The BrainFood Show

The BrainFood Show episodes:

• 12.01.2020

  The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 4)

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out with an appetizer looking at how chopsticks came to be and why they became so popular in certain parts of the world vs things like spoons and forks....

  
• 11.25.2020

  Medieval Times [Part 5]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out with an appetizer looking at whether chastity belts were ever actually a thing in medieval times or if it is just a Hollywood invention. Next up we have...

  
• 11.01.2020

  Medieval Times [Part 4]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out with an appetizer looking at the film The Knight’s Tale and the very real historic knight Ulrich von Liechtenstein and what the real guy actually got up to....

  
• 10.25.2020

  Medieval Times [Part 3]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out with an appetizer looking at how the slipping on a banana peel comedy gag got started. Next up we have a brief message from our sponsor NordVPN. Get...

  
• 10.20.2020

  Medieval Times [Part 2]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out with an appetizer looking at how soap actually works to get rid of microbes. Next up we have a brief message from our sponsor NordVPN. Get 68% off...

  
• 09.30.2020

  Medieval Times [Part 1]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out looking at why the toilet is called the “Crapper” and the “John”. Next up we have a brief message from our sponsor Skillshare. For a limited time, use...

  
• 08.01.2020

  Making Diamonds

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out looking at the rather interesting way the couple hundred million dollar Hope Diamond has been transported a couple times. Next up we have a brief message from our...

  
• 07.02.2020

  What We’ve Learned This Month

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out looking at the rather curious phenomenon of the average of your friends being happier, wealthier, and more successful than you. Next up we have a brief message from...

  
• 05.20.2020

  For the Love of the Word Nerds… (And Their Rather Unfortunate Nazi Brethren)

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out looking at whether there is actually any difference between various men’s and women’s bathroom products like shaving cream, razors, etc and why women pay more for basically everything....

  
• 03.24.2020

  The Difference Between… [Part 2]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are looking at the difference between a number of things, kicking it off with the difference between BCE/CE and BC/AD systems of dating and the rather fascinating story of how those...

  
• 02.28.2020

  The Difference Between… [Part 1]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are looking at the difference between a number of things, kicking it off with the difference between hardwood and softwood…. which you’d think you already know, but we’re guessing for most,...

  
• 01.30.2020

  The Absolutely Badass First Female U.S. Presidential Candidate

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at the first woman in the United States to cast a political vote who for reasons we’ll get into did it with her feet… We also have a...

  
• 12.22.2019

  It’s a Wonderful Life [Part 2]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are looking at the man Frank Capra based the character of George Bailey on in It’s a Wonderful Life, and how this rather remarkable individual went on to shape quite a...

  
• 12.20.2019

  It’s a Wonderful Life [Part 1]

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at why Fox tried so hard to trick people into thinking Miracle on 34th Street was not a Christmas movie when it came out. We then look at...

  
• 11.30.2019

  The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Foods (Part 1)

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at the interesting reason why milk is white, yet cheddar cheese is yellow/orange. Next up, we have a brief message from our sponsor, Blinkist, which gives you the...

  
• 11.23.2019

  The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 3)

  *Sorry the audio is a little funky on this one. But don’t skip it, it’s one of our best content-wise, in my opinion.

  
• 10.31.2019

  The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 2)

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at that time the United States government banned pre-sliced bread… Really. Next up, we have a brief message from a sponsor, Blinkist, which gives you the key ideas...

  
• 10.30.2019

  The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 1)

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at the surprisingly interesting origin of the paperclip and why a person who had nothing to do with its design commonly gets all the credit for it, including...

  
• 10.05.2019

  The Greatest Practical Joke and the Last Laugh

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at 19th century practical joke that occurred in London that is arguably the greatest of the century. Next up, we have a brief message from a new sponsor,...

  
• 09.25.2019

  Lord Minimus- The Renaissance Dueling Dwarf

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at how “Dick” came to be short for “Richard”. Next up, we have a brief message from one of our favorite and most useful sponsors- Backblaze! Backblaze really...

