Listen Now

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 shirt raising money for Ukraine Red Cross 00:38 Bit of backstory 07:13 Bert's best buddy 10:25 Review, patrons, thanks! 12:00 Ducks for charity or science 17:58 Giant ducks, wild and domestic 20:16 Can You Hear The Duckies Sing? 22:45 THE Rubber Duck 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod,

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 advance because I was red-lining my mic throughout and I have no idea why -- I'd been doing VO jobs all day with no such issue.) 1-star review shirt! and shirt raising money for Ukraine Red Cross  01:03 Ye scurvy dog 08:27 Gratitude et al 11:30 The doldrums 15:49 Livestream for the Cure 17:46 The Gentleman Pirate, Stede Bonnet  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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod,

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. Special thanks to Charlie and Jesse over the in Brainiac Breakroom for help with the title. 1-star review shirt! and shirt raising money for Ukraine Red Cross    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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, and Tabletop Audio Calm History Podcast

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 Ukraine Red Cross at yourbrainonfacts.com/merch  02:45 Radio Luxembourg's Ice Block Challenge 06:02 Bait & switch 10:12 Rules are rules 17:36 Review and news 20:40 No accounting for taste 22:15 Library of Chaos 27:27 Good, better, breast 30:08 Playing matchmaker  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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, Bobby Richards .

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 Law" and just "Howl(ing) at the Moon"? 0:42 Twisted Sister vs Congress 17:07 Reviews and news 19:58 Ozzy Osbourne's Suicide Solution 26:20 Judas Priest, Better Than You 28:28 Subliminal back-masking 1-star review shirt! and shirt raising money for Ukraine Red Cross at yourbrainonfacts.com/merch 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod,

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 con artists ever, the man who declared himself prince of a South American country that didn't exist, Gregor MacGregor (yes, that's really his name). 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod,  Want to start a podcast or need a better podcast host? Get up to TWO months hosting for free from Libsyn with coupon code "moxie."   Remember back in episode 155, Hate to Burst your Bubble, we talked about, among other things, the Florida real estate boom and bust of the 1920s? It’s where we get the phrase, “if you believe that, I have some real estate in Florida to sell you.” 100 years before that, we could have been saying, “I have some acreage in Poyais to sell you.” Never been to Poyais? Trust me, it’s amazing. The weather is always perfect, sunny and warm. Located along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras, the soil of Poyais is so fertile, you can get three harvests of corn a year. The trees are heavy with fruit and the forests teem with entrees in the form of game animals. If you look into the rivers, you’ll not only see water cleaner and more pure than you’ve ever seen in your life and more fish than you could hope to catch, but in the river bed, the sparkle of gold fills your eyes, not from flecks and dust, but nuggets as big as walnuts, just laying there, waiting for you to scoop them up. The only thing missing is settlers to develop and leverage its resources to the fullest. Wanna get your share? Better hurry; hundreds of people are investing all their savings in a piece of the perfect Poyais. All you have to do is [] to the Cazique or prince. Who is the prince of this equatorial new world paradise? A Scotsman named Gregor MacGregor.

(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/merch There are four Sundays a month, but more than a dozen days we call "Black Sunday." Here are three -- two forces of nature and one parade of schadenfreude. 02:42 Black Blizzard 12:45 Bondi Beach 24:42 Disneyland Quote reader: Vlado from It's Not Rocket Surgery Promo: Remnant Stew 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Dan Lebowitz, Kevin MacLeod,  Want to start a podcast or need a better podcast host? Get up to TWO months hosting for free from Libsyn with coupon code "moxie."

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 Tomato 08:18 Jaffa Cakes 17:48 Hydrox vs Oreo 37:40 X-Men 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod,  Want to start a podcast or need a better podcast host? Get up to TWO months hosting for free from Libsyn with coupon code "moxie."

