Fun Fact
80 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 45 ratingsOnce a month, Arik Devens and Allen Pike take turns sharing fun facts. Practical, historical, technical, and trivial facts all deserve their fair shake.
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Episodes
Solar Stands for Solar
April 22, 2024 20:00 - 39 minutes - 18.3 MBAllen dives in to diodes, Arik explores the origin of taxis, and Allen reveals an unsavoury fact about zygotes. Steve Mould on LEDs and solar panels Why blue LEDs were almost impossible Thornton Blackburn
Back Door Fact
March 25, 2024 20:00 - 36 minutes - 16.6 MBArik throws peanuts, Allen tries to cook vegetables, photographers try to prompt a good pose, and the earth’s magnetic field threatens to cause trouble. High-altitude cooking Say cheese Geomagnetic reversal
Suffered for Science
February 29, 2024 20:00 - 38 minutes - 17.7 MBScientists discover where birds go, the trouble with coin flips, the limits of the human body, and what exactly you can find in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. The majestic Pfeilstorch XCKD’s What If: What if Nascar had no rules? The Perseus Molecular Cloud
Raspberry Dust
January 22, 2024 20:00 - 37 minutes - 17.4 MBScience discovers our galaxy’s flavor, machinists discover precision measurements, and Arik discovers why you shouldn’t rent a car in Germany. Galaxy’s centre tastes of raspberries and smells of rum, say astronomers What Does Space Taste Like and Why Does It Matter? Thousandth of an inch
That Doesn’t Seem True
December 18, 2023 20:00 - 33 minutes - 15.4 MBWe check in on platypi and Polaris, consider zero’s parity, and make a decision about booby traps. Polaris Parity of zero Legality of booby traps
Gelatinous, Delicious, Terrible
November 20, 2023 20:00 - 43 minutes - 19.7 MBAllen thinks about cans, Arik thinks about governance, and everybody thinks about the Roman Empire. Why are cranberry sauce cans upside down? Roman Dictator Why do bees make honey?
You're Cursed Anyway
October 30, 2023 20:00 - 38 minutes - 17.6 MBAllen considers ancient honey, Arik considers ancient surgeries, and some jobs may or may not get automated. Honey’s Eternal Life, Explained Caesarean section ATMs and tellers
All You Need Is a Cartel
September 27, 2023 20:00 - 32 minutes - 14.8 MBAllen showcases a very surprising study, Arik recounts a very Canadian heist, and somebody loses a finger. Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma when jumping from aircraft: randomized controlled trial Inside Quebec’s Great, Multi-Million-Dollar Maple-Syrup Heist The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist Sugar Shack Dr Sam Moghtaderi’s finger-loss quiz
The Bone of Theseus
August 29, 2023 20:00 - 32 minutes - 14.9 MBArik improves an idiom, Allen shares a good news fact, Arik shares a grammar fact, and Allen locates your bones. You can’t have your cake and eat it too in other languages Status update on pandas Pisiform bone Sesamoid bones
Cool Fact
July 23, 2023 20:00 - 32 minutes - 15.1 MBArik and Allen attempt a live episode, Allen attempts to store dry ice, Arik attempts to use the word “relative”, and Allen attempts to explain what salt does. Carbon capture and storage Permanent storage of carbon dioxide in the marine environment: The solid CO2 penetrator Starboard and larboard - NOAA Do fish drink?
Both Jaunty and Cool
June 28, 2023 20:00 - 39 minutes - 18 MBAllen explains why summer exists, Arik outlines a trademark scheme, and Allen betrays Arik with a fishy biology fact. Seasonal lag List of genericized trademarks Cladistics, the effort to recategorize living things into clades
This Would Be Unsurvivable
May 30, 2023 20:00 - 35 minutes - 16.1 MBAllen goes deep on whale ingestion, and Arik explains what’s really going on with dinosaurs. National Geographic on the plausibility of whales swallowing humans Dinosaur Evolution of birds Ornithischia Saurischia Scott_D._Sampson ‘Dinosaurs Among Us’ Retraces an Evolutionary Path
Ridiculously Ridonkulously Large
April 29, 2023 20:00 - 36 minutes - 16.9 MBOur sun proves a nuisance, the former Soviet Union makes a trade, we consider pepper seeds, Isaac Newton considers an apple, mice consider some cheese, rats get exonerated, and we share a superior alternative to implausible. What would the sun sound like? List of common misconceptions It Shipped That Way #6, where Arik and Allen talk about engineering leadership, software architecture, and Netflix’s culture
Astronomically Unlikely
March 23, 2023 20:00 - 45 minutes - 21.1 MBWomen handle backward buttons, Allen handles a lot of feedback about very improbable things, and Arik handles digested asparagus. Why Zippers Are On Different Sides For Men And Women’s Clothing Sumptuary law Understanding the Birthday Paradox Universally unique identifiers (UUID) Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell?
