The BrainFood Show

The BrainFood Show

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The BrainFood Show episodes

  • How the Swiss Stayed Neutral, the Near Disaster Surrender Flight, and More (Stories of WWII Part 4)

    In today's episode, we're looking at how Switzerland managed to remain neutral with WWI and WWII raging around them, how Germany was so successful at the start of WWII against vastly superior numbers, the forgotten harrowing peace flight that nearly torpedoed the Japanese surrender, and much more!

    0:00 How Switzerland Managed to Remain Neutral with WWI and WWII Raging Around Them
    16:09 How was the German Army so Successful at the Start of WWII Against Vastly Superior Numbers?
    51:22 The Forgotten Harrowing, Near Disaster Japanese Surrender Flight That Ended WWII
    1:11:55 How on Earth Did Winston Churchill Lose the Election Directly Following Germany’s Defeat?
    1:36:07 How WWII Made Everybody Think Carrots Were Good for Eyes and Why It Didn’t Really Have to Do With Tricking the Germans
    1:44:37 The Steampunk Flight Simulator That Helped Win WWII
    1:58:19 Could the Allies Really Have Crushed Germany Right at the Start of WWII
    2:10:19 Gravy Stockings and TNT Hair Dye: The Fascinating Fashions of WW2
    2:19:27 That One Time a Parachuting Soldier Took Down a Zero Fighter Plane With Nothing but a Handgun
    2:25:47 The Red Devil: The Only Axis Prisoner to Escape from North America And Make It Back to Germany
    2:39:32 A Tale of Two Brothers- The Devil and the Absolute Legend
    2:48:51 The Forgotten Pearl Harbor Before Pearl Harbor

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    3 hr 11 min
  • Introducing: No Such Thing

    I'm excited to share a preview of a new podcast we think you’d enjoy: No Such Thing

    No Such Thing is a show where three best friends and journalists settle their dumb arguments — and yours — by actually doing the research. Hosts Manny Fidel, Noah Friedman, and Devan Joseph start each episode with an argument using just their gut feelings. Then they go out into the world, investigate, talk to experts, and conduct some experiments. Finally, the guys bring their findings back to the group to see if they can change minds, enlighten each other, and move past their emotional truths.

    Find No Such Thing on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. New episodes out Wednesdays

    Listen here: No Such Thing


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    15 min
  • What is the Real Best Way to Survive a Nuclear Blast?

    Ever wonder what the best way to survive a nuclear blast is? Well, wonder no more!

    There was a turtle by the name of Bert,
    and Bert the turtle was very alert.
    When danger threatened him he never got hurt,
    he knew just what to do:
    He'd duck and cover!
    Duck and cover!
    So goes the title tune of the infamous Cold War instructional film Duck and Cover, released by the United States Federal Civil Defense Administration in January 1952. In the film, the cartoon character Bert the Turtle, along with narrator Robert Middleton, explain how best to survive and avoid injury in the event of a nuclear attack- duck and cover.
    Happen to be out in the open when the bomb drops? No problem: just dive into a ditch, behind a fence or wall, or lie flat on the ground - making sure, of course, to cover your neck and head as before. It’s that simple!
    In the present day, Duck and Cover and similar Cold War instructional films have become widely mocked, emblematic of America’s dangerously naive and optimistic attitude during the Atomic Age. Indeed, today the entire premise of the film seems patently absurd; after all, a school desk can’t possibly offer any protection against a nuclear weapon!
    But is that mocking actually valid? After all, scientists then, as now, are pretty incredibly smart.
    This now brings us to the question of the hour- how effective was “ducking and covering” and just what is the best way to survive a nuclear blast?
    Well, grab your survival rations, Geiger counter, and squeeze yourself into your refrigerator, and let’s find out, shall we?
    Author: Gilles Messier
    Editor/Host: Daven Hiskey
    Producer: Caden Nielsen

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    31 min
  • What's REALLY Going on With Toast Always Landing Buttered Side Down?

