Things I Learned Last Night

Since the United States first landed on the moon 50 years ago, the dream of a space colony has been alive in the American consciousness. Is a space colony really possible, though? After 40 years of near inactivity in space, things are changing. Governments are beginning to reinvest in space exploration. Private organizations are also beginning to invest in a new frontier of business; the space ind...

Nascar has long been the pinnacle of the racing world. However, within the Nascar community, there stands no track greater than the Talladega Super Speedway. This racetrack is the track of dreams. Nascar Drivers spend their careers chasing qualifications for a chance on that pavement. In 1982 one aspiring driver rose through the ranks to earn his qualification at the Winston 500 held on Talladega'...

About 50 miles outside downtown Atlanta lies Lake Lanier. This artificial reservoir spans 59 square miles and boasts an impressive 692 miles of shoreline. For years people from all around Georgia have journeyed to the lake to escape the heat and enjoy all the trappings of lake life. Unfortunately, many of those who made this trip never returned. Since the lake's opening to recreation, well over 50...

Freeway Rick Ross built an empire of drug dealing and real estate in the mid-'80s. His reputation was stout, but he knew what he was doing and evaded legal trouble for years. His ability to stay one step ahead of law enforcement put him in a position to amass an estimated $900 million, all while hiding his nefarious activities from his mother. Unfortunately for Ross, one misstep cost him everythin...

Tesla held its special AI day yesterday and showcased all kinds of incredible new technologies in its autonomous vehicles. Then at the end of their conference, something strange happened. First, a video rolled on the screen showcasing what looked like a new robot design. Then as the lights came up, a robot came walking across the stage. Tesla quickly showed the live robot to be nothing more than a...

Every nation in the world has had its fair share of embarrassing moments. But only one has lost a war to flightless birds. In 1932, the Australian military sent a small group of soldiers to the outback to rid the area of emus who were destroying local crops. The Australian government didn't expect the decision to lead to The Great Emu War. However, these emus were ready for the battle and exhibite...

Every Presidential candidate makes promises throughout their campaign to sway voters to earn their spot as president. For many candidates, only a few of these promises come to fruition. Other promises haunt them throughout their presidency. These promises present challenges for the White House in a few unique scenarios long after the president who made them is gone. That is exactly what happened w...

Few things are more dangerous than extended distance flights. Yet, occasionally, brave pilots will attempt to fly extreme distances in one go. A single flight around the world is dangerous business. A flight around the world is child's play compared to flying around for 8 years, straight, with nuclear bombs on board. That is exactly what the United States Military did from 1960 to 1968. It was the...

At this point, we are all familiar with the Fyre Festival disaster. The Netflix and Hulu documentaries about the absolute failure of a concert captured the American youth. However, Fyre Fest was not the first music festival to crash and burn. In fact, it's quite common for music festivals to end in disaster. Whether it be due to the kind of crowd music festivals attract, or the kind of people who...

You have to be a pretty crazy person to assassinate a United States President. But, for Charles J Guiteau, the man who assassinated the 20th President James A. Garfield, the assassination of the president was the least crazy thing he ever did. From a shady political career to cult ties to ax-wielding outbursts, Charles J Guiteau was certainly unhinged. He was so insane that his lawyers made the fi...

In 1877 Alexander Graham Bell founded the Bell Telephone Company. It was the world's first telephone company and would one day become AT&T. Even though Alexander Graham Bell sold his ownership stake in the company after just a couple of years with the company, AT&T would become the largest telephone company in the company the world. In fact, AT&T grew so large that the United States government spe...

Fans of the Things I Learned Last Night podcast know that the United States has made some missteps over the years. However, everything we've discussed pales in comparison to the colossal failure that is the Salton Sea, California. This story has everything; capitalism, floods of biblical proportion, tourist traps, environmental disasters, and nuclear bombs. Yeah, of course, there are nukes in this...