Our Patrons have a nose for good topics, so today we  07:04 Smells and space  14:40 Ham-sniffer 21:17 It's the pits 30:48 Aromatherapy 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, and The Mini Vandals.  Sources: https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/premium-iberian-ham-sniffers-are-tired-from-sniffing-so-much-ham https://www.rd.com/article/outer-space-smell/ https://www.gentside.co.uk/food/spains-ham-sniffers-prepare-for-a-hectic-season-sniffing-800-hams-daily_art8817.html https://www.rd.com/article/outer-space-smell/ https://www.rd.com/list/foods-banned-space/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EBdhpSh7_I&ab_channel=Mashable https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/cyanide_tech.htm https://science.howstuffworks.com/nasas-sniffer-job.htm https://theconversation.com/six-curious-facts-about-smell-128533 https://www.verywellmind.com/why-do-we-associate-memories-so-strongly-with-specific-smells-5203963 https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/smell-disorders https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-does-food-taste-bad-on-airplanes.html https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/sfa/aac/silver-snoopy-award https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/smell-disorders#2 https://theplaidzebra.com/odour-tester-chocolate-taster-strange-careers-diverge-traditional-9-5/ https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/coverstories/this-job-stinks-from-one-who-knows/article_66ce8eb0-7066-51be-8081-be9bcc24c8be.html https://www.statista.com/topics/5174/essential-oils/ https://www.verywellmind.com/why-do-we-associate-memories-so-strongly-with-specific-smells-5203963 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-smelling-test-the-genetics-of-olfaction-2192370.html https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/blog/essential-oils-cats/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/aromatherapy/faq-20058566

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 Bankhead 13:00 Mae West 23:00 Moms Mabley 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesilyan, Dan Henig. and/or Chris Haugen. Sources: https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/204532%7C103917/Mae-West/#biography https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mae-West https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/52283/13-things-you-might-not-know-about-mae-west http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/04/this-day-in-history-mae-west-is-sentenced-to-10-days-in-prison-for-writing-directing-and-performing-in-the-broadway-play-sex/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tallulah-Bankhead https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/05/real-cruella-de-vil-tallulah-bankhead https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/09/theater/theater-the-pain-behind-the-laughter-of-moms-mabley.html https://dorothyparker.com/gallery/biography https://bookshop.org/books/your-brain-on-facts-things-you-didn-t-know-things-you-thought-you-knew-and-things-you-never-knew-you-never-knew-trivia-quizzes-fun-fa/9781642502534?aid=14459&listref=books-based-on-podcasts https://www.mamamia.com.au/tallulah-bankhead-cruella/

Voted on by our Patreon, we dive into the deadly side of sculpture, painting, ballet and more! 01:36 Blucifer 04:00 Get the lead out 10:00 Ballet blazes 20:45 Death by a thousand face 26:43 The Conqueror and the conquered 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesilyan, Dan Henig. and/or Chris Haugen. Sources: https://www.ozy.com/true-and-stories/the-ballet-girls-who-burned-to-death/71244/ https://www.racked.com/2017/12/19/16710276/burning-dresses-history https://www.oddee.com/item_99203.aspx https://bookshop.org/books/your-brain-on-facts-things-you-didn-t-know-things-you-thought-you-knew-and-things-you-never-knew-you-never-knew-trivia-quizzes-fun-fa/9781642502534 https://www.armco.org.uk/asbestos-survey-news/asbestos-was-used-as-fake-snow-in-many-old-hollywood-movies/ https://www.grunge.com/267772/the-amazing-life-and-tragic-death-of-lon-chaney/ https://www.dogfordstudios.com/killer-art-art-that-has-actually-killed-people/ https://news.artnet.com/art-world/7-deadly-art-materials-to-watch-out-for-1081526 https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/11/how-important-is-lead-poisoning-to-becoming-a-legendary-artist/281734/ https://noahchemicals.com/blog/the-toxic-histories-of-five-famous-pigments/ https://www.dogfordstudios.com/killer-art-art-that-has-actually-killed-people/ https://owlcation.com/stem/Cinnabar-A-Beautiful-But-Toxic-Mineral-Ore-and-Pigment https://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/newsroom/blogs/its-snowing-asbestos-the-haunting-truth-about-the-white-christmas-killer-set-and-continued-imports-and-use/ https://www.cpr.org/2019/11/04/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-blucifer-the-demon-horse-of-dia https://www.burlington-record.com/2021/06/11/blucifer-just-turned-13-but-the-family-of-the-artist-who-died-creating-it-would-prefer-you-dont-call-it-that/ https://www.livescience.com/64224-sculptor-unknowingly-poisons-herself-with-her-own-art.html

