Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

Christmas comes early this year with the bonus re-release of one of our favorite episodes exploring the strange, pagan, occasionally twisted origins of the Christmas holiday. How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic numerology message 20+C+M+B+22? And what's with all of those airborne reindeer...

Join Shane and Duncan for an explosive tale of political intrigue, religious fervor, and a daring conspiracy that could have reshaped an entire nation.  ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Send Shane and Duncan a message at mi...

Last episode was just a warm-up. Swindle month continues, this time with actual influencers! These are the worst of the worst… ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@g...

The internet is a dangerous place. Hold onto your wallet as MFFI takes you on a scamtastic tour of two of the most notorious online swindles of the last decade.  ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Send Shane and Duncan a mess...

Spooky season continues! A car that killed a star. A haunted doll. A vindictive painting. Are any of these items genuinely cursed? Not a chance.  But hey, it’s it’s going to be a wild ride. Join Shane and Duncan for a silly, skeptical romp through the darkest corners of the untamed internet. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonu...

Spooky season has arrived! Join Shane and Duncan for a trio of mind-bending mysteries: first, venture into the frozen enigma of Dyatlov Pass, then wander the eerie halls of the Cecil Hotel, and finally unravel the perplexing tale of the Somerton Man. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with...

From umbrellas that distribute rain to radios that print the news, here are the most useless pieces of technology ever foisted an unsuspecting public. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Send Shane and Duncan a message at midn...

What's in a name? A lot, actually. Names are more than just labels; they carry meanings, stories, and histories that reveal our origins, cultures, and personalities. In this episode, you’ll learn about the ancient roots of some common and uncommon names, the trends and influences that have shaped naming practices over time, and the surprising ways that names can affect our lives. From the ancient...

Rapper, producer, all-around entertainment dynamo, and long-time member of the midnight masses Alfred Banks joins Shane and Duncan this week to generate a list of the most re-watchable movies ever. Can three opinionated guys from different generations find common ground? And what's in your top 5? Tell us in the Discord ...   Make sure to check out Alfred Banks over at Underdog Central ! ~ Become a...

Strap in and prepare for liftoff as Shane and Duncan take you on a jet-fueled ride through the history of space exploration. From the Nazi origins of space-flight to the audacious Apollo missions that captivated the globe, from the unexpected launch of Sputnik to the Space Shuttle's triumphs and disasters, this episode unveils the pivotal moments, groundbreaking achievements, and tenacious spirit...

Why did humans first venture into the dark and mysterious depths of the ocean? What discoveries and dangers did they encounter along the way? And how will the ocean-exploring community regroup and flourish in a post Titan-submersible world?  Prepare for a deep dive into the history and current state of ocean exploration as Shane and Duncan reveal the fascinating stories of the pioneers, adventurer...

Prepare yourself for a wild ride, insomniacs, because we're diving headfirst into the realm of quirky sports, where ancient traditions meet bizarre modern-day challenges. Ever heard of Kok boru? It's like a game of "grab the goat" on horseback. Yeah, you read that right. How about the adrenaline-fueled sport of wife carrying? Who needs a gym membership when you can jog through obstacle courses wit...

Welcome, insomniacs, to a captivating late-night rendezvous with the fascinating world of deviant subcultures. Grab your oversized plushie, dust off your fedora, slip into your favorite anime cosplay, or don your tracksuit—it's time to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of our world, one subculture at a time. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and...

Hail Satan! In the latest 1980s-throwback episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan explain how sensationalized accusations and false memories led to the persecution of innocent people, the destruction of families, and the rise of a new form of religious extremism.   So turn off the lights, grab your crucifix, and take a trip down memory lane to experience the most notorious episode of mass hysteria since...

Part myth, part mayhem, and all leather-clad rebellion: welcome to the shadowy world of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.  In this week’s episode, Shane and Duncan explore the mystique and mysticism of a legendary biker gang, from the notorious riots and murders that publicly defined them to the fiercely-guarded code of honor that binds them. So grab a cup of coffee, or perhaps something stronger,...

Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via  DISCORD! On this week's episode, Shane and Duncan delve into the dark and deadly world of medieval warfare to learn how people fought, killed, and survived in the Middle Ages. From the elegant and lethal longsword to the gruesome and gory morning star, explore the history and science behind some of the most fearsome and fascinating instrument...

Are you ready for a rousing tale of ghosts and gods and taboo brother-sister love? No, this isn't a new streaming series from HBO; this is MFFI's first episode covering the bizarre, freaky world of Japanese Mythology. Join the guys as they uncover the rituals, creation myths, and divine deities of Shintoism, an ancient religion that predates Japan’s recorded history. **NOTE: THIS EPISODE BEGINS WI...

What will AI look like in 2050? Will it solve all our problems, or create new ones? Will our future AI companions be more “Her” or “T1000"? In the latest chrome-plated, mechanized, fully sentient episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan discuss the possibilities and pitfalls of generative artificial intelligence, and explore all of the ways it might reshape media, society, economy, and culture. ~ Become...

Ready or not, here they come: the robots have arrived. Artificial Intelligence has been under development since the 1950s, but viable AI didn't explode into mainstream pop culture until the introduction of ChatGPT in November of 2022. The chatbot has since rocketed in popularity to become the fastest-growing consumer application in history, and prompted an AI arms race that shows no signs of abati...

For millennia, characters like King Arthur and Robin Hood have captivated the masses, inspiring songs and books and films and Saturday morning cartoons, but their reality is obscured behind myth and legend. Prepare for history-bending revelations as Shane and Duncan uncover the truth behind famous figures who might never have existed. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting t...

In the first installment of MFFI’s Government Cover-Ups series, grab your New Coke and Trapper Keeper for a trip back to the 1980s to uncover the truth behind one of the wildest political scandals in American history: the Iran-Contra affair. It’s a saga of guns, drugs, hostages, and lies that shook the White House to its core.  ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show...

Can an apple a day keep the doctor away? If you swallow your gum, will it spend years in your stomach? Can walnuts repair floor-scratches? (Spoiler alert: no, no, and yes.) Everyone is familiar with Old Wives Tales, those dubious snippets of folk wisdom that have been passed down from generation to generation. But where do they come from? And are they all just harmless superstitions, or do any of...

From Viagra to Super Glue, history is littered with "aha!" moments that were nothing more than lucky accidents. In this bumbling, stumbling episode of MFFI, the boys take a closer look at the flukes and misadventures that led to some of the most successful inventions in human history. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus conte...

Warning: This one is brutal. On this week’s karma-packed episode of MFFI, cringe along with Shane and Duncan as they delve into some of the most notorious animal attacks in history. From the killing of Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter) by a startled stingray to the public tiger-mauling of Roy Horn (of Siegfried and Roy), explore instances of hubris and outright stupidity that resulted in shocking...

Welcome to the "Social Media Schadenfreude" episode, in which Shane and Duncan delve into the misfortunes of the fortunate. First up: MySpace, the has-been of the social networking world. Next: TikTok, the latest all-singing/all-dancing/all-spying flavor of the month. And last but not least, the endless stream of drama and chaos that is Twitter, from its beginnings as a 240-character bullhorn to i...