Hi there! I’m John Green, and today I’m sharing some cool and fun facts with you. Did you know that mini golf was invented in Victorian England? Back then, women weren’t allowed to swing a club above their shoulder, which led to the creation of mini golf. Nowadays, it’s a popular activity often seen in romantic comedies. Here’s another interesting tidbit: in the 1950s, mini golf courses used dyed goat hair instead of grass for the putting greens. There’s even a World Minigolf Sport Federation in Sweden that oversees official tournaments!
Let’s talk about some classic toys. Lincoln Logs, which you might have played with, were invented by John Lloyd Wright, the son of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. They weren’t named after Abraham Lincoln but rather after Frank’s original last name, Lincoln. The idea came from an earthquake-proof hotel design in Tokyo. Another building toy, K’Nex, was inspired by drinking straws at a wedding, and LEGO comes from the Danish words “LEg GOdt,” meaning “play well.”
Did you know that the first roller coasters were Russian ice coasters built in the 17th century for Catherine the Great? They were quite steep and popular, eventually making their way to France. In 1884, La Marcus Thompson built one of the first roller coasters on Coney Island, which was more of a gentle ride at 6 miles per hour. Despite seeming scary, roller coasters are actually safer than using a folding lawn chair, according to a 2001 study.
Coney Island has been a fascinating place for many, including Sigmund Freud and Beyoncé, who filmed a music video there. Cary Grant even worked there as a stilt walker. Speaking of fun places, Tivoli Gardens in Denmark is one of the oldest amusement parks, opened in 1843, and it inspired Walt Disney when he was creating Disneyland.
Let’s dive into some toys and games. The Etch-a-Sketch, invented in France in 1950, was originally called the Telecran. The Super Soaker, a popular water gun, was invented by NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson and was first called the “Power Drencher.” Crayola crayons, which mean “oily chalk” in French, are loved by kids, who use up over 700 crayons by age 10!
In the world of books, J.K. Rowling came up with the name “Quidditch” after listing words starting with Q. King’s Cross station, where Harry Potter catches the train to Hogwarts, is special to Rowling because her parents met there. She once mentioned she wished Harry and Hermione had ended up together, but that’s just one of her many thoughts on the series.
Did you know that Monopoly’s mascot, Rich Uncle Pennybags, is actually named Milburn Pennybags? And during a Monopoly marathon in Pittsburgh, they ran out of money, so Parker Brothers had to send more in an armored car! Mark Twain even invented a board game called “Mark Twain’s Memory Builder.”
Finally, let’s talk about the Cozy Coupe, a toy car that has been a favorite since 1979. Almost 500,000 are sold every year, making it one of the best-selling cars in America!
Thanks for joining me on this fun journey through interesting facts. If you have any mind-blowing questions, feel free to ask in the comments. And remember, stay awesome!
Design your own mini golf course! Use materials like cardboard, paper, and markers to create a mini golf hole. Think about obstacles and themes that make it fun and challenging. Share your design with the class and explain the inspiration behind it.
Using simple materials like straws, connectors, and blocks, create a prototype of a new building toy. Consider how it can be assembled and what makes it unique. Present your toy to the class and discuss its potential name and target audience.
Explore the physics of roller coasters by building a small model using materials like foam tubing and marbles. Experiment with different heights and slopes to see how they affect speed and motion. Record your observations and share your findings with the class.
Research one of the oldest amusement parks, such as Tivoli Gardens or Coney Island. Create a presentation or poster that highlights its history, famous attractions, and any interesting facts. Share your research with the class and discuss how these parks have influenced modern amusement parks.
Compile a booklet of fun facts from the article and add your own research. Include illustrations or photos to make it visually appealing. Share your booklet with classmates and discuss which facts you found most surprising or interesting.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. I have a bit of a cold today, so I’m coming to you with my husky voice. Anyway, did you know that mini golf was invented in Victorian England? Apparently, women weren’t supposed to raise a club above their shoulder on a backswing. And now we’re all familiar with fictional, cheesy mini golf dates in romantic comedies. That’s just one of many fun facts I’m going to share with you today in this video presented by Geico.
I’m not talking about the band Fun, by the way. You’ve probably heard that song enough. I’m talking about games, theme parks, Harry Potter, and more. Speaking of mini golf, in the 1950s, dyed goat hair was used for mini golf putting greens instead of grass. How is that easier than just using grass? Also, lest you think that mini golf isn’t serious business, there is a World Minigolf Sport Federation headquartered in Sweden that handles all official mini golf tournaments and competitions. I wonder if they have regulations for the size of the clown’s mouth or the speed of the windmill. Regardless, I’m not a fan of mini golf.
But you know what is fun? Lincoln Logs! What’s that? They aren’t named for Abraham Lincoln? Lincoln Logs were created by John Lloyd Wright, who was the son of America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. They weren’t named for Abraham Lincoln; Frank’s name before his parents broke up was Frank Lincoln Wright, so that’s probably where the “Lincoln” comes from. The design for Lincoln Logs was inspired by an earthquake-proof hotel in Tokyo. After he sold the idea for $800, John Lloyd Wright hoped for more success, so he built another set of building blocks called Wright Blocks, which did not take off.
Speaking of building toys, the idea for K’Nex came to Joel Glickman while he was playing with drinking straws at a wedding. The name LEGO comes from the Danish words LEg & GOdt, which together mean “play well.” It was only later that the company learned that in Latin, Lego means “I put together.”
