Happy New Year! Seems like a lot of people were ready to say good riddance to 2021 and we are too. Yay 2022! For our final holiday best of episode, we are giving you a refresher on Watergate! The scandal that rocked America and ended Nixon's presidency. Scandals! Presidencies! Maybe a good topic for this time of year... Watergate has consistently been a top episode of ours, and we hope it's both entertaining and informing. Enjoy! And then, let's have the best year yet!

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

Next up in our Holiday Best Of line-up: Tarot Cards! This is another of our most downloaded (and most enjoyed!) episodes, and for good reason. Tarot Cards are fascinating, and often misunderstood, topic. And when better to brush up on your fortune-telling mechanisms than right before the new year. You can get a tarot reading to see what the new year has in store, or make a resolution to pick up a new hobby and learn to read tarot yourself! Either way, enjoy this fun exploration with us! And Happy New Year!

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

Happy Holidays Everyone! We are taking a vacation and decided to run three of our favorites for you while we are resting and relaxing. First up: Chess! We loved this topic when we first did it, and since then Katie has taken it upon herself to teach Zack how to play chess! And now we are addicted. Also, we recently (finally) watched The Queen's Gambit on Netflix - highly recommend! Do like we did - listen to this episode, then learn chess, then play it a lot, then binge the series. Spoiler alert - the "queen's gambit" is a chess opening! Surprisingly not some kind of conspiracy involving the royal family. Enjoy! 

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... The North Pole! We figured this was a fun seasonal topic. We broke it into three parts for your listening pleasure: the science, the history, and the Santa. So sit back, relax, and prop your feet up in front of the fire while learning about what the north pole really is (geographic vs. magnetic), who really discovered it (Peary? Or no!), and why Santa chose to live there (and how we know about it). 

Highlights Include:

- Historical drama!! Who was the first to reach the North pole?

- A wobbling axis

- Why Santa Lives at the North Pole!

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Who Really Wrote Shakespeare's Plays! William Shakespeare, that is! The man, the myth, the legend! Emphasis on myth here, because we dove into whether Shakespeare actually wrote all of the writing attributed to him! Zack dove into three big Shakespiracies -the Oxfordian theory, the Baconian theory, and the Marlovian theory. As much as we generally poo poo-ed these ideas, you have to respect how intense and powerful the names sound. Whether Shakespeare's plays were actually written by Edward de Vere, Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, or William Shakespeare himself, this was a really fun ride and an interesting conspiracy the ponder!

Highlights Include:

- A faked death?!

- Lost years (due to twins)

- A Mark Twain cameo

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Oak Island! Wow this turned out to be our longest episode yet, because it's filled with PASSION! We love this topic, as you can tell from the fact that Zack (who did not do any research) chimes in throughout and is just about as knowledgeable as Katie (the professed expert). Just in case you don't know,Oak Island is a tiny island in Canada off the coast of Nova Scotia that may have the greatest treasure in human history buried on it!! Okay, got excited there again. But really, the mystery of Oak Island is fascinating, if you will just give it a chance. We pretty much poo-poo the curse idea (that 7 must die before the treasure can be found), but other than that we are on board. And with ll of amazing finds Rick and Marty Lagina have across across in the past several years, how could you not be?? This episode is basically an hour-long advertisement for the History Channel show, so if you like this at all, please go watch that. All new episodes this fall!

Highlights Include:

- The Curse of Oak Island

- Blackbeard hiding treasure from Satan

- The 90-foot-stone used for leather beating

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... SPAM! It's What's for Dinner! It is what's for dinner here tonight because, let me tell you, you can't learn all about SPAM and then not eat it for dinner that night. It's a fascinating tale! And SPAM is not the chemical-based processed meat byproduct that many of us think it is. SPAM fed countless soldiers all over the world in World War II, and even fed the civilians who were at home with less than complete supply chains. Lots of cultures have made SPAM a household item, and you can even find beautifully packaged gift boxes of SPAM for your loved ones in South Korea. Get on the SPAM train and fry it up with us!

Highlights Include:

- Austin, (wait for it) Minnesota!

- the Waikiki SPAM Jam

- Pumpkin Spice SPAM

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Maple Syrup! Starting with some fun Native American legends! Maybe a chief threw an axe at a tree, maybe some youths copied a squirrel, or maybe a god was mad at all the laziness he saw - whatever it was, thank goodness they discovered it. Although the process has changed significantly over the years, the method remains the same - get some sap, boil it down, and end up with some of the most delicious stuff you've ever tasted. Next time, go for the good stuff and treat yourself to some real maple syrup.

Highlights Include:

- Squirrels snacking 

- Boiling sap with hot stones

- 40 gallons of sap for one gallon of syrup

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Marathons! We watched the LA Marathon run essentially past our front door the morning we recorded, so it was a natural topic. not to mention there were several other major marathons that day across the country! So how did marathons start and why are they 26.2 miles? We had to find out. As usual, it was an interesting run through history, making stops in Greece, England, and Boston along the way. Some good old fashioned sexism in there as well - women couldn't run the marathon in the Olympics for 88 years! But all in all, marathon runners are super impressive no matter what their finish time. Next time there's a marathon near you, go out there with some extra knowledge from this podcast and cheer! Or even better, run it yourself!

Highlights Include:

- English royals getting their way (as usual)

- Lots of questionable pronunciations

- The oldest American marathon

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Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Vampires! We recorded on Halloween, so we had to get one more spooky topic in. And this turned out to be a great one! Some history, some lore, and some gore - what more could we ask for? From real-life figures in history, like Mercy Brown, to larger than life characters like Count Dracula, vampires are an interesting and diverse bunch. More terrifying than interesting was real-life 15th century Romanian ruler Vlad Dracul, aka Vlad the Impaler, whose nickname was rather on the nose. Some of this is gross! But we provide warnings. Maybe the legend of vampires is due to one too many rabid humans running around in medieval Europe. Or, maybe vampires are real. Regardless, we can all agree that we love Edward from Twilight. Or Jacob. I forget which one is which.

Highlights Include:

- Vlad the Impaler's dinner customs 

- Diseases that mimic vampirism

- A 19th century American vampire

Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod

Send us your expertise at [email protected]

And please rate and review!

Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky

Music by Jake Radvansky