Episodes

  • Who was the Most Prolific Serial Killer of All Time?

    Who was the Most Prolific Serial Killer of All Time?
    May 17 2025
    In the pantheon of worst humans to ever human you will find no shortage of bastions of awful. Hitler probably has the most collective conscious panache, but at least he had the decency to bravely, and with no regard for his personal safety, infiltrate the Hitler bunker and then put a bullet through the cranium of Hitler. But individuals like Hitler did their killing via proxy. As for those who were a little more hands on, the Hitler of these was arguably a man by the name of Vasili Blokhin who, as we’ve covered previously in our video Who Has Directly Murdered the Most People By Their Own Hand?, personally killed, one at a time, over 7,000 people in under one month alone, let alone countless others he offed at other points in his career. Vasili and many others like him, however, killed for their respective states. In contrast, within this subset of individuals who killed by their own hand, we have a special class that in recent decades has been given the moniker “serial killer”, which brings us to the macabre topic of today- who was the most prolific serial killer of all time? Host: Simon Whistler Author: Daven Hiskey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Repurposing Nuclear Missiles to Send Mail and Packages (& Why the Rocket Launch Countdown is Stupid)

    Repurposing Nuclear Missiles to Send Mail and Packages (& Why the Rocket Launch Countdown is Stupid)
    May 15 2025
    In this episode of The BrainFood Show, we're looking at that time the British tried to replace parachutes with rockets, that time the United States tried sending U.S. Postal Service mail via missiles, and the origins and interesting stories surrounding NASA's Steely Eyed Missile Man expression, and why the rocket launch countdown is stupid. Corrections- Star Spangled Banner was written during the War of 1812. I knew this. I do not know what I was thinking at the time. :-) Hosts: Karl Smallwood and Daven Hiskey Authors: Gilles Messier, Karl Smallwood, and Daven Hiskey Producer: Daven Hiskey Subscribe to the BrainFood Show: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brainfood-show/id1350586459 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36xpXQMPVXhWJzMoCHPJKd YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR0XuDegDqP2MW1ZtxnfAIaM1Ax_q1WKm RSS Feed: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/brainfood Tangential Things Discussed in This Episode: The German Rocket Fighter that Dissolved its Pilots Alive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfAw4YvI_u0 How to Survive Falling from a Plane Without a Parachute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x64DFUo7R The First Man to Walk in Space Almost Got Stuck Out There https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmXdWLWMTkg How Much Did Top Gun: Maverick Cost the U.S. Taxpayer? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w42bQrcu3aY The Tale of the Man Who Nearly Drowned While Falling from the Sky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfUCb4ERxt8 The Mysterious Death of Yuri Gagarin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP_QEmIsnKk Pigeon Guided Missiles and Literal Bat Bombs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbPG8jSud14 The Chicken Heated Nuclear Land Mine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJuxpf-RE7k A Wingtip and a Prayer: the Insane Way British Pilots Defeated Germany’s Secret Weapon https://youtu.be/rb6Xa1acNDE The US Military’s Obsessive World War II Ice Cream Crusade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOi_--kS4CE Did NASA Spend Millions Developing a Pen When the Russians Used Pencils? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAJpzWUhuqM 0:00 Intro 2:37 That Time the British Navy Tried to Replace Parachutes with Rockets 26:19 Missile Mail 56:06 Steely Eyed Missile Man 1:15:55 Launch Countdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 41 mins
  • Lies! The Truth About the Tesla vs Edison Feud

    Lies! The Truth About the Tesla vs Edison Feud
    May 9 2025
    If there’s two things the internet knows about Nikola Tesla, it’s that he was a genius scientist vastly ahead of his time, and that thanks to a many decades long feud with Thomas Edison which included Edison stealing some of his work and otherwise keeping his former employee on the black balled list, Tesla died in poverty and was largely forgotten by history until relatively recently… The thing is, other than the part about Tesla being a genius, literally none of the rest of what I just said is true. In fact, most of what popular history remembers about Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison both individually and with regards to their relationship is pure myth. Ringing in on this, historian Keith Nier very aptly stated of Thomas Edison, "He is actually one of the least well known of all famous people, and much of what everybody thinks they know about him is no more reliable than a fairy tale." And as for Tesla? That’s even more of the case for him than Edison. To a pretty shocking degree actually. In fact, in the couple decades we’ve been researching and writing to the tune of several thousand videos, we’ve never come across two individuals that popular history gets so incredibly wrong. Unfortunately for us, who were once major Tesla fanboys, this meant facing some rather harsh truths about the man and his work and ideas… which were… ya… we’ll get into it all. But as for Edison, turns out kind of an incredible human when you throw out all the myths that largely came about thanks to becoming the devil to god Tesla in the popular narrative of Tesla’s life. So, without further ado, let’s welcome in my co-host Gilles with his vast engineering knowledge to get to the bottom of it all so that you, too, can now smugly walk around knowing the true story of Tesla and Edison, while fanboys and haters on the interwebs continue to sling their myths and misconceptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 55 mins
  • Is There Any Hard Evidence That Jesus Actually Existed?

