The Softbrains

In 2007, a 'Declaration of Reasonable Doubt' was released by scholars and actors alike and it stated that there was 'room for reasonable doubt about the identity of William Shakespeare.' This week Clarke takes us behind the curtain of the mysteries and misinformation that surrounded the life of Shakespeare. The speculation that he was not the author of his plays, his weird, illegible signature, and what the heck he actually even looked like.

Justin brings us into more mysterious incidents, including all of the crimes surrounding, arguably, one of the most famous parks in the world. He shares the gruesome details of John Lennon's murder, the police standoff at the Central Park washrooms and, of course, the Central Park Five. There is a lot more to the eye in this weeks episode of the Softbrains in Episode 3: The Mystery of William Shakespeare and the Crimes of Central Park!

What was Central Park before it was the groomed, touristy lawns that we know today? Well, it was a shanty town and some rocks. Justin tells us how Central Park became one of the most famous parks in the world and the ups and downs throughout its history. Including the effect of FDR and the Great Depression, the hippies and the kinda secret Central Park Conservancy. And after you're done visiting the park... 

Have you ever wanted to be a unicorn? The sparkly rainbow kind, the furry rhino kind or the business kind? Clarke details the weird origins and stories about unicorns throughout history, as well as their mistaken participation in the bible and the hoaxes that followed. Unicorns seem to have touched a little piece of every society, they're not just frappuccinos and magical companions, they're full of history and mystery. Find out all about it on Season 2: Episode 2 of @thesoftbrains!

The Softbrains are back for Season 2 with a delicious mix of fast food and fresh fish. Clarke details the history and marketing of Mcdonalds that has made it the golden arched beast that we know today. Not only how they became so successful but how they maintained that success. She also touches on McDonalds' slogans, their on and off relationship with Disney and their run in with fraud.

After talking about the Filet o' Fish, Justin takes us to fish filets, specifically cod filets. Starting in the early 1900's there has been several 'cod wars' between Iceland and the United Kingdom, fighting over the desirable waters that sit between the two countries. Justin gets into boat ramming, net cutting, NATO threats and all of the details that make the Cod Wars one of the strangest wars in recent human history. Back with a banger, check it all out in Season 2: Episode 1: The Success of Mcdonalds and Cod Wars

Are you ready to get drunk and hungry? In this weeks episode of the Softbrains, Justin takes us down the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. He tells us exactly what this amber-coloured alcohol is made out of, its history and the weird rules and guidelines around its distillation. Bourbon barrels can't be re-used, so what do they do with them? BBQ sauce, wine, decoration in your grandmas basement. This delicious drink is just the start of this episodes journey into deliciousness.Clarke takes us on a journey through the world's most famous restaurants. From the Napa Valley, to Catalonia to Paris, the French Laundry, El Bulli and the Tour D'argent are without a doubt the most famous restaurants in the world. Whether they started off as an Eagle Saloon or whether they specialize in foamed food, these restaurants are famous for a reason. Was it their ingredients, their innovation or their cultural significance that led to their fame? Get ready to salivate in Episode 31: Kentucky Bourbon and the World's Most Famous Restaurants.

In 1858, two ships headed for the search of the Northwest Passage disappeared. The Franklin Expedition is one of Canada's most enduring mysteries, it's the story of a determined wife, possible cannibalism, and a sprinkle of the paranormal. The HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror were discovered in 2014 and 2016, respectively, but the ships are still rife with mystery and suspicion. Clarke tells us all about how they got there, what happened and how the Canadian government is involved. On the other side of the planet, Justin takes us into the world of Sumo and the Rikishi. The popularity of sumo came and went, depending on local rulers and how they felt about sumo. But it was consistently a staple of Japanese culture and tradition at time to a fault. The conditions that sumo wrestlers live in and the associations persistence to hold to tradition has stirred up some controversy in recent years. Find out all about it this weeks episode of @thesoftbrains Episode 30: The Franklin Expedition and Sumo Wrestlers

Savant Syndrome, a condition where an individual excels in a specific skill like art, music or math. Only about 75 people in the world today are deemed as 'mega-savants,' but the syndrome is not without its drawbacks. Justin tells us all about how Savant Syndrome affects individuals like Kim Peek, a mega savant. The 1988 blockbuster hit, Rain Man was based on Kim Peek and his incredible ability to memorize everything that he read. Then Clarke shifts gears to the not-so-magical disappearance of Rebecca Coriam, a Disney employee who vanished from a Disney cruise ship in 2011. Her story is riddled with mystery, cover ups and lawsuits. Disney maintains to this day that Rebecca was washed overboard by a wave but Clarke breaks down why that can't possibly be true and its clear that something more malicious happened to the young Disney worker. Don't believe everything the Mouse tells you in Episode 29: Rain Man's Savant Syndrome and the Disney Cruise Disappearance.

The Softbrains decided to do something a little bit different this week. We've been busy with a move to a different city and didn't have time to produce a full episode this time around SO instead, feel free to enjoy listening to us play the dated game of BATTLE OF THE SEXES. We'll be back to regularly scheduled programming next week but in the mean time, listen to Justin kick Clarke's ass in this sexist and prejudice board game.

Cowboy Bob was a notorious bank robber in the early 90's in Texas. He hit multiple banks in the Irving area and stole thousands of dollars. He always wore a 10 gallon hat, a beard and sunglasses and no one knew that under all that, it was actually a middle-aged woman named Peggy Jo Tallas. Clarke tells us all about Peggy Jo's story and the events that led to Cowboy Bob's final stand in 2005. Originally thought to be cultivated in Central America, Cocoa trees were actually domesticated first in South America according to a recent research group from British Columbia. It was long after that the delicious chocolate-giving trees were moved to Africa. Justin dives into chocolate's history, production and the current issues facing the industry in episode 28: America's Weirdest Bank Robber and the Chocolate Industry.

Detroit, 1920's, prohibition is in full swing and a juvenile street gang is started up by the Burnstein brothers. Abe, Joe, Raymond and Izzy call it 'the Purple Gang.' Justin details the purple gangs involvement in several turf wars, bootlegging and the laundry industry union. They controlled all of Detroit's vices and they were number one until the Collingwood Manor Massacre, then, things changed for the Burnsteins. 

North of Detroit, Clarke delves into Aurora or the Northern Lights. The colourful dancing lights in the sky that have led to legends, stories and myths that have lasted centuries. Some say it's a gateway to heaven others say it's spirits playing football with a Walrus's head. But actually, it's solar particles crashing into the atoms in our atmosphere. Find out how you can run your telegraph system with auroral current instead of batteries in episode 27: Detroit's Purple Gang and the Northern Lights.

Federal agents did everything they could to drive the Branch Davidians out of the Mount Carmel Centre in the 1993 Waco Siege. Recordings of rabbits being slaughtered, flash grenades, and finally, tear gas to drive out the David Koresh and his followers. In part two of the Waco Siege, Clarke details the events that resulted in the fire on April 19th, 1993 that would end with a total death count of 76 people.

The Waco Siege is surrounded in mystery and unconfirmed conspiracies, as is the disappearance of the crew of the Mary Celeste. In December of 1872, the ship (Mary Celeste) was discovered 1000 miles off the coast of Portugal. Not one soul on board, navigation systems missing but the cargo of denatured alcohol untouched. Justin expands on the mystery and @thesoftbrains explore the story in this weeks episode, episode 26: Waco Siege (Part 2) and the Mary Celeste Disappearance.