The Internet Says it’s True

You’ve probably heard that singing to your plants helps them grow - but is that actually true? In this episode, we dig into the science behind the myth, from CIA lie detector experiments on houseplants to a MythBusters greenhouse filled with heavy metal. The answer turns out to be more complicated - and more fascinating - than you'd expect. What does sound really do to plants, and what does not ha...

For over 20 years, the fate of every baseball game on the calendar wasn't in the hands of some software or spreadsheets in MLB offices. It was in the hands of a married couple working from their living room in Martha's Vineyard. In an age before AI and software optimization, Henry and Holly Stephenson built each MLB season by hand—one pencil mark at a time. This episode tells the story of the duo...

What do Rondo, Hayti, Storyville, and Humboldt Park have in common? They were thriving minority communities - until the U.S. built highways through them. In this episode, we look at how a 1950s infrastructure project tore through Black and immigrant neighborhoods, and what’s being done to make things right. Then we chat with Comedian Natasha Samreny. Samreny is a third culture comedian who identif...

Did the world’s greatest magician take on psychics in Congress? In 1926, Harry Houdini testified in Washington to outlaw spiritualist fraud. What he said—and what happened next—might surprise you. In this episode, we tell the story of Houdini's efforts and then speak with United States Congressman, Mark Pocan.  Congressman Mark Pocan was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second c...

Abraham Lincoln is known as "The Great Emancipator." But not many people know that during the Civil War, he jailed as many as 2,000 political opponents without charges or trial. The story in this episode revolves around what happened in Baltimore, Maryland in 1861 and why it led to the Mayor, the Police Chief, the entire City Council and many more being jailed indefinitely in a suspension of the w...

In the depths of the Sumatran rainforest, scientists witnessed something no one had ever seen before—and it might rewrite what we thought we knew about medicine. A wild orangutan got injured… and what he did next left researchers stunned. Was it instinct? Intelligence? Or something else entirely? This one’s wild—literally. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-s...

In 1921, over 10,000 coal miners marched through the mountains of West Virginia with rifles, pistols, and dynamite. They dug trenches, wore uniforms, and exchanged gunfire with machine-gun nests and private planes dropping homemade bombs. It was the largest labor uprising in American history — and the largest domestic conflict since the Civil War. This week, we’re telling the story of the forgotte...

A luxury flight packed with Coca-Cola executives turns into a mid-air disaster when nearly 200 people fall violently ill — and it wasn’t a virus, or turbulence. It was breakfast. This week, we uncover the true story of the worst food poisoning outbreak in airline history, and how one kitchen mistake nearly caused an aviation catastrophe. It’s a chilling look at safety, responsibility, and the scie...

Peter Conover Hains was born before the Civil War and still wore a U.S. Army uniform in World War I. He fired one of the Civil War’s first naval shots, built ports and canals, and returned to active duty at age 77. His legacy spans over half a century of American warfare — and four generations of service. This Memorial Day, we’re telling the story of the soldier who bridged two centuries. In this...

In the late 18th century, America was THIS close to adopting the metric system. Washington wanted it. Jefferson wanted it. France was helping by sending a ship with official metric weights and measures. But the entire plot was ruined by British Pirates. In this episode, we tell the story of America's closest flirt with the metric system, how the plan failed and then we play the quiz with Comedian...

Sometimes, the best resistance looks like obedience. During the Nazi occupation of France, the Citroën automobile factory seemed to be cooperating — manufacturing trucks for the German military like any other commandeered facility. But behind the scenes, the French workers were quietly waging a war of their own. This episode tells the story of how a simple dipstick nearly brought down supply lines...

In 1896, Native Americans were put on public display at the Cincinnati Zoo as part of a fabricated "village" exhibit. It wasn't just Cincinnati—similar human exhibitions took place around the world, reinforcing damaging stereotypes. But how did these events happen, and why do their impacts still linger today? This week, we dig into one of the most shocking forgotten chapters of American history. T...

