Tell Me Something I Don't Know

Latest Episodes:

New Episodes Coming Soon! Oct 17, 2018

Show notes

We are about to tape new episodes of Tell Me Something I Don’t Know. You’ll be able to hear them later this year in the Freakonomics Radio podcast feed. Details in this short announcement.

An Astronaut, a Catalan, and Two Linguists Walk Into a Bar… Nov 18, 2017

Show notes

Why New York has skinny skyscrapers, how to weaponize water, and what astronauts talk about in space. John McWhorter is co-host; Bari Weiss is live fact-checker.

Extra 7: Corrosive Energy Drinks and Peruvian Cat Stew Nov 17, 2017

Show notes

In this special call-in episode: why some Peruvians eat cats; why operas need repetiteurs; and why we should get rid of prisons. Michael Smerconish (CNN) is co-host; AJ Jacobs (It’s All Relative) checks the facts.

Farming Without Sun or Soil and Eating Manna From Heaven Nov 11, 2017

Show notes

This week, we work on our survival skills: in the desert, on the tundra, and growing food in abandoned warehouses. Actress Sas Goldberg is co-host; A.J. Jacobs (author of It’s All Relative) is live fact-checker.

Mind Games Nov 04, 2017

Show notes

How to make people like you, why you should lick rocks, and what an awkward person is really thinking. Angela Duckworth (Grit author) is co-host; Mike Maughan (Qualtrics) is live fact-checker.

Jon Batiste, Gail Simmons, and Strange Smells Oct 28, 2017

Show notes

Things we learn this week: dogs aren't so great at sniffing, men aren't so lazy, and New York doesn't smell so bad (anymore). Gail Simmons (Top Chef) is co-host; Jon Batiste plays his melodica for us; the live fact-checker is Mike Maughan.

All About Bugs (of the Animal and Computer Varieties) Oct 21, 2017

Show notes

Musical crickets, crop-saving wasps — and why you should pre-bug your software. John McWhorter is co-host; the live fact-checker is Bari Weiss.

School Start Times, Brand Names, and Too Much Ground Beef Oct 14, 2017

Show notes

Alex Wagner (CBS This Morning Saturday, The Atlantic) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. We filled this episode with insights about the true value of ground beef, sleeping in, company names, and more.

How to Count to Infinity Oct 07, 2017

Show notes

Mary Roach (author of Stiff, Spook, Bonk, Gulp, and Grunt) is our special guest co-host, with AJ Jacobs (author of It's All Relative) as real-time fact-checker. If the promise of tractor beams doesn't pull you in, our guests also explore robotic fish, counting to infinity, and more.

The Perfect Potato Chip, the Origin of Seltzer, and Why We Eat “Beef” and Not “Cow” Sep 30, 2017

Show notes

Alex Guarnaschelli (Iron Chef America and Chopped) is our special guest co-host, with Sean Rameswaram (Radiolab Presents: More Perfect) as real-time fact-checker. TMSIDK explores the origins of food words, children's menus, and seltzer.