How hard was it to steal the Mona Lisa? What does the word "ponzi" actually mean?Links to all the research resources are on the website.Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Beco

Hidden Histories - Rosewood, Tulsa, Chicago (encore)

Jun 14th, 2022 29m 21s

(Chronic health problems sometime require an encore performance of a past episode.) Hundreds dead, thousands homeless, entire communities wiped out, yet most of us have never heard of what happened in Rosewood 1923, Tulsa 1921, or Chicago 191

Strange Currency

Jun 7th, 2022 34m 35s

What do limestone, leather, plastic and mulberry tree bark have in common? They've all been used to make money, plus lots of other materials besides! Join me for a quick jaunt around the world and through history and we look at a fraction of th

Suspect Sustenance Stories

May 31st, 2022 35m 20s

Who was General Tsao of chicken fame? Where do Danish pastries come from? Is pad Thai actually Thai food? All that and more in this patron-voted episode!1-star review shirt! and shirt raising money for Ukraine Red CrossLinks to all the resear

Awfully Fond of You

May 24th, 2022 33m 40s

How did rubber ducks go from lumps of rubber that didn't even float to a cheerful childhood staple? Let's look at where they came from, where they're going, and why they keep showing up at violent political protests.1-star review shirt! and s

Dread Pirate Misinformation

May 17th, 2022 32m 6s

Finally, I get to the subtopic that launched not one but two episodes, the Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet, as well as the most interesting boring thing I could find and why science didn't get a handle on scurvy until nearly WWII.(Apologies in a

Yaarrrr Brain On Facts

May 10th, 2022 31m 36s

What started as a need to tell the real story of "Gentleman Pirate" Stede Bonnet has turned into a myth vs history two-parter! I love when that happens. Hear about pirate pensions, the makeup of the mariners, and civil unions on the seven seas.

D'oh! (no episode this week)

May 3rd, 2022 59s

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We Can't Have Nice Things - Radio Contests

Apr 26th, 2022 36m 32s

It's the return of our occasional series, We Can't Have Nice Things. This week, we look at radio contest and promotions that went badly wrong, often at the draft stage. Free nude wedding anyone?1-star review shirt! and shirt raising money for

Courthouse Rock

Apr 19th, 2022 37m 14s

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear leather jackets with chains, long hair, and lots of eyeliner! Today we look at three times heavy metal musicians said "We're not gonna take it" and defended the freedom of speech, but were they "Breaking the

Apple of Our Eye

Apr 12th, 2022 34m 16s

1-star review shirt! and shirt raising money for Ukraine Red Cross. It's another one of those episodes all about a topic that sounds totally mundane and boring! Where did apples come from? Was Johnny Appleseed real? Why does planting apple s

Gregor MacGregor

Apr 5th, 2022 18m 30s

People used to say "If you believe that, I have some swampland in Florida to sell you," but they really should have said, "I have some lovely acres in the Republic of Poyais you can buy, but you have to act now!" Presenting one of my favorite c

Fell on Black Days: Sunday

Mar 29th, 2022 35m 31s

(Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MOXIE - Enter promo code MOXIE for 83% off and 3 extra months free!)T-shirt for Ukraine, all proceeds and matching donation to Ukraine Red Cross at yourbrainonfacts.com/merchThere are four Sunday

Tax and Taxonomy

Mar 22nd, 2022 35m 55s

Who you gonna believe -- me or your lying eyes? Today we look at court cases where people try to avoid taxes by arguing that things aren't the things that they clearly are.00:50 Tomato08:18 Jaffa Cakes17:48 Hydrox vs Oreo37:40 X-MenLinks t

It Stinks! (your sense of smell)

Mar 15th, 2022 34m 34s

Our Patrons have a nose for good topics, so today we 07:04 Smells and space 14:40 Ham-sniffer21:17 It's the pits30:48 AromatherapyLinks to all the research resources are on the website.Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs. Reach out and t

Witty, Wild Women

Mar 8th, 2022 41m 5s

Why did no one tell me about Moms Mabley?!! Hear about her and other 'living loud and proud' ladies (Dorothy Parker, Mae West, Tallulah Bankhead) on this International Women's Day.01:00 Tallulah Bankhead13:00 Mae West23:00 Moms MableyLinks

Dying for Your Art

Mar 1st, 2022 30m 46s

Voted on by our Patreon, we dive into the deadly side of sculpture, painting, ballet and more!01:36 Blucifer04:00 Get the lead out10:00 Ballet blazes20:45 Death by a thousand face26:43 The Conqueror and the conqueredLinks to all the resea

Earth's Unsungest Heroes: Black Inventors, pt 4 (ep 184)

Feb 22nd, 2022 36m 30s

Necessity is the mother of invention and these inventions had real mothers! Hear about Black female inventors, the tribulations of research, and a story I didn't expect to find and couldn't pass up.01:00 L'histoire 06:36 Martha Jones's corn h

Earth's Unsung-est Heroes: Black Inventors, pt. 3

Feb 15th, 2022 28m 6s

Congrats to Hearts & Wheels, who won week 2 of #moxiemillion, by sharing the show to help it reach 1 million downloads this month!Necessity is the mother of invention and who was in a more necessitous position than victims of the Atlantic slav

The African Queens

Feb 8th, 2022 35m 29s

Congrats to Richard Enriquez, who won week 1 of #moxiemillion, by sharing the show to help it reach 1 million downloads this month!Cleopatra-schmeopatra! Hear the stories of three queens of Africa who should also be household names. Starring t

Bonus

Featuring: What Was That Like?

Feb 3rd, 2022 9m 15s

I thought you might also like the show "What Was That Like?," real people in unreal situations.

Gods and Monkeys

Feb 1st, 2022 34m 24s

With half the world's continents being home to a panoply of monkey species, it's no wonder the people of Center & South America, Asia, and Africa hold monkeys in high esteems as mythological and religious figures. Hear about Hanuman, howlers, H