Moving onto roller coasters… the first ones were Russian ice coasters in the 17th century, built for Catherine the Great behind her palace. They were 5 stories high and built at a steep 50 degrees. Now, I can’t get halfway through Space Mountain without screaming, but these Russian ice coasters were very popular and were then exported to France, where they were known as “Russian Mountains.” In 1884, one of the first roller coasters was built on Coney Island by La Marcus Thompson, known today as the “Father of the Gravity Ride.” It wasn’t actually that thrilling; it was a slightly sloped ride that went 6 miles an hour, which sounds perfect to me. But it was really lucrative—he made the equivalent of $31,000 in 3 weeks.
Today’s roller coasters may seem dangerous, but a 2001 study by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions found that you’re more likely to be injured while using a folding lawn chair than while riding a roller coaster. On the topic of Coney Island, when Sigmund Freud and his protégé Carl Jung visited the United States, Freud declared that Coney Island was the only part of America that interested him.
Beyoncé once filmed a music video there, which means that both a significant psychologist and a major cultural figure appreciated Coney Island. Cary Grant also spent time there as a stilt walker, having learned the skill while touring with a vaudeville group in England.
Now let’s move on to kickball. The original kickball had some unusual rules, including: 30 players could play at once, there was no pitcher, and people stood 20 feet away from home plate. If the ball didn’t reach them, the kicker was automatically out. There was only one base, and 14 people could be on that one base at the same time.
In 1950, the Etch-a-Sketch was invented in France and was originally called the Telecran, operated by joystick. Ten years later, Henry Winzeler of the Ohio Art Toy Company licensed it for American use, replacing the joystick with two white knobs.
Let’s move on to a fun book: Harry Potter. When J.K. Rowling was trying to come up with the name for Quidditch, she listed out 5 pages of words that started with Q until she found one she liked. In the Harry Potter world, King’s Cross station is where students catch the train to Hogwarts, and that station has special meaning to J.K. Rowling—her parents met there.
Rowling recently admitted that she kind of wishes Harry and Hermione had ended up together, but she’s also acknowledged some less controversial mistakes. For instance, snowy owls do not hoot or make conversational sounds the way they do in the book.
If you’re looking for a different amusement park, consider Tivoli Gardens in Denmark. It’s one of the oldest operating amusement parks in the world, opened in 1843, and reportedly inspired Walt Disney when he was thinking about Disneyland. The first proprietor of Tivoli Gardens, Georg Carstensen, sold the idea to the king by saying, “When the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics.”
Santa Claus Land in Santa Claus, Indiana, might be the first-ever theme park, widely considered to be the first park with a recurring motif instead of just a random assortment of rides and attractions.
Now onto a few toys that Santa often brings. The Super Soaker, invented by NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson, was originally called “the Power Drencher.” Another fun name is Crayola, which means “oily chalk” in French. According to the Crayola company, the average kid wears out over 700 crayons by their 10th birthday.
The real name of Monopoly mascot Rich Uncle Pennybags is Milburn Pennybags. One time, a big Monopoly marathon in Pittsburgh ran out of Monopoly money, so Parker Brothers filled an armored car with game money and rushed it over.
Mark Twain invented a board game called “Mark Twain’s Memory Builder: A Game for Acquiring and Retaining All Sorts of Facts and Dates.”
Real-life people who have been G.I. Joe figurines include Teddy Roosevelt, Buzz Aldrin, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and football player “Refrigerator” Perry. During the 14th century, a hula hooping craze swept England, and doctors blamed the fad for increasing rates of dislocated backs and heart attacks.
Going back even earlier, a Greek vase from 500 BCE shows a kid playing with a yo-yo.
Now, returning to my salon, I want to show you this: a Cozy Coupe. Almost 500,000 of these are sold every year. In fact, in 2008, they were the best-selling car in America by a wide margin.
The first one of these was sold in 1979, making the car nearly 35 years old. The inventor, Jim Mariol, came up with the idea while wheeling around his office in a desk chair.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss here on YouTube, made with the help of all these wonderful people and presented by our friends at Geico. Every week, I endeavor to answer one of your mind-blowing questions. This week’s question comes from Melissa Benson, who asks, “When was bubble gum invented?”
Well, Melissa, even though chewing gum has existed for thousands of years, bubble gum was technically invented in 1906 for the Fleer Company. It wasn’t actually sold until the formula was perfected in 1928, which became Dubble Bubble. If you want to leave a mind-blowing question, you can do so in the comments. Thanks again for watching, and don’t forget to be awesome.
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History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Example sentence: In history class, we learned about the events that led to the American Revolution.
England – A country that is part of the United Kingdom, known for its rich history and cultural heritage. – Example sentence: England has many historical landmarks, including the Tower of London and Stonehenge.
Toys – Objects for children to play with, often reflecting cultural and historical themes. – Example sentence: In the Victorian era, toys like wooden soldiers and dolls were popular among children in England.
Games – Activities engaged in for amusement or fun, often with rules and objectives. – Example sentence: Traditional games like chess and checkers have been played for centuries and are still enjoyed today.
Roller – A component of a roller coaster, which is a type of amusement ride. – Example sentence: The roller on the coaster made the ride smooth and thrilling as it sped down the track.
Coasters – Amusement rides consisting of a track with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. – Example sentence: Roller coasters were first introduced in the late 19th century and quickly became a popular attraction at amusement parks.
Amusement – The state or experience of finding something entertaining or enjoyable. – Example sentence: The amusement park was filled with laughter and excitement as families enjoyed the various rides and attractions.
Parks – Public areas set aside for recreation and enjoyment, often featuring natural scenery and attractions. – Example sentence: Many cities have parks where people can relax, play sports, and enjoy outdoor activities.
Books – Written or printed works consisting of pages bound together, often conveying stories or information. – Example sentence: Historical books can provide valuable insights into the lives and events of people from the past.
Movies – Films or motion pictures that tell stories through moving images and sound. – Example sentence: Movies about historical events can bring the past to life and help us understand different perspectives.
