poetry directed at both men and women

[@alexaliona]

THERE IT IS

[@alannar.8701]

I don't know if this is supposed to be "Sappho liked men too!" or "Sappho liked women!" Because if it's the second... take a guess as to where the word lesbian comes from... Actually, I thought she was gay, but you could be right. Shakespeare, though. He was probably bi!

[@alexaliona]

Alanna R. Shakespeare was a cool dude.

[@alannar.8701]

Samara Duffie Indeed he was.

[@Caseyuptobat]

#22 Rise Up!

[@sortofpink5614]

Ladies and gentlemen! The moment you've been waiting for!

[@Pratchettgaiman]

Queen Elizabeth II was a mechanic during world War ii

[@ohthepeppers]

Also a Nazi sympathiser.

[@anttibjorklund1869]

+ohthepeppers You're thinking of the Duke of Windsor, the former Edward VIII.

[@alannar.8701]

WHAT? How did I not know this?

[@Pratchettgaiman]

Alanna R. There is a somewhat infamous photo of the royal family doing the Nazi salute from the early 1930s. Fascism was kinda sexy (especially amongst the European elites) for its first few years. I'm not sure if that would make Elizabeth a "Nazi sympathizer", but it sure is unfortunate. And yes, Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson were unambiguously Nazi sympathizers

[@alannar.8701]

David Lev Whoaaaaaaa

[@PanikaMCD]

my favorite historical figure is Angelina Eberly. and after working at the Texas Capitol for 4 years, I finally got to take the Women in Texas History Tour where I found out that the first female governor of Texas was not Ma Ferguson, but the wife of a Spanish governor for the area whose husband died in office and who, when the Spanish government at the time did not find and deliver a suitable replacement for nearly 2 years, became acting governor in her husband's stead.

[@SolarMechanic]

Einstein did indeed offer his future Nobel Prize money to his first wife in their divorce settlement, but what you forgot to mention is he then refused to hand it over after he won. She never forgave him.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

People forget how much of an adulterous douche bag he was.

[@alannar.8701]

Well, you know, he did come up with relativity. I forgive him.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

Alanna R. Morality has no price. Sure, he added greatly to physics, but that is completely unrelated to character. But it's not like he killed anyone... that I know of. ;)

[@SolarMechanic]

Not directly. He did insist on the building of a few bombs that were used in 1945 though.

[@patrickmccurry1563]

Mike Carson So? I don't see helping your home government's military as immoral.

[@TerenceClark]

Ahahahahaha! I'm wearing my "We're the Exception!" Mongols shirt. Love seeing the nod to Crash Course.

[@Anita4RDH]

I LOVE your show!! 👍🏻❤️👍🏻❤️👍🏻❤️

[@steverotters3218]

I was too busy trying to identify the background toys, that I did not hear a thing the presenter said!

[@Suite_annamite]

@4:58: Fact 36 - I learned that from the movie "Amadeus", where young Wolfgang was recounted by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Franz Joseph, as having frantically said to his sister, "Will you marry me, yes or no?!"

[@AreolaTheodosia]

Another thing about Franklin's air baths, he would also open up all of the windows.

[@dragonson04]

Your out-line needs to be "Don't forget to be awesome and may your brain stay minty fresh"

[@BethAnnMayberry]

This might be my favorite Mental Floss to date, no small feat. I love this show (and am a devoted citizen of Nerdfighteria. #DFTBA )! 💚💜🖖🤓🖖💜💚

[@a.nameline653]

When John Green is considered an historical figure It can be said that a quote from TFIOS had already been engraved in stone while he was still living. I saw it on a teens headstone in a cemetery in Greenwood, IN last week.

[@nicholasjpulsipher]

#52 6:49 I'm dying 😂 "...for about an hour."

[@ericareid1198]

I had no idea this channel existed until Hank posted the Complexly vid and I went for an exploration. This is super excellent.

[@kyleeconrad]

Sitting Bull and Annie Oakley were legit bff! He so adored Annie that he "adopted" her into his family; he's quoted as saying he loved her as he did his own daughters!!

[@Molteniceee]

2:45 nice little Hamilton reference for that caption!

[@jakehackney1718]

Issac Newton created calculus and died a virgin. He also died eating mercury thinking he poop gold or whatever.

[@chaosawaits]

Died 34 years after eating mercury... in his eighties.

[@jakehackney1718]

My deepest apologies Dr.Historian

[@patrickmccurry1563]

He was one of two or so people that simultaneously created calculus. He had better PR. But that is often the case with inventions.

[@blitzwaffe]

People really should give more credit to Leibniz since his notation is so much better.

[@SlyPearTree]

Every history of calculus I ever encountered always credit both Leibniz and Newton for its invention. And we do use Leibniz's notation so I think he is sufficiently recognized in that field. I think Newton is better known only because he was English.

[@TheDanielle2296]

Alexander Graham Bell also married a deaf girl but told deaf people that they cant marry another deaf person and tried to practice eugenics on them to "breed out the deaf gene". We also tried to force all of them to talk and never sign because that made them look "stupid"

[@katestyrsky329]

Enjoyable factoids, as usual. I always get a giggle at the closing when he's talking really fast and I hear him say "Thanks for watching menopause." You're welcome.

[@jessf2660]

That the bite out of the Apple in the Apple Computer logo, was a tribute to Alan Turring supposedly killing himself by biting a poison apple.

[@chaosawaits]

It's not. It's just an apple.

[@alexaliona]

and the reason there's a bite in it is to distinguish it from other fruits that look similar, like a cherry.

[@katjones7760]

Love the salon!

[@DarkEagle-vx9hd]

That was cool. Very educational.