We Gotta Blow It Up
February 21, 2023 20:00 - 49 minutes - 22.7 MBAllen saves us from asteroids, Jack Black’s mom saves some astronauts, Allen offends Arik’s sense of probability, and Arik sets the record straight on streetcar conspiracies. Asteroid impact avoidance The Truth About Jack Black’s Mother’s Historic Past Ep. 63, A Heaving Mass of People In Memory of Judith Love Cohen The math behind how unlikely it is that two well shuffled decks have the same order An attempt to convey how long it would take to shuffle 52! times Did a conspiracy really...
Let's All Do Crime
January 27, 2023 20:00 - 46 minutes - 21.5 MBA Portuguese scheme attempts to make counterfeit money real, an American scheme attempts to make walking illegal, and we set the record straight on Australian toilets. Alves dos Reis on Wikipedia Rose Bailey’s Mastodon thread on the scheme The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of “jaywalking” - Vox The Modern Moloch - 99% Invisible Motor vehicle fatality rate in U.S. by year - Wikipedia Not Just Bikes on YouTube Pringles’ Sweet Potato Cinnamon Crisps
Don't Eat This
December 21, 2022 20:00 - 36 minutes - 16.6 MBAncient cultures name colours, algae goes wild, toilets inspire poetry, and we attempt to correct the internet. What Is Blue and How Do We See Color? Did Ancient People Really Not See The Color Blue? Himba people - Wikipedia Himba people color chart on Wikipedia Giant kelp Why is a Toilet Called a “John”? Why the Toilet is Sometimes Called a “John”
A Heaving Mass of People
November 28, 2022 20:00 - 42 minutes - 19.5 MBArik makes an important call, Allen explains flavour, Arik invents football, Allen counts smiths, and we discover Ethiopian Time. Bon Appetite on blue raspberry Serious Eats on banana flavour History of American football William Webb Ellis Association football Blacksmith, whitesmith, greensmith, and brownsmith Fun Fact 36 – Joey Two-Lies Travel Tips for Ethiopia If you have a meeting in Ethiopia, you’d better double check the time
Sounds Made Up
October 27, 2022 20:00 - 46 minutes - 21.2 MBWe talk about how rice is grown, how eyes are colored, how time is told, and, of course, a scheme. The System of Rice Intensification Eye color percentages around the world and what causes eye color Eye Color Percentage for Across the Globe The World’s Population By Eye Color - WorldAtlas World’s littlest skyscraper - Wikipedia The Thai six-hour clock The World’s littlest skyscraper
Sorry, Scientists
September 27, 2022 20:00 - 40 minutes - 18.5 MBWe consider too much rain, too many dinosaurs, too much bad stuff happening, and too many MIDI notes. Carnian pluvial episode - Wikipedia Ornithosuchus - Wikipedia The Worst Time in History to Be Alive, According to Science Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive’ Volcanic winter of 536 - Wikipedia The Nocturnal bottleneck Photolyase 2013 nocturnal bottleneck study Black MIDI examples Wrecking Ball Bad Apple going wrong Rush E
It's All Colonialism
August 29, 2022 20:00 - 38 minutes - 17.9 MBA new border appears, and an old new fish appears; we measure stars, and measure aging. Bonus: a special frog fact. Hans Island Holland vs the Netherlands Extinct Fish Species That Predates Dinosaurs Found in Indian Ocean Stellar parallax Huge Fish, Once Believed Extinct, Isn’t the ‘Living Fossil’ Scientists Thought Study “confirms” some people age more slowly
Paid for with Pee
July 24, 2022 20:00 - 43 minutes - 20.2 MBVespasian pays for a colosseum, the bible describes angels, frogs jump into the air, and cities tell us how to compost. Was the Colosseum Paid for with Pee? Vespasian: The Emperor Who Gave His Name to a Public Toilet Emperor Vespasian and the Urine Tax - Lessons from History Ezekiel 1:15-21, which describes ophanim Biblically accurate cherubim Attempts to depict ophanim My girlfriend is a (biblically accurate) angel Why Is This Tiny Frog So Awful At Jumping? - Defector Belly-floppi...
