Half-Truths

Half-Truths

By Half-Truths PodcastScienceSocial SciencesEducationCourses
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Half-Truths episodes

  • EP41 - Cat's Eyes and Carrot Lies: The Night Vision Myth
    We’ve all been told to eat our carrots to see in the dark, a piece of wisdom passed down from parents to children. But what if that "fact" isn't a medical marvel, but one of the most successful propaganda campaigns of World War II, designed to hide a top-secret, war-winning technology?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
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    21 min
  • EP40 - The Thanksgiving Alibi: A Meal, a Myth, and a Missing History
    We all know the story of the First Thanksgiving: Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians sharing a harmonious feast of turkey and friendship. But what if that familiar scene is less a historical snapshot and more a 19th-century invention, designed to cover up a far more desperate, political, and fascinating truth?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    27 min
  • EP39 - Einstein's Failed Math: The Genius of a Half-Truth
    We all know the story: Albert Einstein, the ultimate genius, was a bad student who failed math. It’s the perfect tale of a late-bloomer, proving that grades don't matter. But what if that comforting story is one of the biggest myths in modern history?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    18 min
  • EP38 - The Iron Maiden: Case Closed
    We all picture the Iron Maiden as the ultimate symbol of medieval cruelty, a spiked coffin synonymous with the Dark Ages. But what if this terrifying device wasn't medieval at all? This episode investigates the most famous torture machine in history, only to find its hinges were forged in the 19th century.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    22 min
  • EP37 - Bloodsport: The Gladiator's Retirement Plan
    We all know the Roman gladiator: a slave forced to fight to the death for a bloodthirsty mob. But what if the Colosseum was less an execution chamber and more a high-stakes professional sports arena? This episode uncovers the surprising truth about the superstars, the referees, and the retirement plans of ancient Rome's most famous athletes.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    20 min
  • EP36 - The Ten Percent Brain and the Seven-Year Gum
    We've all heard that we only use a tiny fraction of our brainpower and that swallowing gum means it's stuck in you for years. But are these biological 'facts' just old wives' tales that refuse to die? This episode chews on the truth behind our most persistent bodily myths.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    21 min
  • EP35 - The Lie of the Visual Learner
    We’ve all taken the quiz and proudly declared our learning style—visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. It's a fundamental concept in education that we learn best when information is tailored to our unique preference. But what if the entire idea of learning styles is a myth, one that's holding us back from how we truly learn?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    19 min
  • EP34 - Salem's Gallows: Where There's No Smoke, There's No Fire
    We all picture the same scene: villagers, torches, and a witch burning at the stake in colonial Salem. It's an image seared into our collective memory of America's most infamous witch hunt. But what if the most iconic, fiery detail of that entire tragedy is completely wrong?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    22 min
  • EP33 - The Unsinkable Lie: How the Titanic Myth Was Built After It Sank
    We all know the story of the Titanic, the magnificent ship infamously advertised as "unsinkable" before its tragic maiden voyage. But what if that famous label, the very symbol of human hubris, was never a marketing slogan at all? This episode dives into the archives to uncover how the myth of the "unsinkable" ship was constructed in the wake of the disaster, not before it.
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    19 min
  • EP32 - The Toxin That Wasn't There: Detox Diets and the Great Water Hoax
    We’re told our bodies are accumulating toxins that only a special juice cleanse can remove, and that drinking eight glasses of water a day is the key to health. But what if the multi-billion-dollar detox industry is selling a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, and the most famous rule in hydration is based on a complete misunderstanding?
    If you enjoy the show and want to support it, you can buy me a coffee:
    https://paypal.me/podcast8
    20 min

About Half-Truths

From the publisher's feed

Remember that neat, tidy version of history and science you learned in school? The one with brave explorers discovering continents, brilliant inventors having a single "eureka!" moment, and a food pyramid that was definitely going to make you healthy?