Actually Happening
100 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 7 years ago - ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsYes, it's "Actually Happening," a panel game podcast with a healthy dose of obscure trivia, historical nonsense and terrible puns. Led by the obviously related Kevin Clark and Dennis Clark, and aided by their distinguished guests (none less so than Anna Grafton, Steven Padnick and Sarah Wheaton), our teams attempt funny and occasionally accurate answers to questions from referee Victoria Nece. Alternate weeks feature "Not Actually Happening," shorter episodes where we talk about things that didn't, well, actually happen. If you happen to learn something along the way we swear it’s not our fault. www.itsactuallyhappening.com
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Episodes
Actually Happening 40: Good Times Never Seemed So Good
March 14, 2013 04:05 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBThis week we celebrate the Ides of March with the suggestion to replace the national anthem with “Sweet Caroline.” Also: what to do if you’re an interim senator, what really happens in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, why the...
Not Actually Happening Episode 22: The Walum Olam
March 03, 2013 00:30 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBThis week it’s all about fake epics, fake things about epics, and solid snake. For some reason.
Actually Happening Episode 39 — Aaron Burr’s Contiguous Adventures
February 26, 2013 18:08 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MBThis week Aaron Burr gets mispronounced, Russian peasants stop sleeping in their own ovens, and Steven has all the anxiety dreams at once.
Actually Happening Episode 38 — Papal Resignation Special
February 19, 2013 04:21 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBThis week we take on the first papal resignation in almost 600 years, by using a Google+ Hangout to do out breaking news coverage. The audio is kinda ropey, but we got an actual expert! Renaissance historian Ada Palmer joined...
Actually Happening Episode 37 — Miss Islippi
February 09, 2013 20:26 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBThis week we put pasties on the Woman of Willendorf, send Robocop to Florence, and take Oliver Wendell Holmes’ lunch money.
Not Actually Happening Episode 21: Wugs!
February 01, 2013 18:05 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBBecause sometimes the best way to learn about language is to make up new words. (Also, thanks for bearing with us through the bandwidth overage! Hoping it won’t happen again. Rather nice that it seems like we can blame it...
Actually Happening Episode 36 — The Modern, Up-to-date World of Today!
January 26, 2013 18:36 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBThis week we examine possible ends of the world, what Ben Franklin really wanted from the French, sentimental novels, and the striking contrasts between the modern era and the times we’re living through today.
Not Actually Happening Episode 20: Pseudo-Zoroaster
January 15, 2013 20:27 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBWe’re back from our holiday break with some spurious attempts at etymology by the ancient Greeks! Also Steven is leaking bits.
Actually Happening Episode 35 — Holiday Special, Happy New Year!
December 19, 2012 03:22 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MBIt’s our last holiday special, and our last episode of the year. So enjoy a handful of facts about the first (or last?) holiday of the year, and we’ll see you in January!
Actually Happening Episode 34 — Holiday Special, The War on Christmas
December 12, 2012 23:59 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBNo, pointless trivia is the reason for the season! Another fine holiday special in which we discuss the great myth of the holiday season: the War on Christmas. Image source: Kevin Dooley on Flickr
Actually Happening Episode 33 — Holiday Special, The Festival of Lights-You-Can’t-Use-As-Lights
December 06, 2012 03:42 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBHanukkah/Chanukah, ketchup/catsup, let’s call the whole thing off!
Actually Happening Episode 32 — Lame Duck Special
December 01, 2012 03:36 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBA not-so-lame new episode all about politicians and poultry! Image credit: scjody on Flickr via Creative Commons
Actually Happening Episode 31 — Holiday Special, Thanksgiving Misgivings
November 21, 2012 07:18 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBThis week, we do our obligatory annual visit to 17th century Boston, and wonder why Assassins Creed 3 gave a fake Spaniard an Irish name.
Not Actually Happening Episode 19: The Great Disappointment
November 13, 2012 16:08 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBThey waited. It never happened. It still hasn’t happened.
Actually Happening Episode 30 — The Vuvuzela of Victory; The Didgeridoo of Defeat
November 06, 2012 05:01 - 44 minutes - 61.3 MBWe guessed the election’s outcome for this one. Fingers crossed we’re right! This Week: — Things for Romney to do other than run for president — Does this smell like chloroform to you? — Alas, poor Tubby — Stealing the...
Not Actually Happening Episode 18: The Death of Houdini
November 02, 2012 19:13 - 17 minutes - 23.4 MBIt involves a Canadian man named Jocelyn.
Actually Happening Episode 29 — October Surprise!
