Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

Lucifer. Satan. Beelzebub. Prince of Lies. The Devil has a thousand names, a chip on his shoulder, and major daddy issues. He also has one hell of a backstory. Join the MFFI guys as they piece together the convoluted mythology of Satan, from his origins as a minor Egyptian deity to his ultimate Christian incarnation.    In this episode: The Book of Enoch (Dead Sea Scrolls) The Book of Isaiah and t...

Not just your garden-variety screwups; these were epic, painful misfires that everyone should have seen coming. (We’re lookin' at you, Quibi.)  In this episode: Microsoft BOB New Coke Nintendo Virtual Boy Olestra (Olean) Subprime Mortgages  The Pontiac Aztec The Segway  The No-Phone Toilet Golf ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive b...

We have ways of making you talk...   In this episode: Interrogation Techniques: Bargaining, Lying, Guilt Trips, Flattery "Pride and Ego Up" Vs. Down Reading Body Language Good Cop/Bad Cop Intoxicants (Sodium Pentathol etc) Suggestibility Morals and Grey Areas Legal Limits of Interrogation Law Enforcement Deception Scenarios Torture and "Enhanced Interrogation" Methods of Torture Reliability and Re...

The next generation of gaming is about to arrive, which makes this the perfect time to take a look at how we got here. Join the boys for a guided tour through the cutthroat history of gaming, and the battle for the living room.    In this episode: Edward Uhler Condon and the NIMATRON Ferranti and the NIMROD Ralph Baer and the Brown Box Magnavox and the Odyssey Atari and the VCS (2600) Activision 1...

Scammers and con artists are unavoidable facts of life, but only a select few manage to take the art of deception to the next level. All of the unscrupulous scumbags in this episode reached the pinnacle of scumminess, and perfected the art of the con.    In this episode: International Sleazebag Uri Geller Disgraced Televangelist Peter Popoff Unlikely Shaman Juliette D'Souza Infomercial Psychic Mis...

Modern researchers are expected to follow strict ethical guidelines, but it wasn't always this way. For thousands of years, scientific experimentation was a free-for-all, and while American psychological experiments may never have reached Josef Mengele levels on the Evil Meter, there have been some notorious misfires that were downright disturbing. Follow along as Shane and Duncan explore some of...

In an episode that is long overdue, the boys explore the biology and science of sleep, and offer useful tips for tackling sleep disorders (including...you know).  ~ 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 mes...

Warning: if you're not a fan of dark humor, feel free to skip this episode. We won't judge you! For our fellow twisted weirdos...enjoy.  "The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it in a spectacular manner!"    IN THIS EPISODE: History of the Darwin Awards Wendy Northcut, opportunist Death By: Self-shooting demonstration...

Ask and you shall receive! Listeners have been requesting an episode about weird and scary animals, and MFFI finally delivered. Be careful what you wish for...   In this episode: Star-nosed Mole Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko  Black Dragonfish Deep Sea Isopod Tapeworm Duck-billed Platypus Box Jellyfish Japanese Spider Crab Poison Dart Frog Giant Centipede ...and more ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Mid...

This one is unofficially subtitled "off the rails." If you're not a fan of tangents and silliness, maybe skip the second half. But if you enjoy a healthy dose of nonsense with your midnight facts, enjoy!    In this episode: Challenger Deep James Cameron, badass Stats Ocean ghosts Mermaids and Sea Cows Why is the ocean blue? Underwater lakes, rivers, and waterfalls Tsunamis, dehydration, algae Myth...

Lost civilizations have been puzzling archaeologists and transfixing the public for centuries. From multilayered honeycombs to underground mazes to underwater metropolises, these are some of the most fascinating lost civilizations in history.    In this episode: Thonis-Heracleion  Troy Catal Huyuk Easter Island Derinkuyu ...and more ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the...

In the first ever “Insomniacs Inbox” episode, Shane and Duncan respond to listener feedback, get schooled on  Irish names, and pick sides in the Great Emu War.  In this episode: Pumpernickel origins Hair misconceptions The Great Emu War Penguin oops Ozzy and the bat Name fiascos ...and more ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus...

From Bigfoot to Nessie to the Jersey Devil, Shane and Duncan break down the lore and origins of the most popular cryptids.    In this episode: Nessie Bigfoot The Dobhar-Chu The Jersey Devil The Chupacabra ...and more ~ 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 ep...

