Info On The Go

Send us Fan Mail When you hear “ringworm,” you probably imagine a creepy parasite—but the truth is far less sinister and far more fascinating. In this episode, we uncover the real story behind ringworm: a common fungal infection that’s been affecting humans for over 2,000 years. From ancient medical texts in India, Greece, and Rome to bizarre treatments involving mercury, sulfur, and even X-rays,...

Send us Fan Mail Brazil Nuts: More Than Just a Snack dives into the surprising story behind one of nature’s most powerful foods. From the towering trees of the Amazon rainforest to global markets and modern health trends, this episode explores how a single nut connects ecosystems, cultures, and economies. You’ll discover the fascinating way Brazil nuts grow, the vital role of wildlife and local co...

Send us Fan Mail  What if your future is already being shaped by your past… not by your memories, but by your data? In this eye-opening episode of Info On The Go , we explore the hidden world of digital footprints—how every click, scroll, and search you make is tracked, analyzed, and used to predict your behavior. From targeted ads and social media algorithms to real-world consequences like hiring...

Send us Fan Mail It’s one of the most common ingredients in the world—yet one of the most overlooked. In this episode of Info On The Go , we peel back the layers of the onion’s incredible journey through history. From ancient Egyptian tombs and Roman military rations to medieval medicine and the kitchens of nearly every culture on Earth, discover how this humble bulb helped feed civilizations, sha...

Send us Fan Mail The Persian Method (A Dash of Info) What if one of history’s greatest empires made major decisions twice—once over wine, and once the morning after? In this episode of A Dash of Info , we explore the fascinating decision-making custom attributed to ancient Persia, where ideas were tested in both passion and clarity. From the rise of Cyrus the Great and the vast Achaemenid Empire t...

Send us Fan Mail Snake Venom: The Anti-Aging Serum of the 19th Century What if one of the deadliest substances in nature was once sold as a beauty secret? In this episode of Info On The Go , we slither back into the Victorian era to uncover the strange and dangerous world of 19th-century anti-aging remedies. From rumored snake venom serums and toxic beauty creams to the social pressures that made...

Send us Fan Mail What if the way you drink tea could tell you where you stand in American history? From the invisible “Sweet Tea Line” that divides the United States today, to the explosive night of Boston Tea Party, this episode of Info On The Go traces how a simple drink became a symbol of culture, identity, and rebellion. Before coffee became king, tea ruled colonial America—fueling daily life,...

Send us Fan Mail In the middle of the Cold War, when nuclear weapons testing pushed science to its most extreme limits, one experiment may have accidentally launched the fastest object humanity has ever created. During a secret underground test known as Pascal-B, a 60-pound steel cap was welded onto the top of a deep test shaft. When the nuclear device detonated below, a high-speed camera captured...

Send us Fan Mail  Why does the world buy oil using U.S. dollars — even when that oil comes from thousands of miles away? In this episode, we explore the rise of the petrodollar system, a powerful financial arrangement born from Cold War politics, energy crises, and global economic change. From the collapse of the gold standard to the oil shocks of the 1970s, discover how oil revenues helped cement...

Send us Fan Mail A toaster might seem like one of the most ordinary appliances in your kitchen—just a simple machine that browns bread every morning. But behind that familiar pop is a surprisingly dramatic story of invention, engineering breakthroughs, corporate rivalry, and cultural change. In this episode, we explore how toasting bread evolved from a risky chore over open fires to one of the fir...

Send us Fan Mail Murphy’s Law—“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”—is one of the most quoted sayings in modern life. But where did it come from? In this episode, we explore the real story behind the phrase and the engineer who inspired it, Edward A. Murphy Jr.. What began as a frustrated remark during a 1949 aerospace experiment at Edwards Air Force Base soon became a guiding principle for e...

Send us Fan Mail In the late 1800s, a little-known struggle unfolded in the tobacco fields of Virginia and North Carolina. Known as the Black Tobacco Wars , this conflict wasn’t fought with armies but with contracts, crop prices, and control of the marketplace. African American farmers—many only a generation removed from slavery—relied on tobacco as one of the few paths toward economic independenc...

Send us Fan Mail Liquid Gold? The Strange, Surprising History of Urine What if I told you people once paid taxes on urine … that Roman laundries depended on it , that medieval doctors diagnosed disease by studying it , and that modern scientists are now turning it into fertilizer, medicine, and even energy ? In this episode of Info On The Go , we explore one of the most overlooked substances in hu...

