Damn Interesting

A Possible Future 08.07.2026 3:19 ↓

An attempt to secure the future of the site, with an unfortunate quantity of moist metaphors.

Nineteen Seventy Three (Redux) 08.06.2026 28:06 ↓

Damn Interesting Podcast: Chile's audacious 1970s-era plan to network and automate the country's entire economy, hindered by political upheaval and CIA maneuvering. Long-time listeners might recognize this story, we did a version of it years ago. The original narrator for this piece joined forces with one of our competitors, and together they have been aggressively poaching our catalog to make vid...

There Once Was a Man Called Curley 06.09.2025 41:24 ↓

A would-be priest's audacious plan to win his money back from the bookmakers

Much Ado About Adenoids 23.06.2025 34:59 ↓

The largest and strangest riot in New York City’s history.

A Trail Gone Cold 20.03.2024 43:05 ↓

Against the odds, a tiny Icelandic town speaks of a local Black ancestor. Geneticists and historians combine forces to uncover the man’s eventful life.

Journey To The Invisible Planet 13.06.2023 28:18 ↓

The tangled history of humanity’s search for the solar system’s uncharted planets.

From Where The Sun Now Stands 21.05.2023 53:44 ↓

When the U.S. Army came for their land in 1877, the Nez Perce tribe complied. But tensions boiled over, and Chief Joseph led as they ran for their lives.

The Ancient Order Of Bali 28.03.2023 1:01:39 ↓

In 1970s Bali, a sudden rice crisis prompted an unexpectedly far-reaching scientific discovery

Lofty Ambitions 13.12.2022 26:36 ↓

In 1933, British WWI vet Maurice Wilson hatched an unorthodox plan to reach the still-untouched summit of Everest.

The Rube's Dilemma 27.10.2022 46:51 ↓

A great pitcher’s great temptation.

Devouring The Heart Of Portugal 03.05.2022 1:02:44 ↓

In 1924 a bankrupt businessman in Portugal launched an audacious international scheme to become one of the wealthiest men in the world.

The Mount St. Helens Trespasser 28.02.2022 30:53 ↓

Robert Rogers, a man obsessed with trespassing, sets his sights on Mount St. Helens in the spring of 1980

Hunting For Kobyla 07.02.2022 45:57 ↓

The true story of a runaway Nazi, a determined sleuth, and a chase around the world.

The Unceasing Cessna Hacienda 25.10.2021 28:21 ↓

In 1958, one heavily modified airplane flew out of Las Vegas with a single objective: Don’t land.

The Kingpin of Shanghai 25.08.2021 44:51 ↓

From the depths of poverty, Du Yuesheng rose through Shanghai’s underworld to become one of the most influential, and overlooked, figures in modern China.

The Traveler And His Baggage 02.06.2021 1:16:36 ↓

In Nazi-occupied Paris, “Dr. Eugène” offered Jews an alternative to deportation, slavery, and death camps. But the escape network was not what it seemed.

Fifteen Years Forsaken 27.04.2021 1:03:03 ↓

A true story of castaways on a lost and hostile scrap of land, all thanks to some meddlesome Frenchmen and terrible luck.

A Blight On Soviet Science 02.03.2021 47:46 ↓

Nikolai Vavilov dedicated his life to improving Soviet agriculture and eradicating famine, but his allegiance to science would ultimately lead to his downfall.

Pugilism On The Plains 28.12.2020 27:11 ↓

How a booming oil town aimed to become a western metropolis through one of the most ill-conceived boxing matches of all time.

How Miss Shilling's Orifice Helped Win the War 08.10.2020 24:59 ↓

How a female engineer defied all norms to save England in the Second World War.

Dupes and Duplicity 04.09.2020 1:06:21 ↓

The true story of the 18th century's greatest femme fatale, and the most unfortunate of her victims.

Chronicles of Charnia 29.06.2020 33:37 ↓

When an ancient, unexpected imprint is discovered in a stone quarry, scientists endeavor to explain its mysterious origin.

The Spy of Night and Fog 05.05.2020 29:56 ↓

The Spy of Night and Fog by Damn Interesting

Radical Solutions 25.03.2020 1:02:33 ↓

French mathematician Évariste Galois lived a full life. When he wasn't trying to overthrow the government, he was reinventing algebra.

Private Wojteks Right To Bear Arms 11.12.2019 16:18 ↓

One of Poland’s most beloved and honored World War II veterans was not Polish at all: he was a 500-pound brown bear named Wojtek.