Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchFrom Thai Truck Stop Tonic to Global Energy Drink Empire
Episode 11965
In 1976 Thai entrepreneur Chaleo Yoovidhya created Krating Daeng, a cheap, uncarbonated, sweet tonic sold to laborers and long-haul truck drivers to …
6 hours ago
Pepsi's Untold History: Sugar Crash, Soviet Vodka and Cola Wars
Episode 11964
Pepsi began in 1893 as Brad's Drink, a pharmacy remedy for indigestion created by Caleb Bradham in New Bern, North Carolina. This episode traces how …
6 hours ago
Pemmican: The Indigenous Survival Food That Fueled Empires and Explorers
Episode 11963
Pemmican, a 5,000-year-old Indigenous invention from the North American plains, packed dried, pounded meat and rendered fat into a dense, nearly impe…
6 hours ago
Peanut Butter History: Aztec Remedy, Kellogg, Skippy and Plumpy'Nut
Episode 11962
George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter. This episode follows the spread from the Inca and Aztecs, who reportedly used ground peanut pa…
6 hours ago
The Swill Milk Scandal: How Tainted Milk Led to US Food Safety Laws
Episode 11961
In 1850s New York City, an estimated 8,000 infants died in a single year, and contaminated milk was blamed. This episode explains how the swill milk …
6 hours ago
The McDonald's Story: From Speedy Service to a Real Estate Empire
Episode 11960
McDonald's is also one of the world's biggest property owners, with an estimated $42 billion in land. This episode tells the company's life story, st…
6 hours ago
Who Invented the Margarita? Myths, Frozen Machines and Flavor Science
Episode 11959
Nobody knows for certain who invented the margarita. This episode goes through a fight over credit that has lasted about 90 years. The drink follows …
6 hours ago
The Dark History of Kool-Aid: From Nebraska Kitchen to Jonestown
Episode 11958
Kool-Aid began in 1927 in Hastings, Nebraska, when Edwin Perkins turned his liquid concentrate Fruit Smack into a powder to avoid the costs of shippi…
6 hours ago
Mochi Explained: Starch Science, Sacred History and Choking Risks
Episode 11957
Every year, Tokyo authorities warn people to cut their mochi into small pieces, because the chewy rice cake sends more than 100 people to the hospita…
6 hours ago
Hot Dog History: Frankfurt vs Vienna, the Bun and the Sandwich Debate
Episode 11956
The hot dog dates back to 13th century Frankfurt, where pork sausages were handed out to celebrate imperial coronations of the Holy Roman Empire. Vie…
6 hours ago