Send us Fan Mail “There was a time when Jesus didn’t start with J.  A time when Jesus Christ was written as Iesus . When Julius Caesar carved his name as IVLIVS . When the alphabet itself didn’t even include the letter J.” We think of the alphabet as ancient—fixed, untouchable, permanent. But one of its most common letters is surprisingly young. For more than 1,500 years, J didn’t exist at all. It...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine stepping outside at noon… and the sun looks like a fading moon. In 536 AD, a mysterious veil darkened the sky. The Byzantine historian Procopius wrote that the sun “gave forth its light without brightness,” casting the world in a ghostly twilight for nearly a year. From Constantinople to Ireland, from China to the Middle East, chroniclers described dim skies, bitter cold,...

Send us Fan Mail In June 2006, the illusion of Canadian invulnerability shattered. In a city known for peace, diversity, and quiet confidence, authorities uncovered what could have been the deadliest terrorist attack in the nation’s history. The group would become known as the Toronto 18 —a collection of mostly young, homegrown men who plotted truck bombings targeting downtown Toronto, Parliament...

Send us Fan Mail When Oxygen Almost Killed Life explores one of the strangest turning points in Earth’s history — a time when the very gas that keeps us alive nearly wiped out life on the planet. About 2.4 billion years ago, tiny ocean-dwelling microbes began releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, slowly transforming Earth’s atmosphere. For the anaerobic life that dominated the planet, this new...

Send us Fan Mail Sponge Cities: How the World Is Rethinking Urban Life, One Drop at a Time What if cities could breathe, adapt, and thrive with every rainfall instead of being overwhelmed by it? From Wuhan to Portland, Berlin to Singapore, urban planners are reimagining streets, parks, and rooftops as giant sponges — soaking up stormwater, cooling neighborhoods, and creating greener, healthier, an...

Send us Fan Mail  Have you ever spotted a bright yellow flower poking through the grass and thought, “Just a weed”? Think again. The humble dandelion has been a healer, a food source, a pollinator’s ally, and a muse for centuries. In this episode, we explore the dandelion’s surprising history, ingenious biology, culinary versatility, cultural symbolism, and ecological importance. From medieval gar...

Send us Fan Mail The History of Cornhole: From Backyard Game to Competitive Sport You’ve probably played cornhole at a barbecue, a tailgate, or a family reunion—but where did this simple game actually come from? In this episode, we trace cornhole’s unlikely journey from hazy folklore and Midwestern backyards to ESPN broadcasts and professional tournaments. Along the way, we explore legendary origi...

Send us Fan Mail  Before Watergate, before political resignations were common, there was Teapot Dome—a scandal that shook the highest levels of American government. When Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall secretly leased the nation’s strategic oil reserves for personal profit, it wasn’t just corruption—it was a crime. For the first time in U.S. history, a Cabinet member went to prison for be...

Send us Fan Mail From the gentle lessons of Sesame Street to the quiet wisdom of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, from sweeping historical storytelling by Ken Burns to the scientific curiosity of Nova and the hidden histories revealed on Antiques Roadshow, Public Broadcasting Service has quietly shaped generations of Americans. This episode explores the remarkable story of PBS — how a non-commerc...

Send us Fan Mail The Origin of the Smile explores the surprising, and slightly unsettling, history behind one of humanity’s most familiar expressions. From its possible beginnings as a fear signal and gesture of submission to its role as social glue, cultural code, and digital shorthand, this episode traces how a baring of teeth meant to avoid violence became a symbol of joy, trust, and connection...

Send us Fan Mail Pickleball: Fad or Here to Stay? It sounds like a joke. Pickleball. A sport that feels like it should involve a jar, a fork, and maybe a questionable sandwich. And yet—your parents play it, your neighbors won’t leave the court, and somehow your doctor is really into it too. In this episode, Kat and William have a little fun poking at pickleball’s vibes-only reputation before diggi...

Send us Fan Mail Turquoise Alert tells the story of what happens when a person goes missing—and the system meant to protect them stays silent. Using the tragic 2025 disappearance of 14-year-old Emily Pike as its emotional starting point, this episode explores why many missing Indigenous people don’t qualify for Amber or Silver Alerts, how those gaps have left families searching alone, and why a ne...