[@TheApepoop]

been watching this channel for years. looks so much older now

[@willokeefe2567]

Beethoven: “lets give em something to talk aboutttt”

[@sommerfeldttt]

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day. Now that's what I call True Friendship!

[@happyfacefries]

Yeah, especially when you consider that one of them was pissed that the other was going to outlive him when he had actually died hours before. They were enemies, not friends.

[@bbetts74]

William Tecumseh Sherman hated his red hair. He tried coloring it once, turning it green.

[@cloudkitt]

I know the internet has a collective hard-on for Tesla, but...dude was bonkers. No doubt about it.

[@lilmissknowitall5775]

there's an editing mistake at 1.23, i never would notice that until i started doing videos. It makes me feel better that John had 1m+ followers but can still make the odd mistake

[@pins0444]

You make reference to Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay)making an album called “I am the greatest “. It was actually released as a 45RPM single, on the Columbia Records label. The “B” side was his rendition of “Stand by Me “

[@earendilthemariner5546]

Oh hell yeah. "Air baths"

[@wholeNwon]

His treatise is why Henry (Henri) was given the title, "Defender of the Faith". All British monarchs have used it ever since, though the Pope probably wishes they didn't.

[@snowballsimpson3887]

Benjamin Franklin loved his "air baths" and would do them with all the windows open in the dead of winter. It's been reported that he'd even do it while traveling with Adams who was recovering from a flu and struggled to stay warm. Franklin was a bit of a troll.

[@djtri1l]

Seeing as this is an educational KZbin series, you should know that on January 17th 2009 Antonio Meucci was given the credit for actually inventing the telephone! NOT ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

[@PolyBiBadger]

Florence Nightingale and I share the same birthday

[@StephanieElizabethMann]

Cicero is the nickname of the famous orator, consul and proconsul. As proconsul he had to lead an army into battle. He and his Roman army won. Cicero was so surprised he had a picture of a chickpea engraved on the victory plate instead of his name.

[@ryanryan3220]

i love the Mongols running jokes.

[@wen_two_three]

I wish they added in a mongol-tage just for old times sake!

[@ryanryan3220]

+Wendy Xu oh yeah I forgot about that. lol

[@littleblu33]

Questionable naming habits? Mafia Honey is a great name for a dog given to you by Frank Sinatra.

[@kayladusseau2373]

Everyone is good but he's the best one 😊

[@DrunkenAussie76]

I don't believe that an alligator is anywhere near as dangerous as an elephant.

[@tweetthang96]

I knew there was a reason I liked Maya Angelou! Uggs are the best. Fluffy clouds for my feetsies

[@MesutKaya]

Watched this channel when it was launched three years ago, came back today and I must say: wow, what a wall 😆

[@sararivz668]

Great video

[@BlakeBlackstone]

Ohhh!!! It's this guy!

[@chiyokou2222]

Can we get a list episode of all the easily verifiable but wrong things Aristotle proposed and apparently never checked on?

[@capricelrobinsoc]

I really liked the first fact.

[@amyfogle909]

hey I could see you writing a Geico commercial :+)

[@fep_ptcp883]

In 1967, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game in Lagos.

[@goldenheart3887]

#22-- This should be fun.

[@fmhummel]

It's probably not true that Elvis only preformed in North America. There are several witnesses still alive who claim that he also gave a small improvised concert in a club called "Mickey-Bar" in Grafenwöhr, Germany, October 1958.

[@WillWilsonII]

This is a good one

[@tomryan914]

Nice to hear 'Halley' Comet pronounced correctly.

[@tomryan914]

'Halley's' not 'Halley' (typo)

[@Gaia_Gaistar]

Charles Dickens waifu was Little Red Riding Hood? Chucks got good taste.

[@sasha9883]

Do Gorbachev, Paul McCartney and Gloria Steinem count as historical figures since they're alive but arguably one can be sure they have done most or all of what they will be remembered for? I'm genuinely interested.

[@alexanderallison7131]

Paul and Linda's condition was that Lisa stay a veggie until end of season, not the run of the show.

[@GuillermoNavarroM]

#16 is written 'lápiz', not 'lapiz'. Accentution points, pretty important.

[@fish4225]

I'll be forever saddened they didn't mention H.P. Lovecraft's black cat's name.

[@candocody]

Woohooo John Green! Sorry Elliott, you're cool too. It's, it's just John Green.

[@LyssLock59]

HERE COMES THE GENERAL

[@atheistpsyconaut42]

After watching since the beginning of Facts... I wonder who did the shelves in your Salon. Did you outsource, or did a friend do it for you?

[@kas7145]

Should have added that Einstein gave 0% of his winnings to Mileva Marić, despite her significant contributions to the work that got him there.

[@joezizz45]

One thing George Washington was not the only six star general. Pershing also had six stars

[@kasunellawala5695]

Da vinci look a bit like that one water man creature from the famous pirates film

[@kingding-a-ling9794]

Air bathing...we just call it "sittin in the house nekid"

[@a.nameline653]

Please don't sue her for copyright infringement. She can't defend her public display of the work and did attach attribution.

[@Delysid13]

You really missed an opportunity by not pointing out Mozart was into scatological humor and wrote several joke scatological music pieces and even several letters to his own family that I'm sure, at the time, was seen as disturbing. Now it's just funny toilet humor.

[@aG-td2uu]

Gotta do a part 2 some time

[@jamesieuan839]

8:52 when the writing changes from the left side of the screen to the right the spelling changes to "wanted to donated"

[@angelcrafter]

General "black Jack" Pershing also has the same rank though Washington was given higher seniority. No official insignia has ever been drafted, though, 4 gold stars or 6 silver stars is often used as a place holder.

[@rickhaydan3433]

Einstein gave his ex-wife the money from the Nobel Prize because she had done so much of the math that won it in the prize in the first place.