Things I Learned Last Night

Eve Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG for short [MMO for shorter {M for shortest}]). This game has repeatedly found itself in the headlines of more than just gaming magazines. Due to the ultra-realistic in-game economy, the game has often landed articles discussing the complexities of the in-game economic system in finance magazines. More than that, the game has ma...

In July 2014, a handful of Tumblr users opened the doors to the long-awaited DashCon. The eclectic Tumblr community had been dreaming of a scenario where they could gather and celebrate their various fandoms for years. Unfortunately, when a group of friends got together a few months before, they had no clue what they were getting into. Needless to say, the event was a disaster. Before the conferen...

Imagine going out for a night on the town with your friends and returning home to a message on your computer. The scenario sounds pretty standard in the internet age. Now, imagine that same scenario in 1984, long before the internet had entered the public psyche. That is exactly what happened to Ken Webster when his BBC micro became a communication device between him and a mysterious other. Whatsm...

Year after year organizations like Forbes and Bloomberg put together lists of the world’s richest people. Today names like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos top the list. But in the late ‘90s, one man rose to prominence at lightning speed. What’s more, he broke records that have yet to be broken to this day. Masayoshi Son grew his wealth after found his successful business Softbank. The company is a leader...

A few years ago, escape rooms took the world by storm. The best of these experiences challenged players mentally and physically. The games sometimes even stressed the relationships of those who endeavor to compete together. Anyone who has completed one of these escape rooms has dreamed of a more significant challenge. San Francisco artist Jeff Hull realized that dream in 2014. The experience was c...

In 1910, a train car thief popped out of nowhere and became a noteworthy robber in the history of the wild west. Using his training in explosives from the US military Elmer McCurdy robbed a series of trains and a bank in the central and southwest United States. However, his career as a thief is the least exciting thing about him. It is the life he found after death that has people talking. Let's s...

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is home to a precious art collection once owned by the infamous art collector after whom the museum was named. That collection has likely sparked nefarious thoughts in many visitors dreaming of the potential wealth hanging on those walls. Two robbers, dressed as policemen, realized those dreams on March 18th, 1990. Today the FBI estimates their haul to be valued...

There's an interesting stretch of land in southern Panama known as the Isthmus of Panama. This unique land mass separates the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by just 51 miles of rocky terrain. Throughout history, people dreamed of a way to traverse this stretch of land by sea. Proposals for a canal through Panama date back to 1534, when it was proposed by Charles V. However, the project wasn't realize...

Every year some people argue that this is the worst year ever. Over the past couple of years, we have certainly had some genuine contenders. However, most historians agree that the absolute worst year in recorded human history was 536 AD. The year set in motion a turn of events that included wars, famines, volcanic eruptions, and even a dip in global average temperatures. Some researchers have eve...

There are people across the entire world who are dropping little pucks of metal and organic material around cities and wilderness. What exactly are these pucks? They call them Orgone, and their history is quite strange. It began in the 1930s with psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich who admired Sigmund Freud. We know exactly where this is going, to a weird place. It grew into building boxes called Energy A...

On December 1, 1948, a body turned up on the beach in Adelaide, Australia. After nearly 72 years, no one has even come close to solving this case. Yet, when it comes to who the man was, mysteries abound. Despite investigation after investigation, no confirmation was ever found. What was found, however, was numerous strange details. Yet, somehow, the story continues to unfold. Today one thorough in...

Today we're constantly bombarded with news from the world's mega-corporations. More and more, it seems like the FAANG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) will just keep getting bigger and bigger. However, according to some historians, these titans of tech are nothing compared to the financial reach and impact of one company that reigned throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centurie...

People worldwide watched the seconds tick by on December 21, 2012. Due to a 'prophecy' about the world's end, many expected to watch the apocalypse unfold that day. But nothing happened. Unfortunately for our ancient ancestors, they weren't as lucky. Nearly 3200 years ago, the world stopped spinning. At least, it stopped for the major superpowers of the day. As a result, one of the most technologi...

