The BrainFood Show

The BrainFood Show

By Cloud10EducationHistory
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The BrainFood Show episodes

  • What Actually Defines an ‘Assault Rifle’, The Truth About Getting Shot, and Much, Much More

    In the video today, we're looking at who invented the assault rifle, why do people drop when shot, can you make a gun that shoots around corners, how dangerous are rubber bullets and stun guns, the Canadian genius who attempted to launch satellites using an absolutely massive gun, a deep dive into the bullet proof vest and how they work, the story of the Tommy Gun, shooting guns in space, how to shoot two guns at once, how pilots shot through propellers in WWI, and the longest sniper shot.

    0:00 What Actually Defines an ‘Assault Rifle’ and Who Invented Them?
    18:14 Why Do People Suddenly Drop When Shot?
    28:21 Can You Really Make a Gun Shoot Around Corners?
    52:38 How Dangerous are Rubber Bullets and Stun Guns?
    1:03:38 The Canadian Genius Who Attempted to Launch Satellites Using an Absolutely Ginormous Gun
    1:17:48 A Deep Dive Into The Bullet Proof Vest and How They Work in Reality vs Hollywood Depictions
    1:46:44 The Story of the Iconic ‘Tommy Gun’
    2:07:48 Has Anyone Ever Fired a Gun in Space, Space Cannons, and the Guns Designed for Astronauts?
    2:26:34 Is There a Proper Way to Fire Two Guns at Once?
    2:40:58 How Did WWI Pilots Shoot Through Their Aircraft Propeller?
    2:54:26 The Longest Sniper Kill

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    3 hr 4 min
  • The Greatest Archaeological Rescue Mission in History

    Discover the incredible story of how the world's greatest archaeological rescue mission saved Egypt’s ancient wonders from destruction—engineering marvels, lost temples, and an unprecedented battle to preserve history.

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    21 min
  • The Sun is Finally Setting on the British Empire This Year

    While there are a few dates that could be pointed to for the sun setting on the British Empire, in fact, it's never literally been the case... But all that's set to change- after centuries of the sun always shining on some part of the British realm, this year, that will end. Here now is the story of the origin of the expression "the sun never sets on..." and the twisting, turning way it's been true for Britain and how it's about to end.

    While now commonly associated with the British Empire, slogans like “the sun never sets on our territory” have been used since antiquity. For example, Mesopotamian texts from the rule of Sargon of Akkad, who reigned from around 2334 to 2279 B.C.E, declare that the king:
    “…[rules] all the lands from sunrise to sunset.”
    While in his foundational 430 B.C.E. work The Histories, Ancient Greek historian Herodotus quotes Persian Achamaenid king Xerxes I as declaring:
    “We shall extend the Persian territory as far as God's heaven reaches. The sun will then shine on no land beyond our borders.”
    However, the territories controlled by these rulers were very small by modern standards, and it was not until the explosive expansion of overseas exploration, trade, and conquest in the Early Modern Period that the first truly global empires began to emerge. And among the very first was the Spanish Empire, which by 1780 covered 13.7 million square kilometres or 5.3 million square miles and included most of South and Central America and the West Indies; a large swath of what is now the Southwestern United States; various African colonies like Fernando Po, Oran, Ceuta, Guinea, and Rio Muni; and Asian and Asian and Pacific territories like Palau, New Guinea, the Marianas Islands, Guam, and the Philippines. This led contemporary writers like British polymath Francis Bacon to write:
    “…both the East and the West Indies being met in the crown of Spain, it is come to pass, that, as one saith in a brave kind of expression, the sun never sets in the Spanish dominions, but ever shines upon one part or other of them: which, to say truly, is a beam of glory…”
    Interestingly, for 60 years the Spanish Empire was even larger. In 1580 King Henry of Portugal died...
    Author: Gilles Messier
    Host/Editor: Daven Hiskey
    Producer: Caden Nielsen

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    21 min
  • 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.

    Next we move into the main content for today’s episode which is discussing how exactly people used to get human heads to shrink and why they did this in the first place.

    Moving on from that, we look at the fascinating saga of famed philosopher Jeremy Bentham’s head and body.

    Finally we move into some feedback and then an interesting Star Trek Fact related to skeletons.