October 25, 2012 06:12 - 40 minutes - 54.9 MBMore cursory history than anyone else has ever cursed! This week: — October surprises — The Sheik makes the ladies swoon — This opera isn’t fancy enough! — Daleks vs. the state of Missouri — What do we have in...
Actually Happening Episode 28 — Presidential Special, A Noncitizen President
October 17, 2012 18:44 - 12 minutes - 17.6 MBThis week, we continue our in-no-way-topical discussion of political trivia by inventing the not-yet-existent trivia team of John Tyler Perry.
Actually Happening Episode 27 — Presidential Special, President for a Day?
October 11, 2012 04:38 - 12 minutes - 16.7 MBThis week we track a simple president pro tempore…. or was he? And we smash a glass to remind you of the temple.
Actually Happening Episode 26 — Presidential Special, Emperor Norton
October 05, 2012 20:41 - 8 minutes - 20.9 MBThis week we talk about one of America’s greatest (or at least most entertaining) unelected leaders: Emperor Norton. And hosting issues are now fixed so we should be back on schedule!
Actually Happening Episode 25 — Presidential Special, First Ladies
September 25, 2012 18:23 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBWith the election coming up, we wanted to try something new. For the next few weeks we’re going to bring you hard-hitting presidential trivia from the past. Topical? well, it used to be. This week, as we finish up preparations...
Not Actually Happening Episode 17: Prester John
September 19, 2012 17:35 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBHis kingdom was just over the next hill. We swear.
Actually Happening Episode 24 — A Bug in the System
September 14, 2012 19:17 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MB…a real bug. We must apologize yet again for the lateness of this episode. If you haven’t been listening through to the end, you may not have heard about RUCKUS NYC, the conference and concert that’s currently eating our lives....
Not Actually Happening Ep. 16: Loyalty Day Conspiracies
September 05, 2012 16:00 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBIt may be another Not Actually Happening, but this week we discuss a real thing that did, in fact, actually happen — just not the way a lot of paranoid people thought it did.
Actually Happening Episode 23 — Don’t Be That Country
September 02, 2012 02:50 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBThis week we have a late one, and a long one. But it’s also awesome, complete with protest rifles, filibusters, and shipwrecks.
Not Actually Happening Ep. 15: The Cottingly Fairies
August 21, 2012 16:17 - 12 minutes - 11 MBThis week we discuss a second fake creature that Arthur Conan Doyle got mixed up in. What a weird dude.
Actually Happening Episode 22 — Baseball, Eggs and Debt
August 16, 2012 05:10 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBSorry we’re so late on this one. At least it’s finally done! Weird combination of topics this time — everything from a lobster surplus to Nelson Mandela.
Not Actually Happening Ep. 14: Art Forgeries
August 08, 2012 04:58 - 12 minutes - 11 MBIn which we debate the tricky subject of when a forgery becomes art in itself… and we hear way too much about a particular piece of graph paper.
Actually Happening Episode 21 — Emperor Gallienus’s Unusual Punishment
August 01, 2012 20:47 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBWe’re back from our summer vacation! Image credits: Wikimedia Commons and Flickr.
Not Actually Happening Ep. 13 — The Fourth of July
July 03, 2012 15:45 - 10 minutes - 9.53 MBListen all the way to the end. Trust us. Then go follow @CHRISTHULK.
Actually Happening Episode 20 — My Breeches Are On Fire
June 26, 2012 15:32 - 38 minutes - 35 MBThis Week: — New summer holidays! — Dancing plague — A witch accusation with a crucial flaw — Hypnotizing Russians — Penis theft — The Globe burns down — Intern baiting — A boy dressed as a cannon — The...
Not Actually Happening Ep. 12 — The Island of California
June 19, 2012 15:30 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBThis week: tales of geography gone wrong, mangled ancient philosophy, and poor choices of mascot.
Actually Happening Episode 19 — Bo Jackson’s Ancient Academia
June 13, 2012 05:14 - 38 minutes - 1 ByteWe’re finally back to full health, and we’re celebrating with an extended new episode!
Not Actually Happening Ep. 11 — Lamarckian Evolution
June 05, 2012 16:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MBThis week we talk about what doesn’t happen if you chop tails off rats, what does happen if you stretch giraffe necks, and firing millionaires into space.
Not Actually Happening Ep. 10 — The Birth of Winston Churchill
May 29, 2012 16:00 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBThis week we talk about the myth of the birth of Winston Churchill, which covered up the other myth of the birth of Winston Churchill.