    Is the phenomenon of toast always landing buttered side down actually real, or is it a myth, a product of selective memory and general pessimism? Surprisingly, this supposedly trivial question has attracted a large amount of rigorous scientific research - the results of which may surprise you, including the millions year old reason buttered side down toast was inevitable.

    Author: Gilles Messier
    Host/Editor: Daven Hiskey
    Producer: Samuel Avila

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    14 min
  • The Weapons of World War 2 (Part 2)

    In the video today we're looking at World War 2's slightly absurd secret

    weapons and the Japanese battleship with guns that weighed more than
    entire American battleships. Moving on from there we cover the Russian
    KV Tanks that were so tough they literally would take out anti-tank guns
    by driving over them. Next up we do a dive into the German space
    shuttle, that time Germany teamed up with IBM for mass murder, the
    insane way British pilots would take out one of Germany's greatest
    weapons, the German designed, one man spherical tank, the Russian flying
    tank, the sad story of the exploding anti-tank dogs, the forgotten
    metal can that made Blitzkrieg possible and ultimately won WWII for the
    Allies when they stole it, the tiny submarine that changed the course of
    WWII, and the bizarre fake army that defeated the Axis. Next up a
    flying adventure looking at the insanely amazing story of the Night
    Witches, followed up by another flying adventure looking at if planes
    actually scream when they dive. Finally, we look at the pivotal WWII gun
    that you'd never want to put down... Because of its propensity to
    accidentally fire when you did so.
    0:00 WWII’s Most Absurd ‘Secret Weapons’
    16:37 The Japanese Battleship with Guns that Weighed More than Entire American Battleships...
    25:43 Driving Over Anti Tank Guns: The Remarkable Russian KV Tanks
    31:34 The Nazi Space Shuttle
    45:38 How the Nazis Teamed Up with IBM for Mass Murder (And How the First Ethical Hacker Fought Back)
    1:01:57 A Wingtip and a Prayer: the Insane Way British Pilots Defeated Germany’s Secret Weapon
    1:19:47 The Mysterious Kugelpanzer: The German Designed, One Man Spherical Tank
    1:25:26 That Time the Russians Built a Literal Flying Tank
    1:29:10 The Exploding Anti-Tank Dogs of World War II
    1:34:56 The Forgotten Metal Can That Made Blitzkrieg Possible and Ultimately Won WWII When Allies Stole It
    1:42:00 The Midget Submarine That Changed the Course of WWII
    2:00:16 The Bizarre Story of the Massive Fake Army That Defeated the Nazis and Helped End WWII
    2:23:42 With a Pistol and a Prayer- The Incredible Story of The Night Witches
    2:37:21 Do Airplanes Actually “Scream” as They Dive as Commonly Depicted in Hollywood Films?
    2:51:11 The Pivotal WWII Gun That Nobody Wanted to Put Down: The Plumber's Nightmare


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    3 hr 3 min
  • What was Being a Ninja Really Like