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 husker 07:55 Mary Jones de Leon's cooking apparatus 08:56 Judy Reed's dough kneader-roller 10:30 Sarah Goode's folding bed-desk 11:40 Sarah Boon's ironing board 17:15 Lyda Newman's hairbrush 19:33 Madam CJ Walker's Wonderful Hair-grower 22:03 Biddy Mason 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesilyan, Dan Henig. and/or Chris Haugen. Sources: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/mason-bridget-biddy-1818-1891/ https://la.curbed.com/2017/3/1/14756308/biddy-mason-california-black-history https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/biddy-mason-memorial-park https://alliesforracialjustice.org/shark-tank-in-the-1800s-black-women-reigned-in-household-inventions/ https://interestingengineering.com/black-inventors-the-complete-list-of-genius-black-american-african-american-inventors-scientists-and-engineers-with-their-revolutionary-inventions-that-changed-the-world-and-impacted-history-part-two https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2021/02/08/revolutionizing-cooking-mary-jones-de-leon/id=129701/ https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/lyda-newman https://interestingengineering.com/black-inventors-the-complete-list-of-genius-black-american-african-american-inventors-scientists-and-engineers-with-their-revolutionary-inventions-that-changed-the-world-and-impacted-history-part-two https://laist.com/news/la-history/biddy-mason-free-forever-the-contentious-hearing-that-made-her-a-legend-los-angeles-black-history

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 slave trade? You may revolutionize industries, but good luck getting a patent. 00:47 Patents and law  06:40 Benjamin Bradley 09:10 Benjamin Montgomery 16:30 Thomas Jennings 23:15 Henry Boyd 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.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesilyan, Dan Henig. Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/with-patents-or-without-black-inventors-reshaped-american-industry-180962201 https://atlantablackstar.com/2014/02/11/5-inventions-by-enslaved-black-men-blocked-by-us-patent-office/4/ https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-history-month-inventions-black-slaves-denied-patents/ https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2021/08/05/sarah-boone-inventor-ironing-board-and-first-black/ https://theconversation.com/americas-always-had-black-inventors-even-when-the-patent-system-explicitly-excluded-them-72619 https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-history-month-inventions-black-slaves-denied-patents/ http://www.blackpast.org/aah/reed-judy-w-c-1826 https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193123/https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/uspto-recognizes-inventive-women-during-womens-history-month https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2016/03/21/10-black-women-innovators-and-the-awesome-things-they-brought-us https://www.nkytribune.com/2019/02/our-rich-history-henry-boyd-once-a-slave-became-a-prominent-african-american-furniture-maker/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/first-african-american-hold-patent-invented-dry-scouring-180971394/ https://blackinventor.com/benjamin-bradley/ https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/goode-sarah-e-c-1855-1905/

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 the clever queen Moremi, the fierce queen Amanirenas, and the terrifying queen Ranavalona. Links to all the research resources are on the website. 3:06 Moremi of Ife 10:54 Amanirena of Kush 23:00 Ranavalona I of Madagascar  Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs.  Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesilyan, Dan Henig.   Sources: https://www.pulse.ng/bi/lifestyle/7-most-powerful-african-queens-in-history-you-need-to-know/dwhncf5 https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/amanirenas https://artsandculture.google.com/story/queen-amanirenas-the-story-of-the-white-nile-nubi-archeress/bALSN3WTK_YEJA https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Who-Was-the-One-Eyed-Queen-Who-Defeated-Caesar https://face2faceafrica.com/article/amanirenas-the-brave-one-eyed-african-queen-who-led-an-army-against-the-romans-in-24bc https://historyofyesterday.com/madagascars-mad-queen-that-you-ve-never-heard-of-25e27ebe121d https://www.madamagazine.com/en/die-schreckensherrschaft-ranavalonas-i/ https://oldnaija.com/2019/11/06/moremi-ajasoro-history-of-the-brave-queen-of-ile-ife/ https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/queen-moremi-did-you-know-about-the-courageous-legend-whose-statue-is-the-tallest-in/hr4llg4 https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/hausa-queen-amina-51267.php

