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Fun Fact

Fun Fact

82 episodes — Page 1 of 2

Ep 82Final Fact

Arik shares buttloads, Allen has too many facts, oxygen is heavy, strangeness is strange, moons cause issues, and we hit max fact capacity. This show has gone as all good things do. Thank you so much to all the Factors, we love you! You can follow Allen’s work and Arik’s. ❤️

Oct 12, 202441 min

Ep 81Dinosaur In a Wingsuit

Arik uncovers what things are really named after, Allen goes subatomic, Arik marvels at astronomical coincidence, and Allen considers extraterrestrial flight. Titan Do subatomic particles have a colour?

May 26, 202435 min

Ep 80Solar Stands for Solar

Allen 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

Apr 22, 202439 min

Ep 79Back Door Fact

Arik 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

Mar 25, 202436 min

Ep 78Suffered for Science

Scientists 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

Feb 29, 202438 min

Ep 77Raspberry Dust

Science 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

Jan 22, 202437 min

Ep 76That Doesn’t Seem True

We 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

Dec 18, 202333 min

Ep 75Gelatinous, Delicious, Terrible

Allen 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?

Nov 20, 202343 min

Ep 74You're Cursed Anyway

Allen 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

Oct 30, 202338 min

Ep 73All You Need Is a Cartel

Allen 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

Sep 27, 202332 min

Ep 72The Bone of Theseus

Arik 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

Aug 29, 202332 min

Ep 71Cool Fact

Arik 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?

Jul 23, 202332 min

Ep 70Both Jaunty and Cool

Allen 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

Jun 28, 202339 min

Ep 69This Would Be Unsurvivable

Allen 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

May 30, 202335 min

Ep 68Ridiculously Ridonkulously Large

Our 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

Apr 29, 202336 min

Ep 67Astronomically Unlikely

Women 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?

Mar 23, 202345 min

Ep 66We Gotta Blow It Up

Allen 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 destroy Los Angeles’s huge streetcar system? Kennedy, 60 Minutes, and Roger Rabbit General Motors streetcar conspiracy

Feb 21, 202349 min

Ep 65Let's All Do Crime

A 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

Jan 27, 202346 min

Ep 64Don't Eat This

Ancient 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”

Dec 21, 202236 min

Ep 63A Heaving Mass of People

Arik 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

Nov 28, 202242 min

Ep 62Sounds Made Up

We 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

Oct 27, 202246 min

Ep 61Sorry, Scientists

We 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

Sep 27, 202240 min

Ep 60It's All Colonialism

A 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

Aug 29, 202238 min

Ep 59Paid for with Pee

Vespasian 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-flopping frogs, and fattening marmots - Discover Magazine Toad vs. Frog: What’s the Differences and Similarities?

Jul 24, 202243 min

Ep 58A Little Round Blob

Allen 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 Family EV Thowing stuff into a lava lake Wikihow: How to Clean a Razor Blade

Jun 25, 202251 min

Ep 57Butt-Water Air Adventure Tourism

Turtles 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

May 23, 20221h 6m

Ep 56A Hippo Astronaut

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Allen 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

Apr 27, 202239 min

Ep 55A Quadrillion of Yourself

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We 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

Mar 28, 20221h 4m

Ep 54Unicorn Blaster

Allen 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

Feb 23, 202237 min

Ep 53They All Have Goats

Allen 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?

Jan 23, 202252 min

Ep 52We're Off Track

Romans 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

Dec 29, 202159 min

Ep 51This Is Non-Delicious

Allen 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

Nov 20, 202159 min

Ep 50The Secret Life of Facts

Arik 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 NUGGS — All Consuming Ep. 6: Nobody’s Getting Scurvy, featuring nutrition labelling changes The very serious Mexican front of package nutrition warnings

Nov 3, 202151 min

Ep 49People Were Angry

Allen 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 contribution of SUVs to increasing pedestrian deaths in the US

Sep 16, 202156 min

Ep 48Little Flame Throwers

Arik 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

Aug 20, 202145 min

Ep 47They're Terrible Pets

Arik 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

Jul 19, 202153 min

Ep 46To Milk a Pig

Allen 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

Jun 15, 202135 min

Ep 45Tilty Rotunda

Arik 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

May 16, 202140 min

Ep 44Rolled Vetch

Allen 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

Apr 17, 202147 min

Ep 43Worse than a Cube

Arik 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?

Mar 20, 202148 min

Ep 42Hint O’ Lead

Allen 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

Feb 18, 202152 min

Ep 41Banana Split Bonanza

Arik 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 English Canadian raising General American vs. Received Pronunciation

Jan 15, 202157 min

Ep 40Ye Olde Pub

Allen 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

Dec 15, 202049 min

Ep 39Ineffective and Addictive

Cough 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

Nov 18, 202054 min

Ep 38Hat-Savvy Area

Allen 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 Trouble with the Electoral College, and The Sneaky Plan to Subvert the Electoral College The Florida panther, a distinctly not-black panther

Oct 15, 202045 min

Ep 37Two Gun to Yuma

Allen 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-Golf The Telsa Model Y and Model X The highly anticipated VW ID.3 The wee Honda E Rivian’s truck offering Polestar 2 Mustang Mach e

Sep 15, 20201h 9m

Ep 36Joey Two-Lies

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Allen 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

Aug 19, 202056 min

Ep 35Pick Your Danger

Astronauts 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

Jul 16, 202051 min

Ep 34Not All Fun Facts Are Fun

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Whiteness 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

Jun 14, 202051 min

Ep 33Quakers & Quasars

Video 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

May 20, 20201h 1m