Haha :D Now I went up and laughed, too. To be fair though, with the stubble and the particularly unkempt hair, he could *almost* look like he was just a few years older than, say, me xD
As if he didn't do enough, Ben Franklin was also the first fire chief, founding the first Volunteer fire company in Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company. A lot of the founding fathers served as volunteer firemen including: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Alexander Hamilton,
I get that you guys need sponsors, but the "History" Channel.. Really? You're going to present a list of historical facts on an episode sponsored by a channel that wouldn't know what history was if they married it and had alien babies with it..
I'm curious, what is the matter with that channel? I'm not from North America, so I don't know. I only once heard that The Learning Channel is not actually very educational, does the same go for that History Channel?
Momo They used to have programs about actual history, as in things that actually happened, but then they started to a lot of programs about things that didn't happened, most famously programs about ancient aliens.
Momo yep, the effect that stupid things get more ratings makes it hard for smart shows to stay around, but as the switch to stupid happens on previously educational channels they don't change their name.
Bullet Craft I'm well aware of that. Doesn't change my personal opinion that a channel like mental_floss, which clearly values actual history, shouldn't use the History Channel as a sponsor.
Great video! One thing though, I interned at the National Archives for a time this past year and I need to correct you one thing: the Declaration of Independence was NOT signed on July 4th, 1776. The order of events went like this: On July 2nd, 1776, the proposal that the colonies should become independent from Great Britain was voted on and approved. On July 4th, 1776 the text of the Declaration was voted on and approved and that moment Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin ran next door to a newspaper printer named Dunlap and had him run off as many copies of the text as possible. These copies (known today as the Dunlap Broadsides) were the first copies of the Declaration to be printed and they were distributed across the new nation. Then the Continental Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed (written down in fancy handwriting) on parchment. The process took about a month and on August 2nd, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed by (most of) the men that voted to approve it. Anyway, sorry for the novel, I gave a lot of tours during my internship.
Actually, Paul Revere never made it. He wasn't the one who made the ride; he was caught. The only reason this misconception exists is because his name was easier to make into a poem.
James Gray I know. Honestly, I kind of laughed when I learned that history books teach that Paul Revere made the ride, and succeeded saying "The British are coming!" He most likely said "The Redcoats are coming!" Or, "The Regulars are coming!" Another thing that a lot of people don't know is that the Revolutionary War was started for equality, not a whole new country.
It could be worse; they could make a video about current events and have it sponsored by Fox News (but it'll be a cold day in hell before that happens).
Bullet Craft I know that, but when I see that symbol my skepticism goes through the roof no matter where the information came from. It's just an involuntary reaction to their endorsement.
Noticed that you've been captioning your most recent videos. Please keep it up! We need more quality content that deaf and hard of hearing audiences can enjoy.
It was ratified on July 2, but Hancock did sign it on July 4. (Didn't they cover this in a previous video?) After that, the other signers wrote their names whenever they felt like it over the course of July and August. Several congressmen never signed.
Franklin also determined positive and negative electrical poles for batteries, and got them backwards! We still use the backward designations today as they would be too difficult to change.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died "50 years after the declaration was signed". On July 4th. I thought in a previous video we were taught that the signing was in August and the ratification was on the 4th of July?
gwkowe But isn't this the John Green who makes up half of the Vlogbrothers duo? (jk. This would be more fun if it was Hank...you could go for days asking "Is this the same Hank Green that does ______? (filling in the blank with ALL THE THINGS)
Wow, that 6min video was more history than History Channel's done in several years. Disappointed by the lack of "Ben Franklin wrote about the virtues of fornicating with old women", though. Always fun bringing that one up.
How ironic is it that History channel sponsors a RUclips video that has more history in it than the History Channel does all day. I love some of the history channels shows but the only history on that channel is the 3 minutes of history explained on Pawn Stars. The rest of that show is dedicated to billrip story lines of the staff doing poorly scripted things.
The thing I love about the founding fathers, is that if you really look into their history they were just as human as the rest of us. They aren't some paragons who were perfect in every way. And I really don't mind that. I'm not really much for romanticizing political figures. These men were intelligent to be sure and their thoughts on politics and civil rights were revolutionary for their time. They were great men to be sure. But just because they were great men doesn't mean they were good men. I respect them as a whole for what they accomplished in creating this country's laws and outlining how the country should be run far beyond their time. That doesn't mean I hold all of them on a pedestal. Although Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are two that I respect highly. Especially Franklin who was a horny drunken genius with a sense of humor that had little boundaries. He was more or less the precursor to Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Neil may not be much for spirits or womanizing, but he has a fantastic sense of humor, he's brilliant and is a credit to the human race much like Franklin. At least that's my opinion.
ben franklin also gave us the terms "positive" and "negative" for describing the flow of electricity confusing students for years and years to come (electricity goes from the negative terminal to positive terminal)
AmerJewDogz the electron is only considered "negative" because it corresponds to the negative terminal. it would make more sense to say the side with the excess of electrons is positive while the side with the deficit of electrons is negative. franklin thought the positive side had more electricity and that electricity flowed from the positive terminal to the negative terminal.