    A relatively common trope today is that of the noble and honorable

    Samurai warrior opposed by their shadowy brother from another mother,
    the mystical and morally corrupt, black garbed assassin warrior known as
    the ninja.
    These fabled shadow warriors of Japanese history have been a staple of
    modern pop culture since around the 1960s when super-spy James Bond
    encountered them on a trip to Japan in You Only Live Twice. Prior to
    this, ninjas were something few people outside of their homeland were
    aware of. This has contributed to the real-world history of the ninja
    and their origins being rather chock full of admittedly awesome myths
    and legends, all surrounding them like a thick, shadowy fog.
    Something we feel the ninjas of history would feel proud of. Afterall,
    hiding and remaining unseen is sort of their whole deal… And, indeed,
    even in their time, they seemed to like to play up some of the stories
    that arose around what they were capable of and how they did what they
    did.
    This all brings us to the topic of today- just who were the ninja and
    what did they actually get up to in reality?
    To begin with, in a nutshell the ninja were elite, mercenary spies that
    also doubled as a type of swiss army knife of special forces, skilled in
    everything from sabotage, espionage, ambush, arson, assasination, to
    there is even evidence that they were highly trained in first aid and
    use of various medicines.
    As historian Yamada Yüji notes, “You need to know the topography of the
    enemy’s position, the condition of his food supplies, the structure of
    his castle. It was the job of the shinobi [ninja] to obtain this kind of
    crucial information. They would infiltrate the enemy domain and
    ascertain the lay of the land…and create chaos through acts of sabotage
    and arson.”
    On that note, debunking our first ninja myth, there’s no historical
    record of them dressing in the stereotypical ninja outfits we all know
    and love today. Because the thing was, wearing such garb would be one
    heck of a way for them to stand out in many types of missions.
    As such, ninjas mostly seem to have worn the garb of everything from
    monk to farmer to servant- whatever a particular mission required,
    rather than any set uniform.
    We’ll have some examples of them doing just this later on, but for now,
    ninjas so commonly wearing the clothing of farmers and the like even
    gave rise to the idea for a time that they were mostly simple farmers
    who simply took money for spying. While there certainly were individuals
    who did just that, when talking actual ninjas as we think of them, they
    were anything but simple, and there are even nobles who were samurai
    who are known to have been trained up in ninjitsu. More on this later.
    But for now, let’s look at the origin of the ninja.
    Authors: Karl Smallwood and Daven Hiskey
    Host: Daven Hiskey
    Producer: Caden Nielsen


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    30 min
  • The Stories of WWII (Part 2)

    In the video today we're looking at a variety of interesting stories

    from WWII from the man who fought in WWII with a sword and bow, to the
    kids who led the resistance movement in Germany, to how flatulence
    decided the outcome of WWII.
    0:00 Why Did Japan Join the Nazis? (Given, You Know, the Nazis Explicitly Hated Non-Aryans)
    40:09 The Women Who were Used for Breeding by the Nazis
    57:25 How Do German Schools Teach About WWII?
    1:07:21 The Man Who Fought in WWII With a Sword and Bow:
    1:12:32 What were Hitler's Relatives Up to During and After WWII?
    1:42:31 The Kids Who Led the Resistance Movements Against the Nazis
    2:13:48 Why Did So Many Nazis Choose Argentina to Flee to After WWII?
    2:49:22 The Forgotten Armed Nazi Operation Carried Out on North American Soil During WWII
    2:58:22 The Forgotten Nazi Holocaust Plan Before They Decided On the Holocaust
    3:09:39 How Hitler's Flatulence Defeated Nazi Germany


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    3 hr 26 min
  • The Truth About Land Mines

    It is a classic war movie trope: a squad of soldiers are marching

    through the jungle when, suddenly, they hear an ominous click. One of
    the soldiers freezes and, glancing down, spots a telltale metal disk
    under his foot. His heart begins to beat furiously: he has just stepped
    on a landmine. His comrades urge him to stay perfectly still, for if he
    moves even an inch the mine will explode, blowing off his leg and very
    likely killing him. The seconds and minutes tick by in unbearable
    suspense as the soldiers scramble to come up with some way - any way -
    of getting their squadmate out of this sticky situation alive, despite
    how relatively easy it would be in that scenario to solve the problem by
    simply keeping downward pressure on the person’s shoe, then taking
    their foot out and putting a rock or something on the shoe after.
    Nevertheless, a highly-effective means of introducing tension, this
    scenario has appeared in dozens of films including 2014’s The Monuments
    Men, 2017’s Kingsman: the Golden Circle, and the appropriately-titled
    2015 Georgian exploitation film Landmine Goes Click.
    But does it have any basis in reality?
    Author: Gilles Messier
    Editor/Host: Daven Hiskey
    Producer: Caden Nielsen


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    24 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.