Not Trivial

Not Trivial

By Liz ZirkHistory
Download on the App Store

Not Trivial episodes

  • Ep10: How many languages are indigenous to the Americas?

    In the United States, we’ve all heard of the commonly talked-about Native American tribes; the Iroquois, the Navajo, the Lakota, the Cherokee. And some of us know the local tribe whose land we live on; the Chinook, the Seminole, the Ojibwe, and so on. But did you know that a majority of Native languages spoken by indigenous people are not related to each other whatsoever?

    56 min
  • Ep9: When did Hawai'i become part of the United States?

    We’ve all heard of Hawai’i being the USA’s 50th state. And some of us know that Hawai’i became a state in 1959. But did you know that Hawai’i was annexed by the United States over 60 years prior to it becoming a state - and that it was not a peaceful transition, in fact it was a coup d’etat?

    53 min
  • Ep8: When and where did the Iron Age start?

    We’ve all heard of the Iron Age. And some of us know that this age is characterized by the production of weaponry through ironworking, aka metallurgy. At least in Europe and the Ancient Near East. But did you know that ironworking was developed in West Africa as many as 800 years before it came to Ancient Greece?

    40 min
  • Ep7: What influential book did the Brothers Grimm publish?

    We’ve all heard of the Brothers Grimm and their fairy tales. And some of us know that they published these tales after roaming the countryside collecting folklore. But did you know that Jacob Grimm also published many other books, specifically about German grammar, and has his own law of linguistics, called Grimm’s Law? 


    48 min
  • Ep6: Which European country opened Japan to the West?

    We’ve all heard of the Silk Road, and how the East was connected to the West through trade routes. And some of you know of Marco Polo, who was one of the first Europeans to travel to China. But do you know that the first European arrival in Japan was accidental, and heavily influenced Japan’s history as a nation?

    40 min
  • Ep5: What important cultural movements existed in Germany between the Two World Wars?

    We’ve all heard of Germany’s militaristic past. And some of us know a lot about either Kaiser Wilhelm or Adolf Hitler, the two men at Germany’s helm at the start of both 20th century World Wars. But did you know that between the two World Wars, Germany was actually a hotbed for absurdist and avant-garde art, organic farming and nudism, as well as expressionist film and literature?

    46 min
  • Ep4: What surprising language has English borrowed almost 1000 words from?

    We’ve all heard of how there’s lots of English words that come from other languages, like Spanish or French. And some of us can list them: mosquito, royal, mansion, tornado. But did you know that there are around 900+ words we use in English that stem from Arabic? Some of them are extremely common! And they don’t all start with “al”!


    48 min
  • Ep3: Where did the electoral college come from?

    We’ve all heard of the electoral college. And some of us understand the inner workings of how the American government utilizes the electoral college. But did you know the idea of an American electoral college comes from the Holy Roman Empire, and that Emperors were elected?

    35 min
  • Ep2: Who was known as the "Mad Monarch of Madagascar"?

    We’ve all heard of Bloody Mary, the Tudor Queen of England, who persecuted Protestants relentlessly during her short reign. And some of us have heard of King Leopold II of Belgium, who forced millions of Congolese people into slavery. But have you heard of Queen Ranavalona I, AKA the “Mad Monarch of Madagascar”?

    38 min

About Not Trivial

From the publisher's feed

Learning about things like history and language and literature doesn't have to feel elite or hard. You can digest knowledge in bite-sized chunks. Like trivia! Trivia is an in-road to getting curious…