It is not surprising that Franklin was able to come up with so many synonyms for getting drunk, as our Founding Fathers drank a lot. Like, a LOT. Like, really a very great lot. (The idea of Prohibition did not arise because a few college kids got plastered too often.)
The Paul Revere ride (and reenactment) goes right by my house here in Medford. A few Years ago the Paul Revere actor would get shots of rum while reenacting the ride. One year they had to change riders..."Paul" was too drunk...haha. They don't do that part of the reenactment anymore. --Van P.S. Some Medford notes...Amelia Earhart's house is right up the street (her sister lived there into her 90's), Sagamore John Indians are buried in the middle of the street, Jingle Bells wriitten here, Mayor Bloomberg's childhood/parents home here, and the Gypsy moth infestation started from a home near Medford square...
I was excited to see this video in my subscriptions because I thought I would be able to share it with my grandfather who is a total history buff and gives guided tours at Monticello. I was dismayed to discover it was less than respectful. It's true, they weren't perfect but would you like to be remembered for your mistakes or your triumphs?
I loved this. I study history and this was a lot of information i did not know. I would have liked to see some facts on how some of the founding fathers were not christian as we think of it today. other than that this episode is great!
Everyone’s down here bitching about the history channel sponsor, so let me get this straight: You all are upset because the History Channel stopped showing history. First off, you need to keep in mind that the history channel changed because its ratings were tanking-the ‘nerdy’ people who would watch the history channel tend to be the same people who first adopted the internet as their new source of media. But now, they’ve found a way to adapt to that and sponsor a channel that does give you what you want-and you’re upset at them for doing that, too? You all are impossible to please.
Just a thought about the last one... isn't it strange how you can use virtually any English word with an "-ed" suffix, and it WILL sound like a weird euphemism for being or getting drunk? Eg. "Dude, you got totally carparked last night." "I don't remember anything, I was telotyped out of my mind." "Wanna go out tonight and get backslided?" I love the English language.
Didn't Franklin also invent the lightning rod, flippers for swimming and bi-focal glasses. Also Franklin was originally from Boston so did he do that swimming in Boston as well?
Are you a descendant of Ben Franklin or is that just your last name? Also I feel this balances thing considering I don't know a single person who can spell Welsh words.
Issue with how you presented fact 11: You said that as a child Franklin swam in the Schuylkill River, in Philadelphia. Problem is that Franklin didn't move from Boston to Philadelphia till he was 17.
Having a crush on a video game character named after a historical figure makes casual listening awkward when you start blushing and your pulse changes, dang. I'm shook. Fan me like a flustered victorian I even respond to history lessons, I got it bad and he isn't real.
"Is there anything [Ben Franklin] wasn't good at??"
Yep! Fidelity.
Wow, all the seriousness and sincere curiosity was immediately sucked out once you mentioned History Channel. That's quite an accomplishment!
That's what's called Name Brand Recognition
TheVlog "Brand Name", actually, but yeah, your point is valid :-P
this nigga ever hear of a comb??
I just skimmed over the description and I laughed when it said, "This week, John looks 26"
Haha :D Now I went up and laughed, too.
To be fair though, with the stubble and the particularly unkempt hair, he could *almost* look like he was just a few years older than, say, me xD
John: *mentions John Adams*
Me: I know him
This video is probably the most historic reporting work the history channel has produced in 6 years.
Next episode: 200 synonyms for getting drunk.
i would like this and it need to be sponsored by an anti drinking campaign
Captain Ban Yeah! That'd be like the History Channel sponsoring a show full of historical accurate information.
Captain Ban Please drink responsibly. watch?v=wF1E5ZO8Lug
Can we all stop bickering and just be glad that The History Channel is doing SOMETHING to promote history programming?
The video is great and I love the shelves behind you! Did you lay out the millions of things and then build the shelves? Truly unique!
I now see the need for an entire episode devoted to facts about Ben Franklin.
As if he didn't do enough, Ben Franklin was also the first fire chief, founding the first Volunteer fire company in Philadelphia, the Union Fire Company. A lot of the founding fathers served as volunteer firemen including: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Alexander Hamilton,
This may be my favorite mental floss ever
It's definitely one of mine!