A Little Round Blob
June 25, 2022 20:00 - 51 minutes - 23.8 MBAllen reveals why pills are the way they are, Arik reveals why trucks are the way they are, and we catch up on followup. Episode now fixed: Episode 57, Butt-Water Air Adventure Tourism Discussion of cold meds on Ep. 29, This is Not Medical Advice The Capsule The Colorful History of Pills Can Fill Many a Tablet How CAFE Killed Compact Trucks And Station Wagons - The Truth About Cars How do they determine wheel base and wheel track of a vehicle? - Quora Allen’s article on How to Buy a F...
Butt-Water Air Adventure Tourism
May 23, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 30.3 MBTurtles breathe in a very peculiar way, nut butter makes a mess, bacteria get crushed, and Arik goes on a quest for carbonation. Turtles breathing through their butts The potential future of butt-breathing Some specific examples of High Pressure Processing on YouTube Fun Fact ep. 1 on the dairy cartel Ripple brand pea milk
A Hippo Astronaut
April 27, 2022 20:00 - 39 minutes - 18.3 MBAllen attempts to throw things into a volcano, Arik attempts to clean his dishes, and hippos attempt to get around. The volcanoes Kīlauea and Nyiragongo A GoPro in a dishwasher A GoPro that falls from a plane and gets blanked by a blank Hippos walking – not swimming – under water
A Quadrillion of Yourself
March 28, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 29.5 MBWe have a bridge to sell you, as do renaissance philosophers, before we discuss some life forms that earth has an unreasonable number of. In the post show, Allen finally gets an EV. For You, Half Price – the NYT on George C. Parker’s schemes Kurzgesagt on the world war of ants Preformationism The messed up drawing of tiny grown adults in a sperm, as drawn in 1695 ) A nice example of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 Review
Unicorn Blaster
February 23, 2022 20:00 - 37 minutes - 17.1 MBAllen lays out a wine scheme, Christa Mrgan explains the wonders of temporal resolution, Allen checks in on creatures’ dangerousness, and we learn a couple things about George Orwell. How Wine Bricks Saved The U.S. Wine Industry Vine-Glo The Flicker fusion threshold Spider deaths in Australia George Orwell The Emperor’s New Groove
They All Have Goats
January 23, 2022 20:00 - 52 minutes - 24.1 MBAllen shares some puzzling genetics, Arik shares some puzzling puzzles, we go back to the ’90s, and forward to the ’30s. There is no such thing as a tree (phylogenetically) The fascinating graph of plant evolution The Time Everyone “Corrected” the World’s Smartest Woman The Potato paradox ATP 464, featuring a post-show on reducing our consumption of animal products Fun Fact 20: Lil Nas 10 Y2K22 bug in Microsoft Exchange Exchange 2019 Anti-Malware - Bad Update?
We're Off Track
December 29, 2021 20:00 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBRomans hunt for spies, retailers participate in a scheme, Arik and Allen get a bit off track. Okay, a lot off track. Two Spies on iOS The Byzantine Empire Minimum Advertised Price Industry Baby
This Is Non-Delicious
November 20, 2021 20:00 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBAllen explains a special thread, Arik brings us to the French Revolution, Allen dishes on spamming tools, and we continue to not work at Facebook. Two examples of vented bottle threads A post explaining the threads The Surprising Origins of Left and Right in Politics Bill Murray’s Genius Champagne in Ice Hack (supposedly) Prevents Hangovers Some Bundestag drama on Instagram Facebook’s infamous “connecting more people is inherently good” memo John Carmack’s Oculus Connect 2021 keynote
The Secret Life of Facts
November 03, 2021 20:00 - 51 minutes - 23.4 MBArik and Allen go back to some some choice facts, after having a vegan experience. Lil Nas is still on top, chickens are still spreading germs, and the ultimate nutrition label is still to be realized. Ep. 13: 40 Cans of Fake Pea Mayo, featuring the Impossible Burger’s ingredients All Consuming’s 100-point scale Ep. 20: Lil Nas 10, featuring newcomer Lil Nas X Ep. 48: Little Flame Throwers, featuring salmonella Why salmonella is a food poisoning killer that won’t go away in the US NUGG...