These aren’t your grandma’s fairytales. Gather ’round for a soothing rendition of "How Some Children Played at Slaughtering" and the infamous "Goose Girl," plus all of the uncensored versions of your childhood favorites. Sweet dreams! In this episode: Legends and Myth vs. Fairytales The Brothers Grimm How Some Children Played at Slaughtering The Goose Girl The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage Litt...

Before there were printing presses and modern mass-produced books, there were tablets, tomes, and scrolls. Some were full of wisdom, some were full of...you know. Follow along as Shane and Duncan explore ancient documents, and Shane learns that "texts" is the most obnoxious word to have to say fifty times in a single episode. Yay!   In this episode: The Devil's Bible (the Codex Gigas) The Emerald...

In part two of the MFFI "Scandals" series, Shane and Duncan cover sex, drugs, and murder in tinseltown.    In this episode: Mel Gibson VS a paper bag  Hugh Grant’s impulse purchase Swan Dive off the H Tim Allen, drug mule  The Hollywood Madame, AKA coke and quaaludes  The Fappening The Black Dahlia ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and u...

When you step on a crack, do you immediately worry about your mother's back? Do you avoid walking under ladders, or regularly toss salt over your shoulder? If you do, that's honestly kind of weird, but also surprisingly common. And Shane and Duncan are here to tell you why. In the latest MFFI, the boys explain the psychology behind superstition, and how the most common superstitious beliefs were f...

Humans can be amazing creatures. Nellie Bly revolutionized mental healthcare and circumnavigated the globe; Violet Jessop beat incalculable odds and survived unimaginable tragedy (multiple times). People can also be fork-eating, dolphin-masturbating wackjobs. Join Shane and Duncan for a bit of both.  In this episode: The Insatiable Tarrare The Unsinkable Violet Jessop The Badass Nellie Bly The Nec...

Murder, suicide, more murder, also...music! Plus some extra murder. This is a dark one. Enjoy!   In this episode: The Beatles are bigger than Jesus Phil Spector is a murderer Milli Vanilli is tragic af Marvin Gaye is a cautionary tale ...and more ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with fel...

Where are all the aliens?? According to scientists, the Milky Way galaxy should be teeming with life, but when we point our telescopes and radio dishes at the sky we find nothing but stale, empty space. Is it possible that we’re actually alone in the universe?     Join Shane and Duncan for an exploration of the fascinating Fermi Paradox, and learn what science tells us about the alien conundrum.  ...

Don't rapture me, bro! In the 666th episode of MFFI (not really) Shane and Duncan get cryptic with eschatological prophesies and learn all about the end of the world as we know it.    In this Episode: Ragnarok Mayans and the 2012 Phenomenon The book of Enoch Revelations Judgment Day Tribulations  Rapture Preppers Bugging out ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on...

Which is the smallest bone in the human body? The largest muscle? Which of your fingernails grows fastest? At what time of day are you tallest? If you ironed out all of the wrinkles from your brain, which shark would you resemble? Shane and Duncan provide answers to these and other pointless questions in the latest episode...  In this episode: Brain wrinkles T-Rex thighs Presbycusis Tongue prints...

All is not as it seems in the House of Mouse. Grab your fastpass and buckle up for a journey behind the scenes of the happiest place on earth. It's going to be a bumpy ride.    In this episode: Walt's demons Steamboat blackface Copyright fascism Trademark shenanigans Handsy Tigger The underwear dilemma Lemmings reprise Matterhorn basketball Cryogenics Club 33 Disneyland cats Alligator infanticide...

Legends never die, they’re just recycled. Torture, betrayal, incest...ancient myths are woven so tightly into modern culture that they're inextricable from psychology, commerce, science, and marketing. In the latest quarantine episode, Shane and Duncan chat about the myths and legends that have shaped the modern world. Did we mention incest?  In this episode: The Primordial Deities The Titans Ince...

First rule of secret societies: you do not podcast about secret societies.    Secret rituals, secret initiations, secret handshakes. From the sinister to the ridiculous, here's everything you need to know about the most notorious secret (and not-so-secret) societies in history.    In this Episode: Knights Templar Freemasons Illuminati Skull and Bones ...and more ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Mid...