In 1978, a group of mobsters pulled off the largest cash robbery in American history — and thought they’d gotten away clean. But almost immediately, the heist started to unravel in the bloodiest way possible. Millions disappeared. Bodies started piling up. This is the unbelievable true story of the Lufthansa Heist. In this episode, we tell the whole story, then play the quiz with Rob The Balloon G...

He pulled teeth in the middle of the street while a marching band played behind him. He claimed to make dentistry painless—and got sued for saying so. But instead of backing down, he built a dental empire and changed his name to beat the system. This is the bizarre true story of the man who turned dentistry into a circus: Painless Parker. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...

In the scorching summer of 1916, terror lurked beneath the waves as a mysterious sea predator turned the Jersey Shore into a hunting ground. Over twelve harrowing days, swimmers vanished in a frenzy of blood and panic, and even an inland creek wasn’t safe from the carnage. What followed was a nationwide shark hysteria—an event so chilling, it would later inspire one of the greatest horror stories...

A secret message, a bold promise, and a fateful mistake—when Germany reached out to Mexico with a shocking proposal, they never expected British spies to be listening. As the telegram’s explosive contents made headlines, outrage swept across America. What happened next would change the course of World War I forever. In this episode, we talk about the famous "Zimmerman Telegram" then we play the qu...

Originally released April 11, 2022. 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.ap...

Originally released February 28, 2022. 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 exa...

Originally released Sept. 20, 2021. When the Laerdal Toy Company was tasked with creating the very first mannequin for practicing CPR, they used a familiar face - it was that of "L'Inconnue de la Seine" - a famous mask supposedly cast from an unknown drowning victim discovered in the River Seine in the late 1880s. In this episode, we explore the strange case and then talk to Comedian and Author Da...

In 1973, the three astronauts aboard Skylab 4 staged NASA’s first (and only) space mutiny, rebelling against an overwhelming workload and mission control’s rigid oversight. For one dramatic day, they cut off communications, taking time to enjoy the view of Earth and reset their own schedule. When contact was reestablished, tensions ran high—but what happened next changed how NASA handled astronaut...

During World War II, the U.S. military developed a top-secret plan to unleash thousands of bats carrying tiny incendiary bombs over Japan, using their natural roosting instincts to ignite entire cities. The idea was bizarre—but in testing, it worked a little too well, with one fiery accident nearly turning the experiment into a disaster. In this episode, we talk about the Bat Bomb program, then pl...

In Fort Worth, Texas, an inconspicuous grave marker in Shannon Rose Hill Chapel & Cemetery says "OSWALD." It's the final resting place of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man charged with the assassination of President Kennedy. But next to that simple marker is another strange one. It reads, "NICK BEEF." Who is Nick Beef and why is this marker there? In this episode, we tell the story and find the truth...

You won't believe why graham crackers were invented. When Sylvester Graham invented this snack in the 19th century, it had nothing to do with hunger. Well, at least not THAT kind of hunger. In this episode, we learn about the "Grahamites," Sylvester Graham, and the invention of the snack that bares his name. Then we play the Quick Quiz with Mindreader Eric Dittelman!  Review this podcast at https:...

Originally released July 10, 2023. Tarrare was a French 18th century man who is known to history for having the largest appetite known to man. He would regularly eat ridiculous amounts of food without ever gaining weight. This included entire baskets of fruit, piles of garbage, rocks, corks, dogs, cats, a quarter of a cow, and - reportedly - an entire living 14-month old toddler! In this episode,...

In 1953, as many as 11 Indian Cobras were discovered in the most unlikely of locales: Springfield, Missouri! They were discovered over the course of several months in the fall of that year and it wasn't until decades later that this mystery was solved. In this episode, we talk about the "Springfield Cobra Scare," the pandemonium it caused and then examine the confession that solved the mystery in...