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, Hapi, and a helluva lot more (and yes, Sun Wukong, obviously). Links to all the research resources are on the website. 04:45 Japan: Sarugami 09:57 Central/South America: howler monkey god 13:50 Africa: Gbekre Hapi, Babi 17:35 India: Hanuman 27:00 China: Sun Wukong Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Become a patron of the podcast arts! Patreon or Ko-Fi. Or buy the book and a shirt. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesilyan, RKCVC, and Chris Haugen.   Sources: https://www.wilderutopia.com/environment/wildlife/howler-monkeys-among-the-maya-divine-patrons-to-the-artisans/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howler_monkey_gods Hart, George (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses (PDF) (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-415-34495-1.  http://africancreationenergy.blogspot.com/2015/12/african-monkey-gods.html https://yokai.com/sarugami/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babi_(mythology) https://symbolsage.com/sun-wukong-monkey-king/ https://symbolsage.com/three-wise-monkeys/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hapi_(Son_of_Horus) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hanuman https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/monkeys-india-delhi-parliament-video-rhesus-macaques-government-offices-a8679151.html https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-monkeys/monkeys-run-amok-in-indias-corridors-of-power-idUSKBN1OA01R https://mythopedia.com/topics/sun-wukong https://www.vbtutor.net/Xiyouji/summary.htm https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-29175870 https://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Kerkopes.html http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Mythology/en/Cercopes.html

Javier Leiva from Pretend did a podcast with me!!!!  Like what you hear? Become a patron of the arts for as little as $2 a month!  Or buy the book or some merch.   We teach each other about: 03:10 a pig in a poke 06:30 salting a mine 10:00 melon drop 14:50 vanity awards 21:55 Baltimore stock-broker 25:00 fake casting agents Plus learn the three most interesting things about me! Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

How'd it go for the first BBC announcer with an accent? How much work can you get if you "make it" in voiceover? How much did the woman behind Siri make? And what's a pencil got to do with any of this? All this and more in part 2! Like what you hear? Become a patron of the arts for as little as $2 a month!  Or buy the book or some merch.  Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 00:25 RP and Wilfred Pickles (voiced by Simon Jackson) 04:26 The cast of Futurama work a lot! 08:17 Voiceover is easy! (right?) 11:30 #moxiemillion 12:30 Trying to find a job 13:55 Props and accessories 15:55 AI (even worse than the movie) 18:24 Bev Standing vs TikTok 20:50 sponsors: Sly Fox Trivia, Sambucol 23:06 Susan Bennett, the voice of Siri 27:53 It's in the game Music: Kevin MacLeod, Track Tribe . Links to all the research resources are on the website.

From a rogue radio operator, to Bugs Bunny, to the lady who recorded all the time and temperature message for the phone company, we look at some history and notable names in voicework (which is what I do for a living, hire me!)  Like what you hear? Become a patron of the arts for as little as $2 a month!  Or buy the book or some merch.  Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 02:52 Jane Barbe, the voice on the telephone 04:58 Reginald Fessenden and the first voice transmission 07:46 early animations and Mel Blanc, the man of 1000 voices 13:34 Win prizes in the #moxiemillion challenge 15:45 why you never heard Snow White's voice again 18:10 "In a world....", Don LaFontaine and Redd Pepper 23:25 the Transatlantic accent and early tech 26:55 Received Pronunciation or BBC English Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesliyan.   Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Links to all the research resources are on the website.

Happy new year! Or is it? It depends on which calendar you're using. Like what you hear? Become a patron of the arts for as little as $2 a month!  Or buy the book or some merch.  Hang out with your fellow Brainiacs. Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Music: Kevin MacLeod, David Fesliyan.   Reach out and touch Moxie on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Links to all the research resources are on the website.