BrainStuff

Copyright: 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia

Latest Episodes:

Why Does the U.S. Hold Elections on Tuesdays? Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

The United States holds elections the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November because that was deemed most convenient for the citizen farmers of the 1800s, when election dates were written into law. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Will the PROTEUS Underwater Station Work? Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

Fabien Cousteau, one of Jacques Cousteau's grandsons and himself an aquanaut, is helping plan the largest, most advanced underwater research station yet. Learn how the PROTEUS station will work in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BrainStuff Classics: Was George Washington Almost King of the United States? Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

Did the generals of the Revolutionary War really try to hand George Washington a monarchy? Learn the truth behind this slightly tall tale in today's classic episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BrainStuff Classics: Why Do We Carve Pumpkins Around Halloween? Oct 31, 2020

Show notes

The tradition of carving jack-o'-lanterns around Halloween goes back centuries to a folktale about a stingy man who outwits the devil. Learn the tale (and why pumpkins weren't the original carving vegetables) in this classic episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Does Samhain Work? Oct 30, 2020

Show notes

Samhain is a pagan holiday celebrated between the fall equinox and winter solstice that helped form modern, secular Halloween celebrations. Learn about Samhain in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Do You Sense Your Own Body -- And How Can That Go Wrong? Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

There's a sixth sense that we're not often aware of -- the sense of controlling and owning our own bodies. Learn how proprioception works -- and what happens to people when it doesn't work -- in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who Pressed Records onto Human X-Ray Vinyl? Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

The USSR banned lots of music after WWII, but young Soviet culture hounds called stilyagi bootlegged black market records onto discarded X-ray sheets. Learn about these bone records in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is There a Real Legend About Nosferatu? Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

There are vampire legends all over the world, but 'nosferatu' isn't a word from any of them. Learn where Bram Stoker may have gotten it, and how 'Dracula' popularized it, in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Was Speed Surgery a Thing, and How Fast Could It Get? Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

Before modern anesthesiology, sterilization, and other medical technology, the quicker a surgery was the better your odds for survival. Learn about Robert Liston, an infamously fast surgeon, in this episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BrainStuff Classics: How Does Salt Prevent Food Spoilage? Oct 25, 2020

Show notes

Salt has kept entire civilizations alive thanks to its abilities to preserve food and protect it from harmful germs. Learn how in this classic episode of BrainStuff.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.