In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that aliens from outer space would travel to Earth just to kidnap ... Show More
Sep 10
Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 2: Hanoi Jane’s VHS Revolution (Encore)
In part two of our special two-part episode, we return to the 1982 VHS tape that created the at-home video industry: Jane Fonda’s Workout. On this episode, originally released in 2020, we deconstruct the tape itself, how it was made, and why anyone thought it was a good idea in t ... Show More
52m 59s
Jul 2
Decoder Ring | The White Noise Boom
White noise has a very precise technical definition, but people use the term loosely, to describe all sorts of washes of sound—synthetic hums, or natural sounds like a rainstorm or crashing waves—that can be used to mask other sounds. Twenty years ago, if you’d told someone white ... Show More
52m 58s
Jul 2024
Les trompettes de l'apocalypse : enquête sur un phénomène sonore [Best-of]
Vrombissements, crissements métalliques, hurlements inhumains... Aux quatre coins du globe, des individus prétendent avoir entendu de tels bruits déchirant le ciel.
Ce mystérieux vacarme est appelé un "Hum". Patrice Marty, explorateur et passionné de sujets inexpliqués, raconte s ... Show More
38m 59s
Jul 2024
L'affaire du col Dyatlov [Best-of]
En 1959, 9 jeunes randonneurs sont retrouvés morts dans des circonstances mystérieuses, au col Dyatlov, dans les montagnes de l'Oural. Egon Kragel, auteur sur le sujet des ovnis et enquêteur indépendant, discute avec Bob Bellanca de cette affaire. Plusieurs détails troublants res ... Show More
56m 14s
Dec 2024
UFOs in the US
Alien spacecraft, phenomena from another dimension, ghosts, demons of satan, a trick of light - whatever you might believe UFOs to be, they have a long history.
Don is joined by Greg Eghgian for this episode. Professor of History and Bioethics at Penn State University, Greg is th ... Show More
31m 15s