Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
Wait, How Do I Know It's Funny? A Rollicking History of Laugh Tracks
We've all heard them. You're watching or hearing a show, a character says something, and -- boom! -- an invisible choir of audience members loses the…
3 years, 6 months ago
Who, exactly, were the Luddites?
Today you'll hear people described as 'Luddites' if they don't care for -- or don't understand -- some newer piece of technology, but where did this …
3 years, 6 months ago
Instant Noodles Changed The World, Part Two: Going Global
As Momofuku Ando's instant noodles take Japan by storm, he sets his sights on the global horizon. In part two of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and …
3 years, 6 months ago
Instant Noodles Changed The World, Part One: An Origin Story
Today, instant noodles are ubiquitous. You can find them in almost every grocery store, in any number of flavors sold by any number of brands -- but …
3 years, 6 months ago
The Accidental Invention of Holding Music
We've all been there -- you're calling a bank, a loan company, you name it, and boom: you're put on hold. But where does that music come from? In tod…
3 years, 6 months ago
Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions: Flyin' or Dyin', Part Two
How far would you go to fly? It's a question many inventors have asked themselves over the ages and, tragically, for every successful breakthrough it…
3 years, 6 months ago
Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions: Flyin' or Dyin', Part One
Humans can swim, though not as well as a fish. Humans can run, though not as swift as a cheetah. From ancient civilization to the modern day, no huma…
3 years, 7 months ago
Wilhelm Reich and Orgone, Part 2: Willy vs. The Feds
If Reich's concept of orgone was simple pseudoscience, why did the US government ban -- and burn -- his books? In part two of this two-part episode o…
3 years, 7 months ago
Wilhelm Reich and Orgone, Part 1: Sexy Psychoanalysis
Born in 1897, Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian doctor of medicine and a psychoanalyst, as well as -- for a time -- a follower of Sigmund Freud. Today, h…
3 years, 7 months ago
The History of Pringles: Once You Pop...
Pretty much everyone recognizes Pringles -- these tasty, not-quite potato chips come in tons of at-times bizarre flavors, all neatly packed in a nift…
3 years, 7 months ago