The BrainFood Show

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 having a giant statue of it made in his honor only a couple decades ago.

Next up, we have a brief message from our sponsor Skillshare! Level up your skills and support this show all at the same time by signing up for Skillshare today: https://skillshare.com/brainfood Using that link also gets you a 2-month free trial. Big thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring this podcast!

Moving on to the next section of the show we’re looking at one of the most prolific inventors in American history who invented at least one thing (if not a couple) that are currently in your home right now and you probably use frequently, yet for various reasons we’ll get into, nobody remembers this guy at all and he never made much money off any of his hundreds of inventions. (And for those curious about the Lockstitch gif, click here.)

After that we’re looking at the fascinating origin of the ballpoint pen and the shockingly complex way these things are made considering you’ve probably lost 3 of them in your couch cushions today already and don’t care because they are dirt cheap somehow.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 1) appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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, Blinkist, which gives you the key ideas from more than 3,000 bestselling nonfiction books in just 15 minutes instead of having to listen to the full audiobook or read it all. Try it out for free and help support this show by using the following link: https://www.blinkist.com/thebrainfoodshow

Moving on to the next section of the show we’re looking at a Canadian man who set the bar even higher on practical jokes, by doing his greatest ones from beyond the grave.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post The Greatest Practical Joke and the Last Laugh appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 is super cheap and takes almost no time or effort to get setup and working. Unlimited automatic backups for your computer for just $6 a month. You never have to worry about losing your photos or files on your computer again. It just works. Get your free trial and help keep this podcast going by using the following link: www.backblaze.com/brainfood

Moving on to the main topic, we are looking at the fascinating story of a 17th century dwarf who would go from humble beginnings to being knighted and becoming a Captain of the Horse and member of the Queen of England’s court.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post Lord Minimus- The Renaissance Dueling Dwarf appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 CinemaSins, but also the author of the books “The Ables” and the sequel that just came out, “Strings”, both of which you can order here https://cinemasins.com/book

Moving on to the main topic, we are looking at the fascinating story of an instance where a major movie studio intentionally made a horrible Fantastic Four movie and a variety of interesting tangents along the way.  In the Bonus Facts, we look at some rather odd characters created by DC Comics and Marvel over the years.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post That Time a Major Studio Intentionally Made a Crappy “Fantastic Four” Movie and Why Superheroes Wear Their Underwear on the Outside appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*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 to it.

In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start off looking at the little known much more massive big brother to the Roman Colosseum and the astounding number of people it held.

Next up, we have a brief message from our sponsor, Skillshare. Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of amazing classes covering dozens of creative and entrepreneurial skills. You can take classes in everything from photography and creative writing to design, productivity, and more. Join the millions of students already learning on Skillshare today, and if you use our link here: https://www.skillshare.com/Brainfood you not only help keep this show going, but also get 2 free months of Premium Membership.

Moving on to the main topic, we are looking at how it came to be that some countries have their populaces drive on the left while others choose the keep right model. In the Bonus Facts, we look at some interesting things about the keep left and keep right rules with regards to boats, airplanes and helicopters.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post Why Do Some Countries Have People Drive on the Left and Others on the Right? (+Contest Winners) appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 with thousands of amazing classes covering dozens of creative and entrepreneurial skills. You can take classes in everything from photography and creative writing to design, productivity, and more. Join the millions of students already learning on Skillshare today, and if you use our link here: https://www.skillshare.com/Brainfood you not only help keep this show going, but also get 2 free months of Premium Membership.

Moving on to the main topic, we are looking at the fascinating story behind the first film in history, which was not created to entertain, but rather to learn something that simply wasn’t possible to observe given the limits of human perception. We also delve into how the entire project almost got derailed when the man behind this advancement of technology decided to up and murder someone…

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post Forgotten History Part 2: The First Film and the Murder That Nearly Killed It appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Instead we jump right into the main topic which is a very real phenomenon that popped up off and on for several hundred years called Dance Mania or St. Vitus’ Dance. While it might sound like a bit of a joke, it was surprisingly deadly at times and had a fascinating cure.

We then look at the probable cause of this phenomenon, along with many other similar ones, including a couple in modern times, that all seem to have the same root.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post The Forgotten Plague- DANCE MANIA!!! appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 require fancy science or advanced medical techniques.)

Moving on to the meat of today’s episode, we jump into a variety of bizarre animal mating practices, starting with the somewhat humorous mating practices of the giraffe, looking at how porcupines mate without serious injury, banana slugs, the evil that is the male duck, and more!

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post How Porcupines Mate, the Bizarre Sex Habits of Giraffes (and Much, Much More) appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 which isn’t ideal. Also a bit under the weather and lost my voice before recording, so maybe for the best that I wasn’t coming through in pristine quality. Next episode will sound much, much better!

In any event, in this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at the real story behind the song In the Air Tonight.

Moving on to the meat of today’s episode, we jump into the fascinating story of one Willie Francis, a young man convicted for murder, executed, then executed again about a year later, despite the fact that it would very much seem as if he was innocent the whole time.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post Twice Executed appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 story behind one of the many so called “trial of the century” of the 20th century.  In this case involving a housewife and her lover and their plot to murder her husband. We also discuss the case of the first woman ever to be executed in an electric chair and one of the most iconic journalistic photos ever taken.

In the Bonus Facts today, we look at the first two women ever to be sentenced to death via the electric chair, what they did to get that sentence, and how they both got off.

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!

(You can also discuss this episode and view references on The BrainFood Show forum here.)

Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML

You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show

The post Taking the Mystery Out of Murder- A Couple of Dumbbells appeared first on Today I Found Out.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices