Your Brain on Facts
Host Moxie LaBouche brings you a weekly half-hour of things you didn't know, things you thought you knew, and things you never knew you never knew. Topics range from the history of nursing to the Balinese funeral rite David Bowie requested, from the origin of the Vulcan salute to the theft of Canada's strategic maple syrup reserve. This is your brain on facts. yourbrainonfacts.com
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 33 minutes
- Episodes
- 230
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2022
Butter in the Bank 2 (ep. 68)
In the first "Like Butter in the Bank," we talked about strategic reserves -- Canadian maple syrup, Chinese pork, Indian cotton, European butter, and American raisins -- intended to stabilize prices.…
00:33:56 |
Tue 14 May 2019
A Girl and Her Camera (ep. 67)
Some of the most iconic photos of the 20th century, from "Migrant Mother" during the Great Depression to "The Dying Marine" in Vietnam, were taken by women making their way in an industry that was no…
00:33:15 |
Tue 07 May 2019
We Built This City (ep. 66)
There is something in modern man that makes him look at society and say “I could do this better, but smaller, and over there.” What does it take to build a utopia? No one knows yet, because they've a…
00:33:54 |
Tue 30 Apr 2019
A Thousand Lakes Under the Midnight Sun (ep. 65), with Conspiracy Theoryology
This topic came from our monthly Patreon topic poll. It didn't win, but a patron was curious how I would make this topic interesting.
What do you know about Finland? ... That's what I thought! So sit…
00:33:31 |
Tue 23 Apr 2019
Bird-pocalypse (ep. 64)
(Thanks to special guests Sophia and Matryoshka for jingling their collars in range of the mic.)
The havoc that human beings (and a cat named Tibbles) can wreak on native birds, in an episode that wa…
00:29:15 |
Tue 16 Apr 2019
Well-traveled Bodies (ep. 63)
Follow the stories of five people (an outlaw, a murderess, a nightclub dancer, a natural wonder, and a first lady) who covered a lot of ground... after they died.
Mentioned: Marie O'Day's Palace Car
…
00:36:15 |
Tue 09 Apr 2019
Heard But Not Seen (ep. 62)
Voice acting is so much more than just cartoons; it’s documentary narration, GPS voices, smart speakers, and so much more. And if you can get in good, your career will be legendary, even if no one kn…
00:33:55 |
Tue 02 Apr 2019
Earth's Unsung-est Heroes: medical edition (ep. 61)
When you think of world-saving heroes, you think Superman, Captain America, Randy Quaid in Independence Day.
But there are real life people who have saved thousands, even millions of lives within liv…
00:34:30 |
Tue 26 Mar 2019
Objection! (ep. 60)
From Twinkies and PMS to sleepwalking and The Matrix, we look at brilliantly bizarre legal strategies people have tried and sometimes even succeeded with.
Mentioned: Abused Goddess photo campaign
Mu…
00:32:15 |
Tue 19 Mar 2019
Career Critters
From military dolphins to railroad monkeys, hear about some of the more surprising jobs that our cousins in the animal kingdom can do.
Music by Kevin MacLeod
Read the full script and find sources.
Re…
00:28:45 |
Tue 12 Mar 2019
We Can't Have Nice Things: Vandalism edition
Welcome to the third installment of our infrequent series: We Can’t Have Nice Things. This time, we’re looking at people who, through ignorance or malice ruins something not theirs -- vandals. Their …
00:34:40 |
Tue 05 Mar 2019
Black Sparrow and Buffalo Soldiers
Since colonial times, African-Americans have fought in America’s wars. Black soldiers have put their lives on the line for a country that for centuries has enslaved, segregated, and discriminated aga…
00:29:30 |
Tue 26 Feb 2019
Unkillable
The human body can be a frail and fragile thing; we can be taken out by a small clump of our own cells. Then there are some bodies that seem to be made out of pure testicular fortitude.
Music by Ke…
00:33:31 |
Tue 19 Feb 2019
Roses Are Red
We've all been through bad break-ups, but we should count ourselves lucky we were exiles, imprisoned or beheaded.
Special guest: Fan Theory World
Check out our new tiers and limited time special offe…
00:29:50 |
Tue 12 Feb 2019
Amazing Races
From using a train in a car race to marathon doping with deadly poison, there's far more excitement in racing than simply declaring a winner.
Check out our new tiers and limited time special offer on…
00:30:15 |
Tue 05 Feb 2019
We Can't Have Nice Things - Vandalism edition
In the third installment of our sometimes-series We Can't Have Nice Things, we get back to basics and look at brazen acts of vandalism on natural wonders, works of art, and more.
Music by Kevin Mac…
00:33:56 |
Tue 05 Feb 2019
Physician, Test Thyself
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, even if it means inhaling strange gasses, being stung by wasps, or swallowing patient's bodily fluids.
Check out our new tiers and limite…
00:37:10 |
Tue 29 Jan 2019
More Cowbell (and Goat Bagpipe), with guest host Archivists Bet On Sexy Witches
What is the oldest playable instrument we've found? How do you make music with lightning? From clacking rocks together to the magnificent Marble Machine, musical instruments are as varied as our imag…
00:32:08 |
Tue 22 Jan 2019
This Means War?
Mankind has waged war for many reasons: land, oil, a pretty face, a wooden bucket, you name it. How did a pig put the US and UK on the brink of war in Canada? Who declares hostility over watermelon? …
00:32:00 |
Tue 15 Jan 2019
Sigmund Freud Was Full Of S***
Sigmund Freud may be the father of psychoanalysis, but he got a LOT of stuff wrong.
Special guest extravaganza with Bunny Trails, Ignorance Was Bliss, Interesting Sex, and The Story Behind podcasts.
…
00:56:45 |
Tue 08 Jan 2019
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Moxie LaBouche. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.