21 Things That Turned 21 This Year (2015 edition) - mental_floss List Show Ep. 343

TL;DR

In this video, John Green celebrates the 21st anniversary of various cultural milestones from 1994, covering movies, TV shows, music, and events.

Transcript

hi I'm John Green welcome to my salon this is Mental Floss video and you know that Forrest Gump was released in the US on July 6 1994 it's now of course considered an unadulterated classic but critics at the time weren't so sure Roger Ebert loved it and gave it four stars but Entertainment Weekly gave it a C they said the movie quote reduces the tu... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙈 1994 saw the release of several enduring movies like "Forrest Gump" and "Pulp Fiction".
• 🛀 TV shows like "ER" and "Friends" premiered in 1994 and became popular series.
• 💨 The PlayStation was released in Japan, paving the way for future gaming consoles.
• 🌸 The loss of influential figures like Kurt Cobain and Jackie Kennedy Onassis made 1994 a year of mourning.
• 👮 The OJ Simpson police chase and murder trial captivated the nation in 1994.
• 👾 Pop culture milestones like Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and the invention of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game occurred in 1994.
• 😱 The year also witnessed unsuccessful attempts at ordering pizza online and the theft of Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream".

Questions & Answers

Q: What were some popular movies released in 1994?

Some popular movies released in 1994 were "Forrest Gump", "Pulp Fiction", "The Santa Clause", and "The Lion King". These films have become iconic and are still widely watched today.

Q: Who were the main cast members of the TV show "Friends" in 1994, and how much did they earn?

The six main cast members of "Friends" in 1994 were Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer. At that time, they earned $22,000 per episode, significantly less than their later earnings of $1,000,000 per episode.

Q: What significant event happened in 1994 involving Kurt Cobain?

In 1994, Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, tragically committed suicide. His death continues to be a topic of conversation, as seen in documentaries like "Soaked in Bleach", which delve into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Q: What invention did the Beastie Boys contribute to in 1994?

The Beastie Boys are credited with inventing the word "Lovett", as it first appeared in their 1994 song "Mullet Head". While the term may have existed before, they popularized it through their song.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• "Forrest Gump", "Pulp Fiction", "The Lion King", "ER", and "Friends" all premiered in 1994, becoming enduring cultural hits.

• The PlayStation was released in Japan, music albums like "Weezer" and "Definitely Maybe" were popular, and Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" became a Christmas classic.

• 1994 also saw the loss of notable figures like Kurt Cobain, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and John Candy, and witnessed the OJ Simpson police chase and murder trial.