Things I Learned Last Night

Black Sam Bellamy, also known as "Black Sam," was one of the most notorious pirates of the 18th century. He is known for his infamous piracy career and his successful raid of the Whydah Galley. In this episode, we will delve into the life and legacy of this legendary pirate and explore his impact on the world of piracy. Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friend...

Kellogg's ideas about health and wellness continue to influence the modern discourse on these topics. His advocacy for vegetarianism, exercise, and natural remedies laid the groundwork for many modern health movements, and his invention of breakfast cereal helped to shape the modern food industry. However, his more controversial ideas, such as his support for eugenics, have been widely criticized...

Frank Abagnale Jr.'s life story unveils the complexities of human behavior. From his teenage mastery of deception to his later role in countering fraud, Abagnale has traversed an extraordinary path. By sharing his experiences, he has contributed to understanding and preventing financial crimes, leaving an indelible impact. As we reflect on Abagnale's life, we marvel at his audacity and cunning, bu...

Lake Peigneur is a beautiful body of water in southern Louisiana known for its recreational activities and natural beauty. However, in November 1980, a bizarre and unprecedented event occurred that changed the landscape and the lives of the people in the area. Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have...

Gregor MacGregor was a Scottish adventurer who created one of the most notorious scams in history, the Poyais Scam. The scam was centered around a fictitious country called Poyais, which MacGregor claimed was appointed the Cazique, or chief. He made tons of money off the scheme. Unfortunately, many people lost their life savings or worse. Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcas...

Conspiracy theories have always been a part of popular culture, and one of the most controversial theories is Project Blue Beam. Lately, this fringe theory has been gaining steam and doing rounds on TikTok, but it's not a new idea. Serge Monast, a Canadian journalist and conspiracy theorist, introduced this theory in the 1990s. Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where bes...

The Fourth Turning theory was proposed by William Strauss and Neil Howe in their book, which suggests that generational cycles can predict crises in society, economy, and politics. The Fourth Turning is identified as a crisis period requiring significant changes in values, leadership, and institutions. The four phases of the Fourth Turning, include catalyst, regeneracy, climax, and resolution, and...

The controversial theory of pole shift popularized by Chan Thomas in his book "The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms" suggests that the Earth's poles have undergone at least four dramatic shifts in the past, leading to significant geological and climate changes. Although there is evidence both for and against the theory, it continues to be a fascinating topic for those interested in th...

In May 2013, a Nigerian man named Harrison Okene survived a tragic accident that should have claimed his life. Okene was working as a cook on a tugboat, the Jascon-4, when it capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nigeria. The boat was carrying 12 crew members at the time, and Okene was the only survivor. Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaro...

Alvin York is one of the most unlikely heroes of World War I. He was a simple, uneducated farmer from Tennessee who was drafted into the army in 1917. York was a pacifist and opposed the war, but he was eventually convinced that it was his duty to fight for his country. York's heroism in battle is the stuff of legends, but what makes his story even more remarkable is the number of prisoners of war...

In 2008 a psychologist reported that a client repeatedly saw a man in his dreams. After releasing a composite sketch of the man, it became clear that the experience was not unique to this client. Many people around the world reported seeing the same man in their dreams. In response to the reports from witnesses, a website was created to tell the story and locate other experiencers. By 2009 over 2,...

In 1922 officials from seven states agreed on the Colorado River Compact. This agreement would decide how water was distributed across the states that the Colorado River ran through. Today, this compact is the reason for severe drought and an apocalyptic scenario that is coming quickly to the southwest. At the time, the officials thought they fairly distributed water rights among constituents, whi...

The Cocaine Bear trailer has been making rounds on the internet since its release. What many people don't know about the movie is that it's based on a true story. Of course, the cinema embellishes it a ton. But it is a true story. In 1985 Andrew Thornton, paranoid and on the run, ditched his plane during a drug run and fell to his death in the Appalachian mountains. Thornton broke bad after a care...

