The Internet Says it’s True

On the isolated island community of Tangier, Virginia, the residents speak with a dialect that is entirely unique. It's part southern drawl, part "brogue," and some have claimed it's a relic dialect left over from the first English settlers to the area in the 1600s. But is that true? In this episode, we learn about the region, its dialect and the reason for this strange accent. Then we play the qu...

For our 100th episode, we're talking about the awful fire that happened in Dublin, Ireland in 1875. It resulted in 13 people dying, but none of them from the fire! Every person reportedly died from alcohol poisoning! In this episode, we talk about the fire and then play a special version of the quick quiz with Comedian Dan Wilbur! Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-in...

Did a radio broadcast about Aliens cause mass Hysteria in America in 1938? The Internet Says...maybe. Orson Welles's radio performance of H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds has become infamous as causing panic throughout the U.S. when people thought it was a real news report. But is the story overblown? In this episode, we talk about the radio play and its reception. Then we play the quick quiz with J...

For more than 40 years, a strange, Stonehenge-like monument with a mysterious creator stood in a field in rural Georgia. It was inscribed with instructions for humanity. On July 6, 2022, someone destroyed them with an explosive. In this episode, we talk about the Guidestones, their creator and some of the strange theories about them. Then we play the quick quiz with Mindreader and Author, Jonathan...

Alexander Abian was a brilliant math professor at Iowa State University. But he had one crazy idea: that all of the problems of the world could be solved by DESTROYING THE MOON. In this episode, we talk about Abian's plan in detail, why it wouldn't work, and then discuss a secret government project to actually nuke the moon! We are joined by Brandon Anderson to play the qiuz game! Review this podc...

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, men were expected to wear straw hats in the summer, but switch to felt hats in mid-September. If a man didn't switch to felt, mischievous youths would enjoy knocking the hat off and smashing it on the ground. Hat-Smashing got so bad in September of 1922, it led to riots throughout lower Manhattan. In this episode we talk about the Straw Hat Riots and then...

Colombia's Cocaine Kingpin smuggled 4 hippos onto his estate in the late 70s and now, almost 30 years after his death, they've multiplied into a bloat of more than 100 animals, roaming the Magdalena River Valley and terrorizing citizens and their crops. In this episode, we talk about Colombia's "Cocaine Hippos," then chat with Comedian and Political Commentator John Fugelsang, and we argue as to w...

BIRDS AREN'T REAL! You may have seen signs at political rallies or internet memes expressing this satirical conspiracy theory. In this episode, we recorded LIVE at the Columbus Arts Festival from the WCBE 90.5 FM booth to tell the story about the Birds Aren't Real movement, how it got started and how it went viral. Then we put the conspiracy theory to the test by talking to a real raptor expert, J...

Originally released August 30, 2021. In 1950, the West-End Baptist Church in Beatrice, Nebraska exploded from a gas leak. The church should have been full of a practicing choir, but it wasn't. This episode examines the curious circumstances that led each and every choir member to be late that day. Then we play the Quick Quiz with Jethro and Matt from the Drunkard's Walk podcast ! Review this podca...

Originally released July 5, 2021. In 1971, Juliane Koepcke's airplane was struck by lightning and broke apart 2 miles above the Peruvian Jungle. Miraculously, she was the only one out of the 92 people onboard to survive. In this episode, we tell the amazing story of how she survived the crash and her journey to find safety. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-...

Originally released May 24, 2021. In our history, we've had at least 32 "Broken Arrow" incidents: instances of nuclear weapons accidents that don't cause a nuclear war. One of those was in 1958, in which an Air Force B-47 Bomber almost nuked Mars Bluff, South Carolina. In this episode, we talk about the B-47, it's staggering 10% loss rate and the Mars Bluff incident. Then we catch up with actor an...

In 1945, a wooden plaque of the "Great Seal" was given to the United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union. It hung on the wall by his desk for years until it was discovered in 1951 to be a secret Soviet listening device. In this episode, we tell the story of "The Thing" or "The Great Seal Bug" and how it came to be. Then we chat with musician Daniel Malone! Review this podcast at https://podcasts...