People Were Angry
September 16, 2021 20:00 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MBAllen drops the bass, Arik forecasts the weather, Allen is a bodybuilder, and Tesla concocts a scheme. After the Fact: trying not to pre-order a car. That bass Probability of precipitation - Wikipedia What Does Probability of Precipitation Mean? Weather 101: What does a 30% chance of rain really mean? What Does Probability of Precipitation Mean? The VW ID.4 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Motor Trend: The 2022 Rivian R1T Is the Most Remarkable Pickup We’ve Ever Driven IIHS on the contributio...
Little Flame Throwers
August 20, 2021 20:00 - 45 minutes - 21.1 MBArik and Allen wash cars, wash eggs, microwave lasagna, and anger math teachers. The jpoc guide to washing your car in Germany German laws: 6 surprising things that are forbidden in Germany Engineerguy’s explainer: How a Microwave Works Why Europeans Don’t Refrigerate Eggs New Scientist: US should vaccinate poultry to stop killer salmonella 101 English Stack Exchange: How do you correctly say large numbers? A nonscientific survey on the topic of 101 from 2001
They're Terrible Pets
July 19, 2021 20:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBArik gets paradoxical, Allen goes deeper on runways, Arik considers raccoons, and Allen struggles with Instagram. Polar drift Coastline paradox Planck length Lewis Fry Richardson Fractal GIFs How pilots land Why Raccoons Didn’t Cut It as Lab Rats Raccoon Rascal the Raccoon The Thanksgiving Raccoon That Became a Presidential Pet
To Milk a Pig
June 15, 2021 20:00 - 35 minutes - 16.4 MBAllen teaches Arik how to land a plane, Arik recaps the legal battle of the century, and we consider some alternative milk. Runway numbering SFO runway map Iceland is suing Iceland Iceland (supermarket) - Wikipedia The All Consuming show Pig milk Pule cheese Why don’t we drink other animals’ milk? The Impossible Burger episode of Fun Fact
Tilty Rotunda
May 16, 2021 20:00 - 40 minutes - 18.5 MBArik is whelmed, Allen highlights some classic cars, and centuries of engineers almost whelm a classic. The History of English ep 145 Whelmed Classic car rules by state The 1997 Toyota Prius The 2007 CRV’s weird back window The Concept Car-like Ioniq 5 The Leaning Tower of Pisa Italian government asks for suggestions for how to fix Leaning Tower of Pisa
Rolled Vetch
April 17, 2021 20:00 - 47 minutes - 21.6 MBAllen tells a story of accidental evolution, Arik reassures 1930s New York, Allen accidentally learns about pearling, and Arik explains how the sun heats things. The July 1930 issue of The New Yorker The Chrysler Building Bedrock and Midtown Vavilovian mimicry Why it’s colder on a mountain Prolate spheroids Pearling, not the wikipedia page about body modification, but rather a very nice page from Bob’s Red Mill
Worse than a Cube
March 20, 2021 20:00 - 48 minutes - 22.3 MBArik reviews the Autobahn, Allen discusses drag, Arik informs us how to get into the NBA, and ye get some followup. Autobahn Sweden’s Vision Zero Drag coefficient F1 Drive to Survive What Percentage of 7 Footers are in the NBA?
Hint O’ Lead
February 18, 2021 20:00 - 52 minutes - 35.9 MBAllen discusses handling whisky and plutonium, Arik discusses how to name islands and escape prison, and we touch on our electric wagon quest. Crystalware Dirty bomb Iceland The Sagas of Icelanders Naddodd Garðar Svavarsson Hrafna-Flóki_Vilgerðarson Erik the Red Prison Escape Prison Escape is Legal Prison Break in Germany Episode 18: Probably a Scheme 432 Park Avenue’s noise leaks and cracks The VW “Space VIZZION” Station wagon aerodynamics analysis
Banana Split Bonanza
January 15, 2021 20:00 - 57 minutes - 39.9 MBArik takes a second look at “ye”, Allen investigates a Sonic-related coverup, and we review an accent that doesn’t exist. After the Fact: hypocrisy and synergy. Ye olde Old English Latin alphabet Anglo-Saxon runes Ultima Underground Thorn Old English writing Up Up Down Down Two Spies Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sonic 3’s Carnival Night Zone music Analogue Poorly drawn Sanic Is There a Place in America Where People Speak Without Accents? Pacific Northwest English General American Engl...