In 2013, two university professors set out to answer a question no one was asking, "Can robots trust humans?" But, unfortunately, the answer is apparently not. David Harris Smith and Frauke Zeller wanted to understand if there were reasons for robots to turn on humans like we often see in movies. The experiment used a robot designed to hitchhike across Canada to test the ability of humans to take...

Most people dream of leaving a mark on the field at the onset of their careers. However, few manage to stir up the lasting impact that they expected. Elizabeth Seaman Cochran, also known as Nellie Bly, made a lasting impact in her field and many others. Nellie Bly was a journalist in the late 19th century. It was a time when most female writers were relegated to gossip columns, but Nellie was tran...

For as long as there has been money to be earned, there have been scammers ripping people off. Some scams are low-profile and unelaborate. Others make a prolific status that cements it in the public mind for years, like pyramid schemes. One such scam that surfaces time and again is the Ponzi Scheme. The fraud's namesake, Charles Ponzi, may not have invented the scam, but he did take it to a new he...

We've all grown accustomed to disclaimers at the bottom or the end of advertisements. We know that, most of the time, there has to be a catch. But, even if there isn't a catch, most people don't have the will to face a mega-corporation to get what they are due. John Leonard isn't most people, though. In the mid-1990s, Pepsi ran the promotional campaign 'Pepsi Stuff.' The campaign concept was simpl...

There may not be a corner of the internet garnering more buzz today than Ai. Specifically, Ai-generated art is creating quite a stir. One side of Ai art that wasn't expected is a woman named Loab. In April of 2022 a user creating with an Ai-art generator created a terrifying image of a woman. This user subsequently recreated the woman in increasingly horrifying forms for months before releasing th...

Stefan Mandel is a mathematician who changed the game of the Lottery. Born in Romania, Stefan applied his mathematical brilliance to develop a revolutionary algorithm that increases the chances of winning the Lottery. He successfully used this system to win 14 first prizes in lotteries worldwide. Mandel faced many challenges, but the impact of his work on the lottery industry and the secrets behin...

Frane Selak was a Croatian music teacher famously known for his string of incredible luck and unlucky events. From narrowly escaping death on several occasions to winning the lottery, Frane's life has been filled with both miraculous and unfortunate events. Watch as we delve into the details of his extraordinary story and decide for yourself if Frane Selak is the luckiest or unluckiest man alive....

Nolan Bushnell pioneered so much of the world we enjoy today. His crowning achievement, a company called Atari, brought video games into every household. Often he is credited as creating the world's first video game, pong. Even though video games, albeit nothing like the games we think of today, existed before pong. Along with his long list of successes, he's also the only person Steve Jobs ever w...

James, The Fan Man, Miller is famous for something that no other person ever to live can claim the same fame. He fell into multiple boxing matches, football games, and even Buckingham Palace. Miller was a parachutist in the 1990s who loved the extreme sport of paragliding. He also was vocal about his distrust of social norms. Those two passions led Miller to his most famous stunt. He was skydiving...

Merry Christmas to everyone! Thanks for spending your holiday with us for the 12 days of TILLN Christmas. We had a blast, and we hope you did too. Tim and Jaron share their traditions as we all celebrate the newest addition to our holiday traditions (wink wink). This is episode 12 of the 12 days of TILLN Christmas. Every day until Christmas, we’re releasing a new mini-podcast episode about all kin...

In the 1950s, Sears printed a catalog ad encouraging kids to call Santa. That ad included a phone number to a Sears hotline. Except there was a typo in the ad. After a flurry of children called NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) wishing to speak to Santa, the base commander was inspired. The command center tracked Santa every Christmas eve since that day. This is episode 11 of th...

The Welsh tradition of the Mari Lwyd might just be the strangest one we've covered on the 12 days of TILLN Christmas. We can't make this up, it wraps horse skulls, caroling, and rap battles all in one. You won't believe this. This is episode 10 of the 12 days of TILLN Christmas. Every day until Christmas, we're releasing a new mini-podcast episode about all kinds of holiday topics. Available where...