Not Actually Happening Ep. 9 — Mountweazels
May 22, 2012 16:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBThis week we have a Not Actually Happening. I know you were expecting a full episode – so were we. Victoria’s been very ill. She’ll be fine, don’t worry, but at our last taping we only got the one full...
Actually Happening Ep 18 — Joe Biden’s Extra Pandas
May 16, 2012 03:59 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBThis Week: — The drunkest of hats — Joe Biden brings back the jort — The Chinatown bus is lacking in magazines — “I wish I could have been a heretic back when it actually meant something.” — Extra pandas...
Not Actually Happening Ep. 8 — Mechanical Turk
May 08, 2012 16:00 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBThe most incredible thing about this episode (and it is a good one!) is that it exists. Yes, the Lost Recording of Actually Happening has finally been rescued from the dark recesses of a corrupted SD card. Thanks Rob!
Not Actually Happening Ep. 7 — Hitler Diaries
May 01, 2012 16:00 - 9 minutes - 8.25 MBYes, it’s another Not Actually Happening, a mini-episode where we get to talk about the things history got wrong and science screwed up. This week we Godwin ourselves for eight solid minutes.
Actually Happening Episode 17 — Nothing Some Money, Nothing of Swiss
April 24, 2012 15:00 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBThis week we almost play the penis game with Emperor Elagabalus. This Week: — Anna held a python once — Bing Maps thinks Brooklyn is just 1 point — Duck Duck Go Chases you around the office — Seoul National...
Actually Happening Episode 16 — The Dread Pirate Mithridates
April 17, 2012 15:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBThis week, in honor of tax day, we suggest improvements to the modern IRS, cover several bizarre bits of classical period finance, and hear how the moon sank the Titanic. This Week: — Rich, gay accountants — Communist blowjobs —...
Not Actually Happening Ep. 6 — Phlogiston
April 10, 2012 14:10 - 9 minutes - 8.55 MBYes, it’s another Not Actually Happening, a mini-episode where we get to talk about the things history got wrong and science screwed up. This week we discuss one of our favorite nonexistent elements, terra pinguis, better known as phlogiston.
Not Actually Happening Ep. 5 — April Fool’s Spaghetti Harvest
April 03, 2012 15:30 - 11 minutes - 10.8 MBYes, it’s another Not Actually Happening, a mini-episode where we get to talk about the things history got wrong and science screwed up. This week in honor of April Fool’s Day we cover one of the greatest pranks ever pulled....
Actually Happening Episode 15 — Mitt Romney’s Rump Party
March 27, 2012 17:20 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBThis week we suggest a surefire strategy for the GOP, and cover the funniest civil suits in US History. This Week: — The GOP wins back women with flowers — The Nether Regions Strategy — I like big rump parties...
Actually Happening Episode 14 — Pope Assassin’s Creed 2 VII
March 20, 2012 16:27 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBThis week we talk a surprising amount about sports, and discuss a rash of Irish relic theft in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. This Week: — Wolf-punching our way through primary season — Taser-Soccer, or is it Soccer-Taser? — Saluting...
Not Actually Happening Ep. 4 — Phrenology
March 13, 2012 16:00 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBYes, it’s another Not Actually Happening, a mini-episode where we get to talk about the things history got wrong and science screwed up. This week it’s fifteen minutes of head-squeezing silliness as we discuss phrenology.
Not Actually Happening Ep. 3 — Piltdown Man
March 06, 2012 16:10 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBYes, it’s another Not Actually Happening, a mini-episode where we get to talk about the things history got wrong and science screwed up. This week, one of the biggest hoaxes in the history of archaeology is back in the news....
Actually Happening Episode 13 — Chief Justice Taft’s Lady Episodes
February 28, 2012 20:16 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBIt’s our lucky 13th episode and our one-year anniversary! This Week: — “Don’t operate heavy machinery. It’s heavy. Let someone else do it.” — How to make money on the Internet — The Revolution Might be Pinned — Kickbarter? Cakestarter?...
Actually Happening Episode 12 — The Beheader of Champagne Bottles
February 21, 2012 19:20 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBAnd now back to your regularly scheduled podcast. We hope you enjoyed that two week interlude of nonsense. This Week: — Snooki is our new neighbor — Investing in Arrow-proof Bibles — Celebrating the 21st Amendment (No thanks to the...
Not Actually Happening Ep. 2 — Female Hysteria
February 14, 2012 15:45 - 8 minutes - 7.63 MBWe’re back with a new Not Actually Happening, another mini-episode where we get to talk about the things history got wrong and science screwed up. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we discuss the causes (and cures!) of one of...