    And for those interested:

    • ⁠Picture of Jeremy Bentham’s Head⁠
    • Our mentioned video on the history of passwords: ⁠Who Invented Passwords and the Guy That Made Them Suck⁠
    • A sampling of Marina Sirtis talking at various conventions:
    • ⁠The Riker Maneuver⁠
    • ⁠Riker and Picard Badass Walk Loop⁠

      • On another note, if you could do us a huge favor and rate and review this show in whatever podcasting platform you’re using (including hopefully giving us some feedback related to the new format), we would be extremely grateful. Thanks!

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      1 hr 4 min
    • What Happens When You Find Buried Treasure, Stick Your Head in a Particle Accelerator & Much More

      In the video today we're looking at what happens in the real world when you find a buried treasure. What happens when someone objects during a wedding and why ministers ask. What happens if you commit a crime aboard an aircraft or in International waters. What happens when you give a homeless person $100,000. What happens if a cemetery goes under. What exactly happens to animals swallowed alive. What happens if you accidentally damage or destroy a priceless work of art in a museum. What happens when a town votes for a dog or a cat to be mayor. What really happens when someone enters the witness protection program. And, finally, what happens when you stick your head into a particle accelerator.

      0:00 What Happens in the Real World if You Find a Buried Treasure?
      11:09 What Happens When Someone DOES Object During a Wedding and Where Did This Practice Come From?
      16:37 What Happens if You Commit a Crime Aboard an Aircraft or in International Waters?
      32:25 What Happened When You Give a Homeless Person $100,000
      43:08 What Happens If a Cemetery Goes Under?
      48:39 What Exactly Happens to Animals Swallowed Alive and Do Any Animals Ever Get Out Alive After?
      1:00:25 What Happens if You Accidentally Damage or Destroy a Priceless Work of Art in a Museum?
      1:09:49 What Happens When a Town Votes For a Dog or Cat to Be Mayor?
      1:15:25 What Really Happens When Someone Enters the Witness Protection Program
      1:19:59 What Happens When You Stick Your Head Into a Particle Accelerator

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      1 hr 38 min
    • The Incredible Worst Gun of WWII

      There are countless bizarre guns that have been created since humans began gunning, but few are as bad, or as famous and widely produced, as one in WWII produced with the hope of equipping insurgents against their German overlords. This is the story of the worst gun of WWII

      The Second World War was by far the deadliest and most destructive conflict in modern history in part as it saw the combat debut of dozens of legendary weapons, from the American M1 Garand (or Gare-und if you want to pronounce it like the original designer pronounced his name instead of how most say it today) - the first self-loading combat rifle to be issued as standard in any Army; to the Soviet PPSh-41 and PPS-43 - simple but reliable submachine guns greatly prized and feared for their blistering rate of fire; then there was the German Stg-44 Sturmgewehr, the ancestor of the modern assault rifle. But not all weapons developed during the conflict were so iconic or effective. Some were downright questionable, and none more so than the American FP-45 Liberator, an alarmingly crude single-shot, smoothbore pistol made entirely of cheap metal stampings. Yet despite looking like a cross between a children’s toy and a petty criminal’s homemade zip gun, a whopping one million Liberators were manufactured in only eleven weeks - a herculean feat of wartime production. Here now is the fascinating story of the Liberator, WWII’s strangest gun.
      Author: Gilles Messier
      Editor/Host: Daven Hiskey
      Producer: Samuel Avila

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      25 min
    • The Lamentable Laugh Track and Who Invented It

      The laugh track: a bizarre, reviled, yet oddly influential piece of television history. How did it rise, why did it fall, and—most importantly—did it ever actually work? Let’s find out!

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      30 min
    • 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.

      Next we move into the main content for today’s episode which is the gruesome tale of William Burke and William Hare and their year long murder spree.

      Moving on from that, we look at a man who decided to raise his son as a native speaker of Klingon and how that all worked out… Then briefly we touch on whether it’s actually true that kids learn languages faster than adults.

      *Note: the clip of Alec singing the Klingon Anthem is no longer available online anymore, but you can ⁠hear it sung here if you’re curious⁠.

      On another note, if you could do us a huge favor and rate and review this show in whatever podcasting platform you’re using (including hopefully giving us some feedback related to the new format), we would be extremely grateful. Thanks!

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      1 hr 18 min

    About The BrainFood Show

    From the publisher's feed

    In this show, the team behind the wildly popular TodayIFoundOut YouTube channel do deep dives into a variety of fascinating topics to help you feed your brain with interesting knowledge.