Podcast Episodes

Whatever Happened to Mac Tonight?

In the great pantheon of fast food mascots, one iconic figure stands separate from the rest: a crooning, crescent moon-faced musician named Mac Tonight. Originally part of an ambitious campaign to ad…

Published on 1 year ago

The First Recorded Christmas Was The Latest Birthday Party Ever

Whether or not you yourself celebrate Christmas, there's no denying it's one of the world's most well'known holidays -- in fact, this commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ may be the most famous…

Published on 1 year ago

CLASSIC: Dock Ellis and the Legend of the LSD No-hitter

Almost 48 years ago, Pirates pitcher and notorious party animal Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter while under the influence of LSD. How did this man accomplish one of the rarest feats in baseball histor…

Published on 1 year ago

Whoops! All Quizster, Part Two: A Ridiculous History of HowStuffWorks

Still reeling from a tragic loss in the greatest of games, Ben, Noel and Max square off with Jonathan Strickland AKA The Quizster in one last battle of wits before wiping the slate clean in 2025. Jon…

Published on 1 year ago

Whoops! All Quizster, Part One: The Gang Reunites

After going off the grid for the better part of a year, Jonathan Strickland AKA The Quizster returns at the end of 2024, with several bones to pick. As he regales -- and/or tortures -- Ben, Noel and …

Published on 1 year ago

CLASSIC: Maryland’s State Song was a Diss Track

On the first listen, Maryland's old state song sounds pretty innocuous. There's the usual lauding of the state, a refrain based on "O Tannenbaum" and so on. Yet the lyrics of this song refer to "Nort…

Published on 1 year ago

How The (English) Alphabet Became A Thing, Part Two: Each Letter Has A Story

How did the English alphabet -- a strange agglomeration of curved and straight-lined symbols -- become a thing? In the second part of this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max dive into the mes…

Published on 1 year ago

Big Parma

Season 1 Episode 29

Stuffed crust pizza. Grilled cheese burritos. How did so much cheese get into so many things? On today's episode, we peel back the curtain on the Dairy Industrial Complex — AKA Big Parma. 

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VERY SPE…

Published on 1 year ago

How The (English) Alphabet Became A Thing, Part One: Writing Stuff Down Is A Bonkers Idea

Let's be honest: the concept of writing stuff down is both brilliant and insane. Right now, all around the world, countless people are scrawling or typing messages that may last long after the writer…

Published on 1 year ago

CLASSIC: The Story of Max, South Africa's Famous, Crime-fighting Gorilla

When confronted with a home invasion, Max the gorilla brought international fame to the Johannesburg Zoo and briefly became the city's most famous crime fighter. He received numerous endorsements, an…

Published on 1 year ago