Franklin experimented using tree leaves as early watermarks on currency. The vein systems in them are unique like fingerprints. Was a clever idea.
Johns face as he anounces the sponsor, I can just imagine how long it to took them to take that shot.
Thank god! A mental floss with john green
As a Delawarean, I'm pleasantly surprised you pronounced Schulykill right.
I get that you guys need sponsors, but the "History" Channel.. Really? You're going to present a list of historical facts on an episode sponsored by a channel that wouldn't know what history was if they married it and had alien babies with it..
I'm curious, what is the matter with that channel? I'm not from North America, so I don't know. I only once heard that The Learning Channel is not actually very educational, does the same go for that History Channel?
Momo They used to have programs about actual history, as in things that actually happened, but then they started to a lot of programs about things that didn't happened, most famously programs about ancient aliens.
Momo yep, the effect that stupid things get more ratings makes it hard for smart shows to stay around, but as the switch to stupid happens on previously educational channels they don't change their name.
They didn't get the facts from history channel, they just take their money and say their name on the video…
Bullet Craft I'm well aware of that. Doesn't change my personal opinion that a channel like mental_floss, which clearly values actual history, shouldn't use the History Channel as a sponsor.
Great video, but what if History starts making you make Mental Floss videos about Hitler and sex
Oh my god I wonder how many people will get this reference
TheVlog XD at least you make it one more than I thought
I got it DFTBA
I'm actually very amused by the amount of people that get it
Now I'll have that song stuck in my head for the rest of the evening! :)
Awesome, as always!
I'm surprised they didn't mention Franklin's copious amount of illegitimate children, I thinks it was close to eighty
Literally everything I hear about Ben Franklin makes me love him even more.
Some were very young. For example, Alexander Hamilton was 19 years of age in 1776. Ben Franklin was age 70.
Ben Franklin was an expert swimmer. Wow! Never knew that.
he also invented those flip flop things you use for swimming, but he made it out of wood that time.
At first I was mad about History Channel, then I realized they actually sponsored something educational.
Heart sunk when I saw the history channel logo
Great video! One thing though, I interned at the National Archives for a time this past year and I need to correct you one thing: the Declaration of Independence was NOT signed on July 4th, 1776.
The order of events went like this:
On July 2nd, 1776, the proposal that the colonies should become independent from Great Britain was voted on and approved.
On July 4th, 1776 the text of the Declaration was voted on and approved and that moment Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin ran next door to a newspaper printer named Dunlap and had him run off as many copies of the text as possible. These copies (known today as the Dunlap Broadsides) were the first copies of the Declaration to be printed and they were distributed across the new nation.
Then the Continental Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed (written down in fancy handwriting) on parchment. The process took about a month and on August 2nd, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed by (most of) the men that voted to approve it.
Anyway, sorry for the novel, I gave a lot of tours during my internship.
Actually, Paul Revere never made it. He wasn't the one who made the ride; he was caught. The only reason this misconception exists is because his name was easier to make into a poem.
He also didn't say "The British are Coming!" Everyone was British at the time.
James Gray I know. Honestly, I kind of laughed when I learned that history books teach that Paul Revere made the ride, and succeeded saying "The British are coming!"
He most likely said "The Redcoats are coming!" Or, "The Regulars are coming!" Another thing that a lot of people don't know is that the Revolutionary War was started for equality, not a whole new country.
batman88891 so who was the real guy?
Commenting in 2017, wondering where all the Hamilton comments are. Remembers it didn't blow up until last year.
Xio Moreira-Ruiz coming from 2020. can’t stand lin manuel
@@sarikatimmi w h y
when he mentioned that the episode was brought to us by history, I expected the second half of the video to be about aliens.
I really liked this episode
This is perfect timing I am just learning about them in my American revolutionary class
OKAY.... *FOLLOW MEH*
Sarah Cann I'M CANADIAN!! IM HER COUSIN. *LEARN ABOUT CANADA* HAHAHAHAAAHAHAHA
(*le me being myself...)
Suddenly I doubt every single thing in this video, why would you get sponsored by a channel that is infamous for it's misinformation?
It could be worse; they could make a video about current events and have it sponsored by Fox News (but it'll be a cold day in hell before that happens).
***** actually, there is a city called Hell and it freezes over nearly annually :)
They didn't get the facts from history channel, they just take their money and say their name on the video…
Money is money, right? It doesn't matter who it comes from. If it keeps the show going, I don't care.
Bullet Craft I know that, but when I see that symbol my skepticism goes through the roof no matter where the information came from. It's just an involuntary reaction to their endorsement.