In the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark, a free-living socialist Utopia has existed for more than 50 years. What started as an abandoned military barracks has become a haven for free-thinkers, hippies artists and tourists where it seems everything is legal. But is it? In this episode, we examine the history and turmoil of Christiania and then chat with Comedian & Juggler, Marcus Monroe! Review this po...

The "chokeslam" is the move that wrestlers do where they slam their opponent to the ground after lifting them up by the neck. The rumor is that it was invented by our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Could this possibly be true? In this episode, we investigate the origin of the move, it's modern versions and find out the truth. Then we chat with Spoken-Word Artist, (NavThePoet) Nav Singh! Review t...

Was Sammy Davis Jr. a member of the Church of Satan? It's widely known that he converted to Judaism after the auto accident that took his eye, but this week, a listener sent us an article about Sammy Davis Jr. the Satanist. In this episode, we talk about the life of this multi-faceted entertainer and the claim in question. Then we chat with Comedian and Producer of CBus Comedy, Lisa Berry! Review...

Action Park in Vernon, NJ became known as "Accident Park," "Traction Park," "Friction Park" and "Class-Action Park" because of the many injuries, accidents and even deaths that occurred there. One of the most infamous was the legendary "Cannonball Loop" - a water slide with a loop that was so dangerous, it was shut down almost immediately after it opened. In this episode, we talk about the park, i...

Originally broadcast March 8, 2021. There has been one successful coup d’état in American History – a successful violent overthrowing of a city government in 1898. Sadly, it’s a story of violence, politics and white supremacy.  In this episode, we explore an unpleasant chapter of America’s history that not many people know and then lighten the mood with a quiz at the end. Review this podcast at ht...

Bootlegging was an inevitable result of 1920s Prohibition in the U.S. And when the government tried to solve the problem, they ended up with a solution that killed at least 10,000 Americans through poisoned, denatured industrial ethyl-alcohol. In this episode, we tell the story and then talk with Comedian Leslie Battle! Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says...

Did people in Victorian England eat mummies!? Was the flesh from mummies used for paint? In this episode, we talk about medical cannibalism, bad science and mummification. Then we chat with host of the The Opinion Science podcast, Dr. Andy Luttrell!  Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589 Bonus episodes and content available at  http:/...

Can you imagine having an extra month between June and July?! In the "International Fixed Calendar," that's exactly what was proposed in the 1920s. The only organization to adopt this 28-day-a-month calendar was Kodak, who kept it up all the way until 1989! In this episode, we talk about the Kodak calendar and chat with Comedian Glen Tickle! Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/pod...

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was one of the only people to survive both the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. He was the only one officially recognized as a double survivor by the Japanese government. In this episode, we tell his remarkable tale of survival. Then we chat with comedian Dan Wilbur. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id15308...

In this special "The Internet Says it's NOT True" episode, we talk about a dubious claim about The Beatles: That when they made their renowned appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, crime was virtually non-existent in NYC for one hour. We talk about the appearance and get to the bottom of the claim. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id153...

The Marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics was SUPER WEIRD. One man was chased off course by wild dogs. One man was intentionally poisoned. Another ate bad fruit and fell asleep. Several were severely dehydrated. The apparent winner was disqualified. And all of this happened because Russia started a war. In this episode, we talk about the 1904 Saint Louis Summer Olympics and then play the quick quiz...

The Internet has been blowing up recently with people who can't believe this claim: That the phrase "Bucket List" originated with the 2007 Rob Reiner buddy film of the same name. In an apparent "Mandela Effect," or mass false memory, everyone seems to think they've been using the phrase in their lives long before 2007. In this episode, we talk about other examples of the Mandela Effect, and find o...

Dodger Stadium seats 56,000. It's the 3rd oldest, and the largest stadium in Major League Baseball. But the story of how - and where - it was built is a difficult tale of the displacement of an ethnic minority community. This episode explores the history of Chavez Ravine and how a Mexican-American community was destroyed in the 1950s. We play the quick quiz with Comedian and Magician Harrison Gree...