Interesting Nuggets

Roxanne tells us all about the most successful pirate of all time... Ching Shih. Who was (cue the gasp) a woman! She rose from poverty to command 1,800 ships and 80,000 pirates. Rox gets into the strict rules that kept her crew loyal (cheat on your spouse...walk the plank) and how she retired undefeated to live out her days in opulence...running gambling houses and brothels.

Kendall gets all jazzed up about crows. Part of the corvid family and notoriously devious, clever, and cunning... or perhaps just greatly misunderstood. Crows have been vilified for millennia, but research now shows they're simply incredibly smart—and fiercely loyal, too.

Join us on today's episode where Kendall tells us about inventions created by kids. Kids with their never ending creativity and imagination have bought us things we use on the daily... calculators, popsicles, flippers and well...guns. Lets pump up the next generation of young inventors because you can't beat a fresh, novel and youthful idea.

On this episode of Interesting Nuggets, Roxanne is feeling the love. She sits down with Kendall to share some of the most influential inventions ever made — all with one thing in common: they were inspired by someone's loved one.

On this episode, Kendall crashes into the ridiculous delay of the Female Crash Test Dummy Delay. The first male dummy was introduced in 1949. The first female one? 2023. Just a small 74-year wait. And even now, its use is rarely mandatory. Despite years of evidence showing women are significantly more likely to be seriously injured in crashes because cars are designed and tested around the "averag...

You've probably forgotten a face before. But what if you couldn't remember any face — ever? Roxanne shares the debilitating and mind-boggling neurological condition of Face Blindness (prosopagnosia) with Kendall. A condition where the brain can't hold onto faces, not even your closest friends, not even yourself in a mirror. Join us while we learn about the wild neuroscience behind why some brains...

This week, Kendall grosses out Roxanne with the squirm-worthy backstory of the powdered wig — fashion's most glamorous lie. At the height of 17th and 18th century European society, the bigger and whiter your wig, the more powerful you appeared; but underneath all that flour and horsehair, the reality was anything but refined. Think rancid animal fat, lice-ridden shaved heads, and yes — rodents act...

The wolf whistle — two notes that have echoed through pop culture, construction sites, and Hollywood films. On this episode Roxanne digs into the history of how a cheeky chirp became an unsettling intrusion. This is one whistle that's hit some very sour notes.

On this episode of "Interesting Nuggets" we have one for the left-handed folks out there. To the 10-12% of the population who struggle with scissors, smear their pen, and wage daily war against ring binders — this one's for you. Lefties have been cast as outsiders for most of recorded history. In fact, the Latin word for left — *sinister* — tells you everything you need to know about how they were...

This week, Roxanne uncovers the rich history of April Fools' Day — from fish pinned to unsuspecting backs to elaborate hoaxes that had entire nations fooled. At the start of Spring humanity has been gleefully pranking each other for centuries, and we're not even a little sorry about it.

Todays episode is dedicated to Roxanne's best mate Tank. A friend that is missed dearly everyday. Join us as Kendall shares with us stories of histories most heroic and loyal pups. They are such good girls and boys and we wish we could give each and every one of them a cuddle. Grab your pooch, a blanket, a cuppa and enjoy this doggie episode of Interesting Nuggets.

Foreign Accent Syndrome: a bizarre brain blip that leaves you with an accent you never traveled for? —or a serious condition that reshapes someone’s entire life, across all aspects of their days? Join us as Roxanne unpacks this rare and life-changing phenomenon.

This week, Kendall takes us diving skull-first into the wild, weird, and often terrifying history of migraine remedies. Ancient skull-drilling all the way to opioids,caffeine and garlic. Spoiler: humanity has been getting migraine wrong for well......forever. Pop in the earbuds, dim the lights, settle in, and let's get into it.

Are you someone who loves slipping idioms into everyday conversation? If so, you’re in good company—just like Roxanne, who always has a idiom in her repertoire. In todays episode Roxanne shares with us something you might not know: many of the idioms we use today are actually evolved versions of much older sayings. Over time, they’ve been shortened, stretched, and reshaped into the expressions we...

In this episode, we’re wandering off the happily-ever-after path and into the dark, and downright horrifying origin stories of classic fairytales. The original versions make our modern takes look like bedtime lullabies. Grab your gingerbread and hold onto your glass slippers — it’s about to get grimm. Trigger warning: some of these stories include extreme violence with sexual content- Sleeping Bea...

In this episode of Interesting Nuggets, we spin around the poles history. Pole dancing has grown from a raw test of strength into a worldwide sport and art form now aiming for the Olympics. Its roots start in ancient Indian Mallakhamb and Chinese pole acrobatics to American circuses in the 1920s, Along the way, it picked up a sparkle, sexy heels and a whole lot of attitude.

Lets crack open the surprisingly recent invention of the “teenager.” It turns out that before the 1940s we had children who grew into adults—minus all the angst. Thanks to major social and economic shifts, the “teenager” was born. Consumerism quickly spotted this new market and began shaping teen culture through music, fashion, and must-have products. A bite-sized listen for anyone trying to make...

We crack into the remarkable life of Nellie Bly, a journalist who wasn’t afraid to step into spaces she was never meant to occupy. From exposing mental asylums from the inside, to thriving in male-dominated newsrooms. She was a sharp businesswoman, a talented author, and—casual flex—traveled around the world in just 72 days.

Beau Brummell wasn’t just an English dandy — he was the original men’s style dictator of Regency London. His extreme obsession with tailoring and spotless grooming laid the foundations for modern menswear. This episode shows how his rejection of frills and colour accidentally sentenced generations of men to a lifetime of navy, black, grey — and, if they’re feeling adventurous, maybe green. This nu...

On this episode of Interesting Nuggets we dig into the surprising history behind peace signs. The classic symbol and the two-finger gesture, each have a story that’s way more interesting than you’d expect. We explore where they came from, how they spread, and the moments that made them iconic. Listen in and peace out, baby.

Interesting Nuggets is back with penis related content! We dive into the rise and rise and rise of the legendary codpiece and of course its inevitable flaccid fall . This episode unpacks how a simple garment became the ultimate medieval power play. Tune in and prepare for a boldly bulging journey through fashion’s most masculine invention..

In "Good Vibrations" we uncover how a medical device accidentally became a cultural icon. There will be Victorian awkwardness, mishaps, and unintentional uses for a common household appliance. We’ll separate facts from pervasive myths . Along the way, we meet inventors who definitely did not foresee where their gadget was headed. This episode is buzzing with the giggles!

This nugget is one for the dreamers! A man who dreamed of flying through the sky would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Larry has lofty plans and he makes them a dangerous reality. Join us while we delve into this fascinating nugget about people throwing caution literally to the wind.

Ever wondered why we say “bless you” when someone sneezes? In this episode of Interesting Nuggets we leap nose-first into the rich history of sneezing and the bizarre things people have responded with throughout the ages. We uncover how different cultures, and generations have reacted to a simple achoo! with everything from prayers to outright panic. Tune in for a joyful chat that’s nothing to sni...

This week on Interesting Nuggets, we’re examining the world of colour and gender — we’re asking the big question: why is pink for girls and blue for boys? Is it a recent thing, or have we been colour-coding babies for centuries? If you’ve ever dressed your baby girl head-to-toe in pink and added a bow to her bald head just to avoid the ‘what a handsome little boy!’ comments, this nugget’s for you