  
• 09.23.2019

  That Time a Major Studio Intentionally Made a Crappy “Fantastic Four” Movie and Why Superheroes Wear Their Underwear on the Outside

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at why superheroes wear their underwear on the outside. Next up, we have a brief message from our sponsor, Jeremy Scott, perhaps best known for his work on...

  
• 09.11.2019

  Why Do Some Countries Have People Drive on the Left and Others on the Right? (+Contest Winners)

  *Just an addendum to one of the tangents I forgot to mention- pulling up like crazy in a plane while rapidly hurtling towards the ground is a phenomenal way to ensure the wings of the plane cease to remain attached...

  
• 08.12.2019

  Forgotten History Part 2: The First Film and the Murder That Nearly Killed It

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start with the rather curious way in which George Eastman, founder of Kodak, died. Next up, we have a brief message from our sponsor, Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community...

  
• 07.12.2019

  The Forgotten Plague- DANCE MANIA!!!

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we skip the quick fact because this one took forever to research and put together and I ran out of time.

  
• 06.18.2019

  How Porcupines Mate, the Bizarre Sex Habits of Giraffes (and Much, Much More)

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at whether or not male humans can get pregnant and carry a baby to full term naturally. (Spoiler- yes and yes. And even breastfeed too! It doesn’t even...

  
• 06.06.2019

  Twice Executed

  Sorry for the long gap between episodes. We’ll be getting a bit more regular going forward.  Also apologies for my audio quality in this one. Adobe kept crashing on me, so we had to use the audio Simon was receiving...

  
• 03.29.2019

  Taking the Mystery Out of Murder- A Couple of Dumbbells

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at how exactly Al Capone got the scars that got him the nickname “Scarface”. Moving on to the meat of today’s episode, we jump into the rather interesting...

  
• 03.08.2019

  How Everyone Plays Monopoly Wrong Which Makes It Worse, Where the Game Pieces Came From, Who Really Invented It and Much More

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at the interesting story behind where the Monopoly pieces came from. Next we discuss our sponsor, RetailMeNot. Visit http://bit.ly/2BXvyAk to download the free RetailMeNot Genie browser extension today...

  
• 02.11.2019

  Animal Facts Part 3: A Doughnut Brain, Dung and the Milky Way, Ant Overlords and More

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at the massive creature that has a doughnut shaped brain with its esophagus running right through the middle. Next we discuss Wix! Go to https://www.wix.com/go/brainfood to get started...

  
• 01.31.2019

  Animal Facts Part 2: Melting Caterpillars, Heating Bees, Why Vultures Don’t Get Sick, and More

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at the mind blowing things caterpillars get up to while in the chrysalis. Next we discuss Wix! Go to https://www.wix.com/go/brainfood to get started on your website today! Check...

  
• 01.31.2019

  Animal Facts Part 1: The Blowhole, Cow Tipping and Much, Much More

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at a rather fascinating fact about dogs and cats that you probably didn’t know. Next we discuss Wix! Go to https://www.wix.com/go/brainfood to get started on your website today!...

  
• 01.31.2019

  A Disturbing Tale and the “Trial of the Century” That Led to Women Jumping Out of Cakes

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start with a Simon rant, then look at what the M’s stand for in M&Ms. Next we discuss one of our favorite sponsors, Dashlane! Get 10% off with the coupon code...

  
• 12.31.2018

  The Woman Who was the Most Successful Pirate of All Time

  *Apologies for the audio quality on this one, simultaneously our audio editor / producer was on vacation and a certain host was also a great distance away from his acoustically treated studio.

  
• 12.22.2018

  A Christmas Gift and a Riot

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at a Christmas gift that resulted in one of the more celebrated books of all time. Next up we briefly mention our sponsor- go to https://wix.com/go/brainfood to get started on...

