On the Potcast

Imagine you're in 1800s London. It's been a day, and all you want is a little bit of ice cream to feel better about yourself. And BAM, you end up with tuberculosis. 

An unlikely friendship is the topic of this week's episode involving big spiders and tiny frogs. 

Astronaut John Young had a long history of space flights, but the most notable was Apollo 16, involving a hot mic and some flatulence. 

This is the tumultuous story of Centralia, Pennsylvania, and all the town has been through to lead to only 5 people living there currently. 

A man shows up in Ireland claiming the name Peter Bergmann. He has a mysterious purple plastic bag and no backstory. Listen to the unsolved mystery of this man on this week's episode. 

Christmas in July is a sales tactic, a real holiday, or something only summer camps and swim teams participate in? Find out on this week's episode! 

Tariffs got you down? Try tariff engineering! That action figure you have it's not a doll, it's a non-human toy! Learn more on this week's episode about tariff engineering. 

Spy technology that has been used since World War I and is still used today. Need we say more? On this week's episode, learn about short-wave radio communications. 

Have you ever received an email from a Nigerian prince claiming that if you give him $500 to get his money from a frozen account, he'll send you $5,000 back? You can thank Bertha Heyman for that scam, and it all started in the 1800s. 

On February 3rd, 1959 Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly boarded a plane during a winter music tour that ended up crashing and killing all three men. On this week's episode, we'll tell you all about the lead-up to the crash and what was implemented after due to the accident. 

Across the world, there have been documented instances of dogs participating in riots and protecting the demonstrators. In this week's episode, learn all about riot dogs!

Mascots: love them or hate them? Lovable or creepy? Either way, we'll give you the history of mascots and a few fun facts in this week's episode. 

What do ballpoint pens, memory foam, and scratch-resistant lenses have to do with one another? Find out in this week's episode! 

In 1978, 15-year-old Mary Vincent was hitchhiking from her grandparents' house to her parents' house when a murderous driver picked her up. On this week's episode, listen to the incredible story of Mary's survival. 

This week's episode is a listener-requested topic on whether orcas eat moose. To find out the answer and settle a bet, listen to this week's episode! 

Thanks to the USDA, in the late 1940s, in urban areas, mostly male trees were planted to reduce the nuisance of seeds from female trees, however, that could have led to a dramatic increase in seasonal allergies. 

Lawn Chair Larry was born to do one thing: float high in the sky. Listen to this week's fever dream involving weather balloons, a BB gun, beef jerky, and a lawn chair. 

On our second papal episode, Liz talks us through the process by which a new pope is elected. 

In memory of Pope Francis, this week we tell you a little bit about the pope that you might not know and some facts about popes of the past.