Noticed that you've been captioning your most recent videos. Please keep it up! We need more quality content that deaf and hard of hearing audiences can enjoy.
26 Fascinating Benjamin Franklin Facts
The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2nd…
Yes.
It was ratified on July 2, but Hancock did sign it on July 4. (Didn't they cover this in a previous video?) After that, the other signers wrote their names whenever they felt like it over the course of July and August. Several congressmen never signed.
Ben Franklin's 200 Synonyms for Getting Drunk should be the next episode.
I hadn't realized how much of a badass Benjamin Franklin was.
John has new glasses! Looking good.
The Founding Fathers were renowned for their leadership, innovation, and country-founding ability, not for their sobriety or dog-naming prowess.
Franklin also determined positive and negative electrical poles for batteries, and got them backwards! We still use the backward designations today as they would be too difficult to change.
Perfect sponser.
Revere wouldn't've got through 'Mehfah' today without a few beers.
We now need an episode with all 300 synonyms
History is sponsoring now??? Can't wait for the pawn star spam now...
Yeah I know right? Next thing you know Audible.com will be sponsoring the show and all of the facts will be about books!
/s
just say the magic word "battle toads"
TaleLore That wouldn't be so bad. Anything is better than the Aliens Channel.
gosh john's hair has a life on its own now!
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died "50 years after the declaration was signed". On July 4th.
I thought in a previous video we were taught that the signing was in August and the ratification was on the 4th of July?
Your hair looks great in this video :3
You would think the history channel would sponsor a list about WW2
I honestly do not mind the fact that these videos are sponsored. Keep on keepin on
Awesome
Is this the same John Green who made the fault in our stars
Yes
gwkowe But isn't this the John Green who makes up half of the Vlogbrothers duo? (jk. This would be more fun if it was Hank...you could go for days asking "Is this the same Hank Green that does ______? (filling in the blank with ALL THE THINGS)
Wow, that 6min video was more history than History Channel's done in several years.
Disappointed by the lack of "Ben Franklin wrote about the virtues of fornicating with old women", though. Always fun bringing that one up.
I'm going to think about those Benjamin Rush facts the next time I look at the statue of him in the middle of my college campus.
How ironic is it that History channel sponsors a RUclips video that has more history in it than the History Channel does all day. I love some of the history channels shows but the only history on that channel is the 3 minutes of history explained on Pawn Stars. The rest of that show is dedicated to billrip story lines of the staff doing poorly scripted things.
William Dawes, who also rode with Paul Revere had a grand son who became vice president
Can the next list show please be the 200 synonyms for getting drunk?!?!?!
Trouble's brewin, Paul, trouble's brewin.
Wow, history channel doing actual history
wonder how many takes it took to get the opening spin and line correctly timed. It was very smooth
The thing I love about the founding fathers, is that if you really look into their history they were just as human as the rest of us. They aren't some paragons who were perfect in every way. And I really don't mind that. I'm not really much for romanticizing political figures. These men were intelligent to be sure and their thoughts on politics and civil rights were revolutionary for their time. They were great men to be sure. But just because they were great men doesn't mean they were good men. I respect them as a whole for what they accomplished in creating this country's laws and outlining how the country should be run far beyond their time. That doesn't mean I hold all of them on a pedestal.
Although Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are two that I respect highly. Especially Franklin who was a horny drunken genius with a sense of humor that had little boundaries. He was more or less the precursor to Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Neil may not be much for spirits or womanizing, but he has a fantastic sense of humor, he's brilliant and is a credit to the human race much like Franklin. At least that's my opinion.
The list of terms for drunk was expanded in Mrs Bryne's Dictionary
Who else saw the volleyball "Wilson" from the movie castaway with Tom hanks in the background?
Ben Franklin didn't always drink beer, but when he did, he preferred Dos Equis.
200 synonyms for getting drunk... Sooooo ... Ben Franklin was basically Mental Floss back in his day :D
ben franklin also gave us the terms "positive" and "negative" for describing the flow of electricity confusing students for years and years to come (electricity goes from the negative terminal to positive terminal)
Doesn't that make sense? Because the negative electrons are attracted to their opposite, the positively charged side.
AmerJewDogz
the electron is only considered "negative" because it corresponds to the negative terminal.
it would make more sense to say the side with the excess of electrons is positive while the side with the deficit of electrons is negative. franklin thought the positive side had more electricity and that electricity flowed from the positive terminal to the negative terminal.
Awesome! Great Video!
I'm number 62 worship me.
Can you make a video about Ben Franklin?