  
• 12.20.2018

  Christmas Traditions- The Crapper, The Poop Log, the Parasitic Poop Twigs, and Much, Much More

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at a couple rather bizarre Spanish Christmas traditions involving holiday defecating… Next up we briefly mention our sponsor- go to https://wix.com/go/brainfood to get started on your Wix website today! And...

  
• 12.17.2018

  12 Days

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at the rather humorous original name for the song Silver Bells. Moving on to the main content today we’re looking at the truth about the origin of the...

  
• 11.28.2018

  The Truce

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at whether poinsettias are actually poisonous or not. Next we discuss today’s sponsor. If you’re interested, go to https://wix.com/go/brainfood to get started on your Wix website today! And...

  
• 11.28.2018

  The Sledgehammer for the Poor Man’s Child

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we look at one of my favorite stories I’ve ever researched. But before that, we begin by looking at what could have been wrong with Tiny Tim that simply throwing money at...

  
• 11.22.2018

  The Remarkable Sarah Hale

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at the real reason turkeys are called turkeys. Next we discuss today’s sponsor, Lumerit education, which is a service to help you figure out the cheapest/fastest/best way to...

  
• 11.15.2018

  Tech History Part 3: FIRST!!! + Many, Many Bonus Facts and Contest Winners

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at a rather interesting fact about Pulp Fiction and Samuel L Jackson’s character’s most famous lines in the film. We then move on to briefly mentioning our sponsor...

  
• 11.07.2018

  The Dude Who Burned Down the Greatest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Because of Reasons

  *Note: This is still a little out of order, as we are needing to further delay publishing of the Tech History Part 3 owing to, ironically enough, technical difficulties.  We’ll have it up within the week most likely though. In...

  
• 10.31.2018

  Macabre Part 4: The Vampire of Cinkota and a Truly Horrific Love Story

  *Note: This is a little out of order, but we had to delay publishing of the Tech History Part 3 owing to, ironically enough, technical difficulties.  We’ll have it up soon enough. But for now, in this Halloween special of...

  
• 10.16.2018

  Tech History Part 2: Who Invented the Internet, Email, and the Web?

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at a the absolutely bizarre way bedbugs mate. Next up, we jump into the main part of the show on who invented the Internet and how it works....

  
• 09.30.2018

  Tech History Part 1: A QWERTY Story and Whether the Dvorak Layout is Actually Superior

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at a quick fact surrounding what Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Genesis had to do with Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Next we discuss our...

  
• 09.26.2018

  Macabre Part 3: The Nightmare Nurse

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we’re looking at the story of an intelligent, sweet little girl who was given up to an orphanage and then grew up to have a rather successful career as a nurse… and...

  
• 09.19.2018

  Macabre Part 2: How Shrunken Heads Were Made

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we begin by discussing a random quick fact involving the parents of Ferris Bueller on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. We then move on to discussing the show’s sponsor, Dashlane, which is a...

  
• 09.12.2018

  Macabre Part 1: The Gruesome Tale of Burke and Hare

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we begin by discussing a random quick fact involving the curious old practice of mailing children. We then move on to discussing the show’s first sponsor, RXBar. For 25% off your first...

  
• 09.05.2018

  The Final Final Frontier (Part 6): The Real Color of the Sun, How Many Nuclear Bomb Powered Rockets It Would Take to Stop the Earth Orbiting the Sun and Much, Much More

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we begin by discussing the clandestine way Niel Armstrong managed to get his application to the astronaut program in despite submitting it past the deadline. We then look at why he got...

  
• 09.04.2018

  The Final Frontier Part 5: Are the Odds of Successfully Navigating an Asteroid Field Really Approximately 3,720 to 1?

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we begin by discussing the real origin of Tang and what that has to do with Pop Rocks and how they work. We then move on to the interesting story behind the...

  
• 08.23.2018

  The Final Frontier Part 4: The U.S. Plan to Nuke the Moon, Why People Thought the Moon was Made of Cheese and Much More

  In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we begin by discussing the first space walk in which the cosmonaut in question very nearly got stuck out there and his adventures thereafter. We then move on to discussing how the...