Commute | The Podcast

Do you get up when the alarm goes off or hit snooze and get nine more minutes? How did that setting end up always at nine? You’ve just run 26 miles. Marathons expect an additional .2 miles. How did that happen? Sources: https://www.history.com/articles/why-is-a-marathon-26-2-miles https://www.rd.com/article/why-is-snooze-9-minutes/ Sources: https://www.history.com/articles/why-is-a-marathon-26-2-m...

Louie Louie is a song frequently heard at bars, athletic events, and open mics. Then the FBI decided to take a closer look at the lyrics. If you’re wearing jeans, look at your right pocket and you’ll see a tiny, seemingly useless additional pocket. Any ideas? Sources: https://www.npr.org/2023/10/31/1209181745/louie-louie-the-story-behind-the-song-everyone-knows-but-no-one-understands https://www.b...

It seems simple—two pieces of bread with something in the middle—but its namesake is anything but. Some world records seem to stand forever, while others can fall multiple times yearly. We look at the reasons why not all records are created equal.  Sources: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251003-the-maths-behind-world-records https://www.history.com/articles/sandwich-inventor-john-montagu-ear...

We don’t think twice about using a fork today, but our ancestors didn’t love it - and they were pretty sure God wouldn’t approve, either.  Since the 1950s, artificial laugh tracks have helped ensure that jokes land on sitcoms from I Love Lucy to Friends to The Big Bang Theory. Let’s meet the man responsible. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodca...

Referred to as winged rats, pigeons aren’t often at the top of many favorite bird lists. They should be.  When would you guess the last Civil War pension check went out?  You’re probably wrong.  What we wear has an impact on how people perceive us. How big an impact? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - f...

Ever wonder why keyboards seem random rather than in alphabetical order? Hint: it wasn’t done to help you type quicker.  For 70 years, Publishers Clearing House knocked on the door of an unsuspecting winner and presented them with a giant cardboard check, granting them monthly payments for the rest of their lives. Things have changed.  Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/16/business/publishers-cl...

Is Pig Latin a language? Is there a real pig involved?  Why does Jay dislike it so much? Most of us cringe when we hear a recording of ourselves. Why do we dislike it so much? Do other people hear us the way we hear ourselves? Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/jul/12/the-real-reason-the-sound-of-your-own-voice-makes-you-cringe https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/what-is-pig-latin...

The US Government once tried to ban sliced bread. That went as well as you’d expect. For thirty years, a statue with an unsolvable puzzle has stood on the lawn of CIA headquarters. The answer is about to go up for auction. Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nobody-has-been-able-to-solve-the-cias-famous-kryptos-sculpture-soon-the-solution-will-be-sold-to-the-highest-bidder-180987200...

Can you use up all the honk that’s in your car’s horn?  At one time the Olympics gave out medals for… architecture, music, painting, sculpture, and literature. Yes, we’re not kidding.  Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-the-olympics-gave-out-medals-for-art-6878965/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/transportation/cars-trucks/do-cars-run-out-of-honk http://www.commutethepodcast.com...

What would you want your last meal to be? Most of us will (hopefully) never be on death row, but how would your answer line up with real requests from death row inmates? Only about 10% of people are left-handed. That can be good or bad depending on the task. + Why is anyone left-handed at all? Sources: https://choicemutual.com/blog/favorite-last-meal-by-state/ https://www.shoutoutuk.org/2024/08/13...

We'll be back next week with an all-new episode - until then, enjoy a popular one from the archives!  You’ve probably noticed novelty popcorn buckets tied in with select blockbuster movies. If you miss them in the theater, you can always take out a loan to buy one later. Screen time and its potentially harmful side effects are a real concern - even at zoos.  Okay, so he’s not sued EVERYone, b...

Why do some things (kids growing up 🥺) feel like they happen quickly, while others (DMV visit) creep along slowly? Gone since 2013, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to bring back the presidential physical fitness test. Cue collective dread. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - fa...

A clever crime ring in Bali has been successfully operating for decades and authorities are unable to stop it. The members of this crime syndicate are… monkeys. Some people get selected for jury duty so often they could teach a course on it, while others have never been called. What’s the story behind this (supposedly) random system? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - ins...

