We’re fresh off of watching the Super Bowl - but besides the Super Bowl there was the Puppy Bowl! Where did this come from, and why do so many advertisers want in?

Betty Crocker, The Jolly Green Giant - these fictional characters are fun representatives for food brands that consumers can form connections with.  Then there's Chef Boyardee.

Eighty-seven years ago, Amelia Earhart vanished during a flight. Her plane and remains have never been found. Have we finally solved the mystery?


Sources:
https://www.marketplace.org/2023/02/10/how-the-puppy-bowl-became-a-marketing-juggernaut-in-its-own-right/
https://www.npr.org/2011/05/17/136398042/the-man-the-can-recipes-of-the-real-chef-boyardee
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/30/travel/amelia-earhart-missing-plane-pacific-ocean-scn?cid=ios_app

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Americans average nearly 30 minutes in the car to get to work and back, and they hate it. This week, what we can do to improve the experience.


Movies spectacles cost millions of dollars. One thing that’s not in the budget? Fighter jets.


Taylor Swift made both the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs a lot of money. We’ll tell you how and how much.

Sources:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/taylor-swift-is-worth-331-million-and-counting-to-nfl-and-the-chiefs-05e4dbf9
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/taylor-swift-is-worth-331-million-and-counting-to-nfl-and-the-chiefs-05e4dbf9
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2024/01/how-much-did-top-gun-maverick-cost-the-u-s-taxpayer/
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/15004-survey-toll-of-commute.html

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Why is raising the middle finger offensive? How did the idea evolve?

You dip a chip and take a bite. Now, what do you do with the other half?

Does it matter what month your birthday occurs? Some turn out to be better than others.

Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/22/world/middle-finger-gesture-explained-cec?cid=ios_app
https://theconversation.com/is-double-dipping-a-food-safety-problem-or-just-a-nasty-habit-51014
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3361998/amp/Not-happy-birthday-Research-reveals-today-worst-day-year-celebrate-thanks-friends-family-partied-money-spent-Christmas.html

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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It looks so easy in movies, but what does it take to hire a hitman in the real world?


In the 90’s, McDonald’s was the largest playground provider in the nation, but recently McDonalds Play Places have been disappearing. What happened?


Heads or tails? Does it matter which you choose? A group of researchers decided to find out.

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/14/nyregion/hit-men-are-easy-to-find-in-the-movies-real-life-is-another-story.html
https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/mcdonalds-playland-playplace-history
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-destroy-illusion-that-coin-toss-flips-are-50-50/

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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For most of its 110-year history, Stanley drinkware has not been particularly cool.  Suddenly, the Stanley Tumbler has now become a status symbol across high school and college campuses. How did this happen?


In the early 1980s, cockroaches were everywhere, from homes across America to the halls of the White House. This seemingly indestructible insect was impossible to stop. Then one man had an idea.


Legend has it that specific artwork on a Tootsie Roll Pop can be redeemed for a freebie. But legends are complicated.




Sources:
https://www.retaildive.com/news/stanley-quencher-tumblers-viral-success/699416/
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2023/11/cockroach-bait-invention-combat/676167/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZwMg1Z5NhWtvHwcVQswRZjU
https://www.mashed.com/989880/could-you-really-score-free-candy-if-you-found-this-special-tootsie-pop-wrapper/

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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If you thought litter was terrible on Earth, wait until you hear about what’s happening in outer space. At least down here it doesn’t come at you flying 15,000 MPH!

First, there was Winnie the Pooh and, now, Mickey Mouse. As beloved modern characters enter public domain we could see them in versions and situations their creators never intended. But with Mickey there’s a catch...

When Columbus and crew discovered America in 1492 they brought a stowaway with them. It now lives in your front yard.

Sources:
https://time.com/6551496/mickey-mouse-public-domain-steamboat-willie/

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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Teaching history is hard. It can be challenging to convey the importance of events that happened long ago. An Instagram account tried a different approach, but did it work?


Need a new Christmas tradition?! Too bad - we have one for you, anyway.


To close out 2023, we look back at the year’s top 25 Wikipedia searches and wonder if it means anything for the year ahead.


Sources:
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/08/instagram-holocaust-diary-evastories-sparks-debate-in-israel
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/arts/music/whamageddon-last-christmas-game.html
https://apnews.com/article/wikipedia-top-searches-2023-chatgpt-a0e742df4e00c30c063d0c2505c126e5

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Walk down the snack aisle at any grocery store and mixed among the BBQ and Salt & Vinegar chips you’ll find unusual and limited edition ones like “Picnic” or “All Dressed Up.” How do such chips, which may taste like entirely different foods, get made?

If you’ve thought your cell phone reception has worsened in recent years, this segment is for you.

McDonald’s is always a pretty consistent fast food choice. That’s about to change.

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/02/the-weird-secretive-world-of-crisp-flavours
https://time.com/6340727/cell-phone-reception-is-getting-worse/
https://nypost.com/2023/11/30/lifestyle/mcdonalds-is-giving-its-burgers-a-makeover-changes-explained/

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Of all the strange rituals we rarely question, blowing out birthday candles has got to be up there.  What are the origins of this very unsanitary act?


The online dating world is challenging but, with so many different dating apps, if one doesn’t work we can try another. They are surely all unique … aren’t they …?


Why does being on the naughty list mean coal for Christmas?

Sources:
https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-blow-out-birthday-candles
https://www.theverge.com/23560419/match-group-dating-apps-giant-tinder-hinge-okcupid-land-of-the-giants
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31910/why-does-santa-claus-give-coal-bad-kids

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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We’ve all failed. Most of us would rather not talk about it, but the Museum of Failure does more than talk about failures. It celebrates them.

U.S. airlines lose millions of pieces of luggage annually. Most of them don’t just vanish, they end up in the same place. (It’s not the landfill.)

It’s been a calling card of the dining experience at Olive Garden for decades - unlimited breadstick and salad refills. But even unlimited things have their limit.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/24/1214841411/luggage-lost-airlines-resale-unclaimed-baggage-alabama

http://www.commutethepodcast.com

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