    Is There Any Hard Evidence That Jesus Actually Existed?
    May 7 2025
    In this episode, Simon delves into the historical and archaeological records, exploring theories and debates surrounding one of history's most significant religious figures. Author: Daven Hiskey Host: Simon Whistler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 mins
  • That Time the U.S. Tried to Build a Massive Military Base on the Moon

    That Time the U.S. Tried to Build a Massive Military Base on the Moon
    May 5 2025
    During the Cold War, the U.S. government was hell-bent on one upping the commies in any way possible. In the process, they came up with a number of outlandish plans, such as that time they proposed literally nuking the moon, interestingly enough a project a young Carl Sagan worked on and broke some laws with. More on this later. While it’s probably for the best that that project didn’t ultimately get carried out, there is another that went into history's dustbin that would have been amazing if implemented- the U.S. Army's plan to build a massive military and research installation on the moon. This is the story of Project Horizon, along with a lot of other interesting related tidbits along the way, from what a nuclear explosion would look like on the moon and whether a nuke would actually be a terribly effective weapon in space, to the guns designed for astronauts, to the rather humorous first thing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did on the surface of the moon, to the dick pic that exists in the so-called first museum on the moon and the famous artist who drew it, to the fascinating story of the man who successfully sold the moon and apparently made a fortune in the process. This is going to be a good one. And to talk about all of this today, we’re trying something different by welcoming in our resident genius, engineer, author of the scripts for over 500 videos on TodayIFoundOut, and the owner of the phenomenal channel Our Own Devices, the Professor- Gilles Messier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 9 mins
  • Common Things Different in Europe vs. the United States

    Common Things Different in Europe vs. the United States
    Apr 29 2025
    Ah America, filled with gun toting rednecks wearing their flag as a t-shirt and pondering what Jesus would do while chowing down on Mexican food, greasy burgers, partially hydrogenated corn syrup cubes, and washing it all down with Budweiser, the king of beers… for those who’ve never tasted real beer… And Europe, full of a homogeneous group of people who spend most of their time measuring things in meters instead of Ariana Grandes as every god-fearing individual should, whilst worshiping the British monarchy, rioting about football, mocking Americans and their inferior chocolates and cheeses, and otherwise bent on making sure the entire world becomes socialist… Or, at least, so the interwebs have taught us all. But what are the actual interesting differences between people and things in the surprisingly diverse United States compared with the various individuals in the vastly more diverse countries of Europe? Well, I'm glad you asked, because that's what Simon and I are going to cover today. Let’s dive into it all, shall we? Hosts: Simon Whistler and Daven Hiskey 0:00 Intro 2:06 HOMES 4:26 Buying a Home 13:21 Locks 18:20: Kitchens and Appliances 24:25: Rooms 25:35: Bathrooms 32:54 Garages 35:00 Misc 37:08 Dining 46:13 Pub Culture and Drinking 59:15 Mexican Food 1:02:35 Meal Deal 1:05:27 WORK 1:21:30 Everyday Things 1:41:43 Dress 1:51:09 Education 2:03:00 Internet 2:05:30 Day Fine System 2:07:32 Foot Goes In, Foot Goes Out 2:08:40 Transportation 2:27:35 General Culture 3:12:25 Healthcare 3:19:50 Misc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    3 hrs and 58 mins
  • The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 4)

    The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 4)
    Dec 1 2020
    In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out with an appetizer looking at how chopsticks came to be and why they became so popular in certain parts of the world vs things like spoons and forks. Next up we have a brief message from our sponsor… Ourselves! Go check out our new-ish channel Highlight History, an upcoming re-launch / re-think of Fact Quickie, a new upcoming one in Ancient Marvels, and Simon’s latest attempt to host all YouTube channels- Side Projects. Next up, in the main course, we look at who exactly invented the spoon, knife, and fork, how they became popularized and the surprising amount of time it took for two of the three to become a staple of dinner tables the world over. As for the desert for today, we discuss who actually invented the Fortune Cookie, which pretty much everyone always gets wrong. And, spoiler: no, it wasn’t the Chinese nor Americans. On another note, if you could do us a huge favor and rate and review this show in whatever podcasting platform you’re using (including hopefully giving us some feedback related to the new format), we would be extremely grateful. Thanks! Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show The post The Fascinating Origins of Everyday Things (Part 4) appeared first on Today I Found Out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Medieval Times [Part 5]

    Medieval Times [Part 5]
    Nov 25 2020
    In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we are start out with an appetizer looking at whether chastity belts were ever actually a thing in medieval times or if it is just a Hollywood invention. Next up we have a brief message from our sponsor… Ourselves! Go check out our new-ish channel Highlight History, an upcoming re-launch / re-think of Fact Quickie, a new upcoming one in Ancient Marvels, and Simon’s latest attempt to host all YouTube channels- Side Projects. Next up, in the main course, we look at whether you could actually be transported back in time to Medieval Times and actually communicate to anyone in English or not as is often depicted in popular entertainment. As for the desert for today, we discuss what you actually get for being knighted in modern times and what the process is these days for that. And note, to see that wall of text Simon hard to read there, this is what he was looking at: INTHEBEGINNINGTHEREWASNOPUNCTUATIONLOWERCASELETTERSOREVENSPACESBETWEENWORDSTHEREALSOWASNOGRAMMATICALWAYOFDISTINGUISHINGWHENANIDEAHADFINISHEDANDANEWONEBEGUNITDIDNTHELPTHATTHEIDEAOFSTANDARDIZEDSPELLINGWASALSONOTATHINGATLEASTNOTASWEWOULDTHINKOFITREADERSWERELEFTTOMUDDLETHEIRWAYTHROUGHANYTEXTASBESTTHEYCOULDUNSURPRISINGLYUNDERSTANDINGWHATAPARTICULARWORKWASACTUALLYSAYINGONTHEFIRSTREADTHROUGHWASPRETTYWELLUNHEARDOFATTHISTIME On another note, if you could do us a huge favor and rate and review this show in whatever podcasting platform you’re using (including hopefully giving us some feedback related to the new format), we would be extremely grateful. Thanks! Don’t miss future episodes of this podcast, subscribe here: iTunes | Spotify | Google Play Music | Stitcher | RSS/XML You can also find more episodes by going here: The BrainFood Show The post Medieval Times [Part 5] appeared first on Today I Found Out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 31 mins