The Internet Says it’s True

You’ve probably heard that singing to your plants helps them grow - but is that actually true? In this episode, we dig into the science behind the myth, from CIA lie detector experiments on houseplants to a MythBusters greenhouse filled with heavy metal. The answer turns out to be more complicated - and more fascinating - than you'd expect. What does sound really do to plants, and what does not happen, despite decades of wishful th...

For over 20 years, the fate of every baseball game on the calendar wasn't in the hands of some software or spreadsheets in MLB offices. It was in the hands of a married couple working from their living room in Martha's Vineyard. In an age before AI and software optimization, Henry and Holly Stephenson built each MLB season by hand—one pencil mark at a time. This episode tells the story of the duo who quietly ran the show behind the...

What do Rondo, Hayti, Storyville, and Humboldt Park have in common? They were thriving minority communities - until the U.S. built highways through them. In this episode, we look at how a 1950s infrastructure project tore through Black and immigrant neighborhoods, and what’s being done to make things right. Then we chat with Comedian Natasha Samreny.

Samreny is a third culture comedian who identifies with anyone who treats garlic ...

Did the world’s greatest magician take on psychics in Congress? In 1926, Harry Houdini testified in Washington to outlaw spiritualist fraud. What he said—and what happened next—might surprise you. In this episode, we tell the story of Houdini's efforts and then speak with United States Congressman, Mark Pocan.  Congressman Mark Pocan was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s second congressional district in 2013 fo...

Abraham Lincoln is known as "The Great Emancipator." But not many people know that during the Civil War, he jailed as many as 2,000 political opponents without charges or trial. The story in this episode revolves around what happened in Baltimore, Maryland in 1861 and why it led to the Mayor, the Police Chief, the entire City Council and many more being jailed indefinitely in a suspension of the writ of Habeas Corpus. Then we chat ...

In the depths of the Sumatran rainforest, scientists witnessed something no one had ever seen before—and it might rewrite what we thought we knew about medicine. A wild orangutan got injured… and what he did next left researchers stunned. Was it instinct? Intelligence? Or something else entirely? This one’s wild—literally.

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus e...

In 1921, over 10,000 coal miners marched through the mountains of West Virginia with rifles, pistols, and dynamite. They dug trenches, wore uniforms, and exchanged gunfire with machine-gun nests and private planes dropping homemade bombs. It was the largest labor uprising in American history — and the largest domestic conflict since the Civil War. This week, we’re telling the story of the forgotten war for workers' rights. Then we ...

A luxury flight packed with Coca-Cola executives turns into a mid-air disaster when nearly 200 people fall violently ill — and it wasn’t a virus, or turbulence. It was breakfast. This week, we uncover the true story of the worst food poisoning outbreak in airline history, and how one kitchen mistake nearly caused an aviation catastrophe. It’s a chilling look at safety, responsibility, and the science of food… 35,000 feet in the air...

Peter Conover Hains was born before the Civil War and still wore a U.S. Army uniform in World War I. He fired one of the Civil War’s first naval shots, built ports and canals, and returned to active duty at age 77. His legacy spans over half a century of American warfare — and four generations of service. This Memorial Day, we’re telling the story of the soldier who bridged two centuries. In this episode, we talk about his incredib...

In the late 18th century, America was THIS close to adopting the metric system. Washington wanted it. Jefferson wanted it. France was helping by sending a ship with official metric weights and measures. But the entire plot was ruined by British Pirates. In this episode, we tell the story of America's closest flirt with the metric system, how the plan failed and then we play the quiz with Comedian Glen Tickle!

Review this podcast...

Sometimes, the best resistance looks like obedience. During the Nazi occupation of France, the Citroën automobile factory seemed to be cooperating — manufacturing trucks for the German military like any other commandeered facility. But behind the scenes, the French workers were quietly waging a war of their own. This episode tells the story of how a simple dipstick nearly brought down supply lines... and explores other clever examp...

In 1896, Native Americans were put on public display at the Cincinnati Zoo as part of a fabricated "village" exhibit. It wasn't just Cincinnati—similar human exhibitions took place around the world, reinforcing damaging stereotypes. But how did these events happen, and why do their impacts still linger today? This week, we dig into one of the most shocking forgotten chapters of American history. Then we chat with Grammy-Winning Mus...

In 1978, a group of mobsters pulled off the largest cash robbery in American history — and thought they’d gotten away clean.But almost immediately, the heist started to unravel in the bloodiest way possible. Millions disappeared. Bodies started piling up. This is the unbelievable true story of the Lufthansa Heist. In this episode, we tell the whole story, then play the quiz with Rob The Balloon Guy Balchunas!

Review this podcast a...

He pulled teeth in the middle of the street while a marching band played behind him. He claimed to make dentistry painless—and got sued for saying so. But instead of backing down, he built a dental empire and changed his name to beat the system. This is the bizarre true story of the man who turned dentistry into a circus: Painless Parker.

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id15...

In the scorching summer of 1916, terror lurked beneath the waves as a mysterious sea predator turned the Jersey Shore into a hunting ground. Over twelve harrowing days, swimmers vanished in a frenzy of blood and panic, and even an inland creek wasn’t safe from the carnage. What followed was a nationwide shark hysteria—an event so chilling, it would later inspire one of the greatest horror stories ever told. In this episode, we tell...

A secret message, a bold promise, and a fateful mistake—when Germany reached out to Mexico with a shocking proposal, they never expected British spies to be listening. As the telegram’s explosive contents made headlines, outrage swept across America. What happened next would change the course of World War I forever. In this episode, we talk about the famous "Zimmerman Telegram" then we play the quiz game with Comedian Joel Savage! ...

Originally released April 11, 2022. Bootlegging was an inevitable result of 1920s Prohibition in the U.S. And when the government tried to solve the problem, they ended up with a solution that killed at least 10,000 Americans through poisoned, denatured industrial ethyl-alcohol. In this episode, we tell the story and then talk with Comedian Leslie Battle!

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-sa...

Originally released February 28, 2022. The Internet has been blowing up recently with people who can't believe this claim: That the phrase "Bucket List" originated with the 2007 Rob Reiner buddy film of the same name. In an apparent "Mandela Effect," or mass false memory, everyone seems to think they've been using the phrase in their lives long before 2007. In this episode, we talk about other examples of the Mandela Effect, and fi...

Originally released Sept. 20, 2021. When the Laerdal Toy Company was tasked with creating the very first mannequin for practicing CPR, they used a familiar face - it was that of "L'Inconnue de la Seine" - a famous mask supposedly cast from an unknown drowning victim discovered in the River Seine in the late 1880s. In this episode, we explore the strange case and then talk to Comedian and Author Dan Wilbur for the Quick Quiz!

Revie...