Curiosityness

Travis sits down with Dave Arena about the fascinating history of Horn & Hardart, the legendary automat chain that revolutionized fast dining in the 20th century. From its origins in Philadelphia to its peak in New York City, discover how these futuristic, coin-operated restaurants served millions daily with affordable comfort food and iconic coffee. Could automats make a comeback? Tune in to find...

If you've never heard of the band GWAR, please listen to this episode! If you know the band GWAR, you're probably already listening to this episode!   For episode 119, I'm joined by Scott Barber, director of This is GWAR. In the documentary, Scott follows the heavy metal band GWAR, through its early days coming up through the late '80s to near-commercial success, including dark times and triumph o...

Louis Le Prince was the first person to create moving pictures—but just weeks before unveiling his invention to the world, he mysteriously disappeared. Three and a half years later, Thomas Edison, Le Prince's rival, made the device public, claiming to have invented it himself. And the man who had dedicated his life to preserving memories was himself lost to history—until now!   Grab your copy of T...

This is Part IV of this Route 66 series because we're finally doing the full Route 66 — 28 days in the RV from Chicago to LA! So, of course, I had to get the full breakdown on the history of Route 66, the must-see attractions, and what essentials we need to make the trip.   To get the complete lowdown on Route 66 in California, I'm joined by Scott Piotrowski, President of the California Historic R...

This is Part III of this Route 66 series because we're finally doing the full Route 66 — 28 days in the RV from Chicago to LA! So, of course, I had to get the full breakdown on the history of Route 66, the must-see attractions, and what essentials we need to make the trip.   To get the complete lowdown on Route 66 in Oklahoma, I'm joined by Rhys Martin, President of the Oklahoma Route 66 Associati...

This is Part II of this Route 66 series because we're finally doing the full Route 66 — 28 days in the RV from Chicago to LA! So, of course, I had to get the full breakdown on the history of Route 66, the must-see attractions, and what essentials we need to make the trip.   To get the complete lowdown on Route 66 in Kansas, I'm joined by Renee Charles, President of the Kansas Historic Route 66 Ass...

We're finally doing the full Route 66 — 28 days in the RV from Chicago to LA! So, of course, I had to get the full breakdown on the history of Route 66, the must-see attractions, and what essentials we need to make the trip.   To get the complete lowdown, I'm joined by Route 66 Author, Tour Guide, and Advocate, Jim Hinkley!   Tune in to learn… -Why Route 66 exists, -How Route 66 transformed from a...

What if instead of our livestock and crops destroying our farm land, they actually improved the soil? That's the idea behind regenerative grazing and it is a big deal, even for non-farmers like us!   To learn more about this, I'm joined by Pete Huff. Pete is the Co-Director of the Wallace Center, where he oversees the Resilient Agriculture & Ecosystems Initiative and the Pasture Project.   Tune in...

I think every dog owner, myself included, has wanted their dog to talk at one time or another. Well buckle up because Christina has taught her dog to talk and you can too!   In this episode I'm joined by Christina Hunger who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using over 50 simple paw-sized buttons programmed to say different words. It's kinda similar to the way Stephen Hawking used a device to...

I'm admittedly not a massive baseball fan but I do enjoy a good origin story and some outrageous fiction. This episode has both!   I'm joined by Tom Gilbert, author of the book, How Baseball Happened: Outrageous Lies Exposed! The True Story Revealed.   The wrongness of baseball history can be staggering. You may have heard that Abner Doubleday or Alexander Cartwright invented baseball. Neither did...

A few weeks ago I got to visit an art exhibit called The Art of the Brick and was blown away!   I got to see recreations of famous art pieces like the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and even a full scale Easter Island head. Oh and these recreations are entirely made out of standard LEGO bricks!   For this episode, I reached out to the artist, Nathan Sawaya, and he agreed to come on the show!   Tune...

If you remember the orange-roofed, twenty-eight flavored Howard Johnson's empire that stretched along roadways from coast to coast, you're gonna love this nostalgic and historical episode!   If the name Howard Johnson's is only vaguely familiar to you (like it was to me), you're also gonna love this episode!   In this episode, I'm joined by Boston historian and author of the book, A History of How...

Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola!   In this episode I'm joined by Tom Standage for a dive into the history of the world through the lens of what (and why) people were drinking at the time.   You may never look at your favorite drink the same way again!   Tune in to learn… -What the first drink was (besides water), -How beer was accidentally invented, -Why the Ancient Greeks and Roma...

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!   Have you ever wondered why there's only one variety of banana but a dozen or more varieties of apples at your grocery store? How about why bananas, grown across oceans, are half the price of locally grown apples?   To get these answers, and to learn more about the most fascinating fruit in the supermarket, I'm joined by Dan Koeppel in this episode. Dan is the author of the book, B...

I love learning about new tech and how it can enhance our lives! But perhaps we are beginning to place too much confidence and reliance on things like AI and algorithms.   In this episode I'm joined by Dr Robert Elliott Smith, author of the book, Rage Inside the Machine: The Prejudice of Algorithms, and How to Stop the Internet Making Bigots of Us All.   Tune in to learn… -About the role algorithm...

I've started to develop quite a love for Western films lately and The Magnificent Seven is definitely among the top. But aside from being a great film, there is an incredible story behind The Magnificent Seven which could have been a movie in itself!   In this episode I'm joined by Brian Hannan, author of The Making of The Magnificent Seven, to talk about this unbelievable story behind the movie....

Lucid dreaming is the ability to CONTROL your dreams.   A lucid dream feels like a normal dream but you're aware of the fact that it's a dream WHILE you're actually in the dream, meaning you can guide it and control what you do, and what you experience. You can fly across alien planets, overcome nightmares and live the impossible. Anyone can learn how to lucid dream by following proven techniques,...

Personal computers are everywhere! When was the last time you even saw a desk without a computer on it? But how did the personal computer rise up to become so ubiquitous and intertwined with our daily lives?   In this episode I'm joined by Sean Haas, host of the Advent of Computing podcast , for a wild ride through the rise of the personal computer!   Tune in to learn… -Why computers are just 1's...

Astronomy sounds like an awesome career choice — spend your nights sitting under the stars with a massive telescope finding new astronomical objects in the sky. But that's only the half of it, there's so much more...   In this episode I'm joined by Emily Levesque, astronomer and author of the book, The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers.   Emily shares how astro...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become Santa Claus or Mrs. Claus? Me too — That's why, in this episode, I'm joined by Tom and Holly Valent.   Tom and Holly are the deans of the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School. Founded in 1937, it is the oldest continuously run santa school in the world and is widely considered the Harvard of Santa schools.   Tune in to learn… -If you have to have a re...

Astronauts are cool - It's just a fact. That's why I'm so excited to share this episode with NASA astronaut, Terry Virts!   Terry piloted the Space Shuttle Endeavor, assumed command of the International Space Station (ISS), and spent more than seven months in space!   This is such a fun interview where I got to ask everything you ever wanted to ask an astronaut! Tune in to learn… -How to become an...

It's the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower! Maybe you learned about the Pilgrims back in grade school but, if you're like me, haven't really thought about it much since.   This episode is a great refresher on the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. But, more importantly, it's also a deep dive to understand the whole story that they didn't tell you in grade school.   In this episode...

How did soda, just flavored fizzy water, become so ubiquitous in today's society? To find out, let's dive in to the history of soda; It's an astonishing tale featuring drugs, Roman baths, "curative" medicinal uses, and more!   In this episode I'm joined by Tristan Donovan, author of Fizz: How Soda Shook Up the World.   Tune in to learn… -If Coca-Cola actually had cocaine in it, -About the "curativ...

Imagine taking an entire farm and putting it underwater in the ocean.  Now imagine that the crops you grow don't need to be watered and don't need pesticides, fertilizer, feed, or soil to grow.  Then imagine that this farm soaks up loads of carbon and nitrogen to help mitigate global warming.  And then imagine that the food it creates is a nutrient-dense superfood that's low in fat and calories. T...

You've probably been told that democracy is the ultimate, indisputable, best type of governance. But modern democracy is less than 250 years old―It's largely an experiment with no previous track record!   Myself, and most others, would say that democracy is arguably the best form of governance. But perhaps there are ways to tweak and improve it so that the people ultimately have the power!   That'...