In episode 32, we talked about John McAfee, the man who created McAfee antivirus and that's the LEAST interesting thing about him. For years, he has said that the government is after him. This week, he died in prison... mysteriously... Tim updates us about what we know, what we think could have happened, and where we go from here. Listen to our episode about John McAfee This show is part of the Sp...

We've been putting signs up at Starbucks and on social media asking for weird voicemails! This time, we put up a sign that said "Have you been abducted??". Here are a few of the voicemail responses we got and our reactions to them! This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5714661/advertisement...

What do Salvation Mountain, East Jesus, and West Satan have in common? If you guessed they're locations in a video game then you're only half right. These eclectic phrases are names of subdivisions in the infamous Californian town known as Slab City. Home to mostly squatters and vagabonds, Slab City has been hailed as the last free city in the world. Residents enjoy no modern amenities like runnin...

New Mexico, 1964, Police Officer Lonnie Zamora was tending to his typical daily routine of ticketing speeders outside the city of Socorro. Zamora found himself in pursuit of a speeding vehicle when he saw something that would change his life forever. The UFO he witnessed that day would officially be listed in the secretive Project Blue Book as "unknown" a designation only afforded 700 of the 12,00...

When tribal groups first make contact with cultures and civilizations outside their own there are often unexpected consequences. Throughout history moments of 'First Contact' have led to disease outbreaks, war, and genocide. However, there is also a relatively new and incredibly odd phenomenon tied to first contact events known as Cargo Cults. These strange religions are largely formed out of a si...

Have you ever heard of Eels? Yeah, we're talking about the really weird snake-like fish that sometimes electrocute people. Sidebar, electric eels actually aren't even eels. They're a totally different kind of fish, it's a misnomer. Eels are incredibly odd because no one knows where they come from. These sea creatures lack reproductive organs of any kind. Their lack of obvious reproductive organs h...

On January 15, 1919, a 40-foot tidal wave ripped through Boston. This tidal wave did not come from the sea. No, it was a wave of molasses. This thick, sweet liquid tore through the city streets causing serious damage, injury, and even death. This is the strange and nearly unbelievable tale of the Boston Molassacre (AKA The Great Molasses Flood).This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if y...

It was the dawn of the modern Olympic era. St. Louis boasted the pleasure of being the 3rd host of the soon-to-be world-renowned games. Everything went off without a hitch. That is everything, except the men's marathon. This race was so mind-numbingly stupid that it has gone down in the annals of athletic history with infamy. This is the story of the 1904 Men's Olympic Marathon, the worst race of...

He was a magician, an occultist, and a vagabond. At one point, Aleister Crowley either struck fear or admiration into people all around the world. Even his own mother called him the antichrist. This revolutionary thinker started his own religion based around rather frightening rites. His lifestyle inspired celebrities and rockstars for decades. This is the story of how a young Christian boy divulg...

In February 1959, ten experienced hikers embarked on a dangerous hike through the northern Urals (a mountain range in the then Soviet Union). None of the adventurers knew what they were getting into when they left for the trek, in fact, no one to this day knows just what they encountered. Theories range from an avalanche to Katabatic wind to the Yeti and even aliens. Whatever they faced brought ab...

Remote Viewing and the government project that popularized it just might take the cake as the most unbelievable thing this little comedy podcast has ever discussed. Buckle up, because this is a wild one. In the early '70s, several government organizations developed a psychic training program that would eventually enlist dozens of psychics for use in actual operations. In the span of 25 years, the...

Not only were the 2008 Florida Gators the nearly undefeated BCS National Champions, but their roster is composed of a shockingly wide range of players. Most of the starters on the team made it to the NFL, but most of the team also made it to jail. Seriously, nearly a third of this team has been arrested since the 2008 season. Oh, and did we forget to mention that this is the team Tim Tebow came fr...

In the U.S. and its neighboring nations, mainly Canada, you'll find a suburban sprawl. Suburbia has become almost synonymous with the American way of life over the last 70 years. But, is it the right way to build a city? As the years have gone by and we've watched this great suburban experiment unfold, it would appear that the suburbs are doomed to fail. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Net...