We do it enthusiastically at concerts, politely at ceremonies and awkwardly at meetings.  Why do we clap? How did we start? The frozen crust-free peanut butter and jelly sandwich is the preferred snack of five-year-olds … and professional football players.  Sources: https://foodinstitute.com/focus/the-incredible-uncrustable-how-the-frozen-pbj-won-over-the-nfl/ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20...

The fastest-growing segment of video gamers isn’t kids, teenagers, or guys in their mom’s basement—and they usually have grandkids.  During the Cold War, the CIA’s most highly trained spies weren’t that good—and they weren’t human, either.  Sources: https://www.history.com/articles/cia-spy-cat-espionage-fail https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/ng-interactive/2025/jul/14/video-games-older-adults-d...

We’re all on the big round earth at the same time, but our clocks say different times. How we got time zones.  A thumbs-up good is always good…isn’t it?  Why has emoji use become difficult to decipher? Sources: https://www.vox.com/2014/8/5/5970767/case-against-time-zones https://theconversation.com/thumbs-up-good-or-passive-aggressive-how-emojis-became-the-most-confusing-kind-of-online-language-25...

How true are movies that claim to be true? And does it even matter? The color red is most often associated with danger - how did that happen? Sources: http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast

Vanilla sounds bland but the flavor is anything but basic. This week we’ll tell you where it comes from. (Hint: you’ll never think about beavers the same way again.) Independence Day fireworks fun can hide a grim reality: it may end up at the ER … or even the morgue.  Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/does-vanilla-flavoring-actually-come-from-beaver-butts-180983288/ https://www.us...

Did basketball begin when Dr. James Naismith nailed up two peach baskets or with a teenage YMCA director lobbing cabbages? The “IKEA effect” says sweat equity adds worth. There’s science behind the lopsided bookshelf that you still consider priceless. Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/06/12/a-psychologist-explains-the-ikea-effect-how-labor-leads-to-love/ https://www.nytimes.co...

Why do toddlers experience an event but lose the memory? This week we explore why our youngest years vanish - and what we can do to make those earliest moments stick. How a tree nearly started WWlll.  Sources: https://www.thehindu.com/children/operation-paul-bunyan-when-a-tree-sparked-a-military-standoff/article68763759.ece/amp/ https://www.popsci.com/health/why-we-forget-our-childhoods/#:~:text=T...

How did a 19th-century joke become the world’s most spoken word? This week we scan the baby name blacklist and learn why some will never make it onto a birth certificate. Sources: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/06/03/us-banned-baby-names/84011765007/ https://www.history.com/articles/the-birth-of-ok-175-years-ago http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagra...

Was the famous tongue-twister really about a Victorian-era fossil hunter? Ever notice great whites are missing from aquariums? This week, we explore why the ocean’s superstar can’t survive life behind glass. Sources: https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2017/07/she-sells-seashells-and-mary-anning-metafolklore-with-a-twist/ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/504168/why-dont-you-see-great-white-sharks-aq...

It’s our 200th episode! We start with a note of gratitude and a show announcement.  If you grew up in an American public school, you likely really loved or really hated your school lunches. Here’s the surprising tale of how schools came to provide lunch for students.  Some 1990s era video games for Super Nintendo were notoriously challenging. One of the most difficult was the Lion King - but it wa...

Karaoke is one of America’s favorite activities. Why are so many people willing to sing (so badly) in public? At the recent running of the Kentucky Derby, the horses had more in common than you’d think. Humans talk slightly differently based on geographic regions. Can the same be said for animals? Sources: https://www.si.com/fannation/rodeo/news/secretariat-lives-on-through-hooves-every-horse-kent...

You can choose the wake-up sound for your phone's alarm. It took a lot of effort to create all those options.  It makes sense on a gallon of milk, but does bottled water really expire? Many of us say “please” and “thank you” to the artificial intelligence systems we interact with. Maybe we should stop. Sources: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/22098/why-does-bottled-water-have-expiration-d...