Broken Arrows, Part 1: Whoops, Where's Our Nuke?
Nuclear weapons are one of the most dangerous things humanity ever invented. So while we might reasonably assume people would keep a close eye on these potentially world-ending bombs and missiles...we...
18 Jul 202339min
New Providence: That Time Pirates Had A Government
The so-called Golden Age of Piracy was a time of lawless, terrifying, at-times amazing and objectively ridiculous history. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Matt explore a fascinating claim: Did some ...
13 Jul 202356min
Tons of People Married Their First Cousins
What do Albert Einstein, Jesse James and Saddam Hussein have in common? Like many notable figures throughout history, these men ended up marrying their first cousins. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and...
11 Jul 202351min
Lost Media, Part 2: The Magnificent Ambersons
True story: Orson Welles has a film no one will ever see. In the second part of this continuing series, the guys explore "The Magnificent Ambersons," from its origins to its adaptations all the way to...
6 Jul 202339min
The Ridiculous History of "Snake Oil"
Nowadays, "snake oil" usually means a fake medicine or treatment that claims -- with no evidence -- to cure any number of medical conditions. But where did this term come from? In today's episode, Ben...
4 Jul 202352min
Badass of the Week, Part 2: Rise of the Kung Fu Werewolf
Everyone can agree the story of T'ai Djin is amazing -- he was born afflicted with a rare genetic condition that made him look like a werewolf, was adopted by Shaolin monks and became the most badass ...
29 Jun 202341min
Badass of the Week, Part 1: An Origin Story
What makes an historical figure larger than life? Since 2004, author and historian Ben Thompson has been writing about the most badass people in history, from generals to saints, from pioneers to crim...
27 Jun 202333min
That Time Abe Lincoln Trolled His Way Into a Real-life Duel
In 1842, Abraham Lincoln wrote an article clowning a guy named James Shields. Although the article was satirical, and attributed to a made-up author, Shields still didn't love the joke. Some of Abe's ...
22 Jun 202336min
