It’s July 4th, which means we’re all obligated to stuff our faces with thick meat slabs and finger foods and recount reasons why we live in the best country on Earth. No doubt many will mention all the widespread freedoms Uncle Sam has given us, as well as the advanced medicine, the high standard of living and the delicious food during patriotic conversations around the bonfire, but the fine people over at Mental Floss are a little less into the idealism and a little more into the random factoids.
So, to celebrate Independence Day the Mental Floss way, John Green and company put together one bizarre fact about each state and recorded a pretty funny video spewing all the knowledge into the world. Not surprisingly, the footage immediately started crushing. Since being released on Wednesday, more than two hundred thousand people have already watched it, and that number is rapidly increasingly by the hour---probably because there’s no better day of the year to share a video about American facts than the 4th of July. I’d tell you that’s the only reason I covered this, but anyone who reads Pop Blend regularly knows I cover as many of the channel’s videos as I can find.
It’s hard to pick out a single fact I like better than the rest, but if you put a lit firework to my head and made me, it’s probably New Hampshire’s decision to use the Old Man of the Mountain as the symbol of their official state quarter, only to watch the structure collapse not long afterward. That’s such a delightful ball of comedy, tragedy and obnoxiousness, especially since the state has worked hard to recreate the view. Well, sort of.
If you’re still looking for something to watch, I’ve gone ahead and embedded another Mental Floss video below. Beyond obscure facts about the various states, nothing says 4th of July quite like good old American liquor. So, here is one of the channel’s better all time videos. It’s called 26 Alcoholic Drinks, and it gives as lengthy of backstories as can be found for some of the most famous adult beverages we drink today.
Enjoy and happy Independence Day…