It is not surprising that Franklin was able to come up with so many synonyms for getting drunk, as our Founding Fathers drank a lot. Like, a LOT. Like, really a very great lot. (The idea of Prohibition did not arise because a few college kids got plastered too often.)
History Channel sponsoring an actual historical documentary production? WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!
The Paul Revere ride (and reenactment) goes right by my house here in Medford. A few Years ago the Paul Revere actor would get shots of rum while reenacting the ride. One year they had to change riders..."Paul" was too drunk...haha. They don't do that part of the reenactment anymore.
--Van
P.S. Some Medford notes...Amelia Earhart's house is right up the street (her sister lived there into her 90's), Sagamore John Indians are buried in the middle of the street, Jingle Bells wriitten here, Mayor Bloomberg's childhood/parents home here, and the Gypsy moth infestation started from a home near Medford square...
Don't forget "Over the River and Through the Wood" was written there too. And man I would have loved to see that part of the reenactment :D
Kind of want "Elephant you're drunkard" on a T-shirt now....
I was excited to see this video in my subscriptions because I thought I would be able to share it with my grandfather who is a total history buff and gives guided tours at Monticello. I was dismayed to discover it was less than respectful. It's true, they weren't perfect but would you like to be remembered for your mistakes or your triumphs?
Wow. The History Channel having something to do with actual history. That's a first.
I loved this. I study history and this was a lot of information i did not know. I would have liked to see some facts on how some of the founding fathers were not christian as we think of it today. other than that this episode is great!
Everyone’s down here bitching about the history channel sponsor, so let me get this straight:
You all are upset because the History Channel stopped showing history. First off, you need to keep in mind that the history channel changed because its ratings were tanking-the ‘nerdy’ people who would watch the history channel tend to be the same people who first adopted the internet as their new source of media.
But now, they’ve found a way to adapt to that and sponsor a channel that does give you what you want-and you’re upset at them for doing that, too?
You all are impossible to please.
Is it just me, or did he look genuinely sad, if not a little pissed, when saying "our friends at History"...?
I came for the comments on Ben Franklin.
Things Ben Franklin wasn't good at? Abstinence
Do people not understand how advertisements work?
Are these people trolls, misinformed, or paranoid?
Ehhh, anyways, love the videos, Mental Floss
Just a thought about the last one... isn't it strange how you can use virtually any English word with an "-ed" suffix, and it WILL sound like a weird euphemism for being or getting drunk? Eg. "Dude, you got totally carparked last night." "I don't remember anything, I was telotyped out of my mind." "Wanna go out tonight and get backslided?" I love the English language.
You can't just mention that there is an old list of 200 synonyms for getting drunk and then not give a few highlights!
Didn't Franklin also invent the lightning rod, flippers for swimming and bi-focal glasses. Also Franklin was originally from Boston so did he do that swimming in Boston as well?
I'm from Australia, have absolutely no interest in the Foundaing Fathers, but when I saw John I watched in anyway
Ben Franklin was both 'lazy' and 'a hard worker'? I call shenanigans!
The history channel sponsored this episode? But there's no aliens
these are 26 interesting facts, but which founding father was an ALIEN
the one on the left, i think.
Obviously Franklin
Chase Tyler
IKR, that guy was uncannily good at stuff
I am suddenly very proud to be a member of the Franklin family even if no one in wales can spell it right
Are you a descendant of Ben Franklin or is that just your last name? Also I feel this balances thing considering I don't know a single person who can spell Welsh words.
Never looked into it so as far as i know its just the last name
The elephant's name shouldn't be Drunkard. It should be Trunkard.
That's an awful amount of absolutely absurd albeit awesome alliteration in the video title.
No mention of Franklin writing "Fart Proudly"?
Why wasn't this just a Metal Floss on Franklin?
Issue with how you presented fact 11: You said that as a child Franklin swam in the Schuylkill River, in Philadelphia. Problem is that Franklin didn't move from Boston to Philadelphia till he was 17.
I heard that Paul reveres ride was not really like that but who knows.
can you do a list with your favorite synonyms for getting drunk be Ben Franklin?
I would very much like to know those synonyms.
Wait, I thought you had a long standing feud with the history channel?
Having a crush on a video game character named after a historical figure makes casual listening awkward when you start blushing and your pulse changes, dang. I'm shook. Fan me like a flustered victorian I even respond to history lessons, I got it bad and he isn't real.
5:09 I want that Andre the Giant figurine.
Ben Franklin proven to be the best human in his century
Proven by what standard? And by whom?
Big Question: who invented the signature?
Drunk in the past: Heros
Drunk today: Shame, arrested, or hated
Drunk in the future: ???