About 25 years ago, Fernet-Branca went from a somewhat eclectic drink, shared among the city's old school bartenders, to one of the most iconic spirits in San Francisco. Its polarizing taste profile has been compared to Vicks NyQuil and VapoRub on one end of the spectrum, to a delightful Christmas Tree or Chinese herbs on the other end. How did this divisive Italian spirit work its way into the hearts of San Franciscans? Bay Curious producer Amanda Font bellies up to the bar to find out.

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Amanda Font. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Ana De Almedia Amaral and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Our lives are full of sounds. The rumble of car engines, a particular birdsong, the 'ding' of phone alerts, even the voices of our friends and family — these everyday noises become so regular we don't even consider that you might hear them one day and then never hear them again. This week, KQED's Rachael Myrow takes back in time to track down some of the lost sounds of San Francisco.

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This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Ana De Almeida Amaral and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Most people believe that Monterey Jack Cheese originated in ... Monterey. And while the name 'Monterey Jack' establishes a clear claim, this week we're asking: Where is this silky cheese really from? You might be surprised.

This episode originally aired on the podcast in 2022.

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Christopher Beale. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Ana De Almeida Amaral and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

The Wave Organ is an environmental sculpture that goes below the surface of the bay to create a unique sonic experience for visitors. Listener Robbie Rock has been visiting The Wave Organ since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and came to Bay Curious looking to learn who built it, why and how. Reporter Ana De Almeida Amaral takes us on the sonic journey that ensues when the moon, tides, human creativity and San Francisco history collide.

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Ana De Almeida Amaral. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Ana De Almeida Amaral and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

When people think of the Black Panthers, most imagine militant Black men in berets carrying guns. While that's not an inaccurate picture, the Black Panthers did much more than just fight back against racist policing. They created a whole host of community programs. This week, we bring you an excerpt from the Mindshift podcast about one of them — an elementary school in Oakland that made a big impact on education.

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Nimah Gobir. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the whole KQED family.

These days, Glen Canyon Park is a tranquil urban park with hiking trails, soccer fields and a playground, which makes it all that more difficult to imagine that it was once home to the first dynamite factory in the United States. Today we’ll join reporter Gabriela Glueck to learn how dynamite made its way to San Francisco and why it was such a transformative product in this state. Plus, we'll explore the stories of Chinese laborers who often had the most dangerous jobs of all in the high explosives industry.

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported and produced by Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Ana De Almedia Amaral and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

There are plenty of 'haunted' places in the Bay Area. But some locations are said to attract ghosts, even if they don't have a connection to the place. Ghost hunters say the USS Hornet, a retired WWII aircraft carrier docked in Alameda, is one such place. Reporter Katherine Monahan recently took a late night tour of the ship with a group of paranormal enthusiasts, and took along her recorder to see if she could pick up any ghostly communications.

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Katherine Monahan. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the whole KQED family.

We're presenting an episode of Close All Tabs, a new miniseries from KQED that explores the intersection of internet culture and politics. In this episode, host Morgan Sung examines the rise of “stan culture” in politics, where passionate supporters rally around political figures with the same fervor typically reserved for pop stars.

Read the transcript here.

Want to give us feedback on the series? Shoot us an email at [email protected]

California has over 33 million acres of forest land, about a third of the state's total area, as well as other wild land areas. For decades we've done everything possible to suppress fires, but they just keep getting bigger and more destructive. And that's partly because of all our suppression efforts. KQED Science reporter Danielle Venton explains how different ecosystems are evolved to burn sometimes, much more often than they have of late.

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Danielle Venton. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Annie Fruit, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the whole KQED family.

Burying the dead in San Francisco has long been banned, but at the Presidio pet cemetery hundreds of dogs, cats, fish, iguanas, and turtles have been laid to rest. This week, Bay Curious Intern Ana De Almeida Amaral takes us to the Presidio to learn about the history of the pet cemetery and to ask "Can I bury my pet here?"

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Ana De Almeida Amaral. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the whole KQED family.