The great depression was one of the most challenging times in history. The financial uncertainty of the time led many to nefarious forms of income. Unfortunately for Mike Malloy, others looked to more extreme measures. Over a few months in early 1933, a group of five directed by Tony Marino repeatedly attempted to kill Malloy to claim a significant life insurance policy they had taken out on him....

Join Jaron and Tim for this special live edition of Things I Learned Last Night recorded live on the Podcast stage at Boulevardia 2022 in Kansas City, MO. In this episode, learn about the history of crafting with Secret Handshake Studios. For more info about Secret Handshake Studios: https://www.secrethandshakekc.com For more info about Boulevardia, visit: https://boulevardia.com Love TILLN? Becom...

In the world of UFO sightings, it can often be tough to delineate fact from fiction. Well, actually, sometimes it's pretty easy to see what is fiction. But, lately, there have been well-documented cases of UAP sightings by trained observers occupying the limelight. This is not a new thing. There have been well-documented sightings by professional observers for decades. One such case is the Rendles...

Join Jaron and Tim for this special live edition of Things I Learned Last Night recorded live on the podcast stage at Boulevardia 2022 in Kansas City, MO. In this episode, learn about the history, technique, and competition circuit for beatboxing with up-and-coming entertainer musicbyskippy.  For tickets, music, and more check out: https://www.musicbyskippy.com For info about Boulevardia, visit: h...

The ocean is one of the earth's most precious resources. However, like many of the resources on earth, capitalism has not treated them well. For that very reason, Russ George has devised a plan to revitalize the ocean. His controversial theory is called Ocean Pasteurization. To replenish the ecosystem of the world's oceans, George plans to dump iron into the seas to feed plankton and cause an arti...

Antarctica is one of the most mysterious places on the planet. Few people in the world have ever or will ever step foot on this massive slab of ice. Due to the lack of experience with this strange continent, many conspiracy theories have been born around the area. One of the first and most prolific, Antarctic explorers is US Navy Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Not only did Boyd take a few trips to...

In the 1980's Tacoma, Washington, faced a stark increase in gang activity. The hilltop neighborhood was a particularly active subset of the city and became a hub for the illegal drug trade in the town. However, when one Army Ranger bought a home in the neighborhood, he took matters into his own hands. Sergeant Bill Foulk installed security cameras and began confronting the gangsters during drug de...

The early days of the internet were truly the wild west. Anyone with the means to post to the world wide web could upload whatever they wanted and leave it out there to the world. That is precisely what inspired Julian Assange to create Wikileaks. The now infamous site was envisioned to be a place where whistleblowers could anonymously leak sensitive information into a platform that would verify a...

Since the first humans took their first breath, we have been trying to subvert the forces of death. But, to date, no one has successfully unlocked the keys to eternal life. At least, no one has publicly discovered the key to endless life. Legends of fantastic figures that found the secret have captivated people for longer than we've been writing. The Count of St Germain is one such mythic figure....

On a hot summer day in 1954, a man arrived at Tokyo Haneda Airport. Since the man came on an international flight, he was required to show his passport to be stamped. Upon viewing the man's passport, officials were shocked to find the country that issued the passport was called Taured, a country that does not exist. Furthermore, the man was shocked when he attempted to show his country's location...

Today flying is one of the safest forms of transit that exists. Out of the millions of flights every year, only about 30 of those result in an accident in the US, and very few result in any serious injury. However, this hasn't always been the case. In recent history, regulations on air travel were much laxer and allowed for a far greater rate of failure. On Christmas Eve 1971, Juliane Koepcke witn...

Since the start of the internet, forums have been a strange place. Something about allowing people anonymity brings out the worst in humanity. The effect was in full display for Reddit user Religion of Peace. Known for running one of the most nefarious and controversial subreddits in the platform's history, the user garnered an almost mythic status during his time on Reddit. Many users had encount...