Ye Olde Pub
December 15, 2020 20:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MBAllen discovers woods, Arik transports us back to the olde tymes, and we do not start a Patreon. Hardwoods vs. softwoods The Canada-US softwood lumber dispute The Canada-US border dispute video English orthography The Great Vowel Shift The podcast series on the Great Vowel Shift
Ineffective and Addictive
November 18, 2020 20:00 - 54 minutes - 37.7 MBCough medicine is a surprisingly bad idea, medieval monks get surprisingly saucy, and mundane terms have surprising origins. Cough medicine Throat lozenge Why it’s a really good thing cough medicine doesn’t work Knights vs. Snails The Snail in Gothic Marginal Warfare A defecating monk is chastised by a naked cleric Knights & Snails app List of eponyms General Ambrose Burnside Guy Fawkes vs Che Guevara. Epic Rap Battles of History. Globe and Mail on why we have no small EVs
Hat-Savvy Area
October 15, 2020 20:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBAllen surveys a straw hat snarl, Arik examines the electoral college’s errors, and we finish with some feline followup. The Straw Hat Riot The etiquette of straw cowboy hats City has Wild Night of Straw Hat Riots, New York Times The Electoral College The Appointment of 2020 Electors Why Was the Electoral College Created? The 12th Amendment Can the President and VP be from the same state? The Three Fifths Compromise The Connecticut Compromise Seventeenth Amendment CGP Grey’s The T...
Two Gun to Yuma
September 15, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 48 MBAllen revisits big felines, Arik catalogues well-armed historical figures, and Allen cares way too much about electric trunks. Francis Crowley The Famed Crowley shootout photo The Short Life of Two-Gun Crowley Two-Gun Cohen Two Guns White Calf, Two Gun Pete, Two Gun Law, Two-Gun Caballero, The Two-Gun Man, Two-Gun Betty, Two-Gun Man from Harlem, Two-Gun Kid, James Vincenzo Capone CGP Grey’s Race to Win Staten Island A variety of cars that aren’t quite right The Golf Sportwagen and e...
Joey Two-Lies
August 19, 2020 20:00 - 56 minutes - 38.7 MBAllen attempts to pitch a miniseries, Arik attempts to explain calendars, and a Spaniard attempts to become a spy. Historicity of Jesus Juan Pujol García The Ultra programme The Ethiopian calendar The current year in various calendars Chinese calendar numbering Why the Ethiopian calendar is behind Adoption of the Gregorian calendar The Illuminatus! Trilogy
Pick Your Danger
July 16, 2020 20:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBAstronauts make stuff to breathe, Europeans plunder stuff to sell, Australians and New Zealanders have a cute animal showdown. The ISS Life Support Cycle Nubian pyramids The Treasure of Queen Amanishakheto A kiwi and a platypus The X from Outer Space
Not All Fun Facts Are Fun
June 14, 2020 20:00 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBWhiteness is a construct, emoji are problematic, history is racist, and Black and indigenous lives matter. White people Scientific racism Definitions of whiteness in the United States Emoji skin tone modifiers White People Don’t Use White Emoji The Problem with Skin Tone Emoji Code Switch: White skin, black emoji Black Lives Matter
Quakers & Quasars
May 20, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBVideo calls are a problem, the universe is mind-boggling, a preacher defies expectations, and we receive formal titles. Quasars A totally badass rendering of a quasar How New Westminster Lost the Capital Fun Fact 13, featuring the Victoria Day celebration in New Westminster The Public Universal Friend How Point Roberts is the safest place List of courtesy titles in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
Thanks for Dominating Us
April 15, 2020 20:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBAllen makes a hat, Arik visits medieval europe, Allen takes issue with Big Bread, and we offend the populace of Labrador. Bilirubin Hemolytic disease of the newborn The Quarantine The Republic of Ragusa Whole grain foods The Honeyguide History of New Mexico Most Serene Republic Dominion of Newfoundland
The Baron of Disney World
March 15, 2020 20:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBArik unravels the truth about Arizona, Jessie Char unravels the truth about Disney World, and we all learn about Sentinel Chickens. Thanks to special guest this month, Jessie Char So many more details about The Baron of Arizona The Baron of Arizona starring Vincent Price No mosquitos at Walt Disney World The official story What are Sentinel Chickens? What are Epaulettes