Trivia Rogues Podcast (2025)

01/08/2025

Did You Know...

There are over 20 quadrillion ants crawling around Earth — that’s about 170,000 ants for every human who’s ever lived. If they ever unionize... we’re toast.

The Atlantic Ocean entrance to the Panama Canal is more west than the Pacific Ocean entrance. Google Maps: explain yourself.

In Glarus in Switzerland, local elections are decided by show of hands. Wait, was that 50,008 or 50,009? Oh, crap...starting over.

Atelophobia is the fear of imperfection — the belief that whatever you’re doing is wrong, no matter how hard you try.
In other words… welcome to my morning show.

More people worldwide own an iPhone than a toothbrush.
Apparently, clean teeth are optional — but replying to group chats instantly? Non-negotiable.

The phrase “rule of thumb” comes from 17th-century carpenters who used their thumbs — roughly an inch wide — for quick measurements. Despite what the internet says, it has nothing to do with wife-beating laws... unless you’re measuring how far off the rumor mill is.

Charles Dickens, the author of A Christmas Carol, moonlighted as a magician at children’s parties. He called himself “The Unparalleled Necromancer Rhia Rhama Rhoos” and loved performing sleight-of-hand tricks for kids. Turns out, Dickens didn’t just create magic on the page.

Charlize Theron’s acting career started with a meltdown at a bank. At 19, broke in L.A., she screamed at a teller who refused to cash her rent check — and a talent agent behind her took notice. Hollywood: where tantrums pay off.

"Sussudio" was just a word that came out of Phil Collins' mouth when he was playing around with a drum machine. He wanted to replace it with another word in the actual song, but couldn't find the right one, so he just left it in the final lyrics and named the song "Sussudio."

While test flying the first American jet plane, test pilot Jack Woolams wore a gorilla mask, a Derby hat, and a cigar just to mess with the other pilots he buzzed. The pilots were convinced they were crazy for seeing an airplane without propeller with a monkey at the controls.

31/07/2025

Did You Know...

Most starfish have eyes on the tips of their arms. "What do you see, Bill?"
"...SAND! Nothing but SAND!"

"Kimono" literally translates from Japanese as "thing to wear."
Next up: sushi = "stuff on rice." (Ok, I made that up.)

Hawaiian Airlines has been flying since 1929 — and in all that time, it’s never had a fatal accident or lost a plane. The safest airline in paradise. “Aloha Means No Accidents”

The first basketball game ever played ended with a score of 1–0 — one basket, no backboards, and peach baskets for hoops. The only point was scored by a guy named William Chase, making him both the hero and the high scorer… by default.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had a webbed left foot — and in Russian folklore, that’s a sign of the devil. If that sounds a little too on-the-nose… it’s actually too on-the-toes.

“Mad as a hatter” isn’t just Alice In Wonderland nonsense — hatmakers were literally poisoned by their own work. Mercury: great for hats, bad for brains.

Ulysses S. Grant had two groomsmen at his wedding: James Longstreet and Cadmus Wilcox. 17 years later, Generals Longstreet and Wilcox surrendered to him at Appomattox, ending the Civil War. I guess the best man speech didn’t age well.

“Edelweiss” isn’t Austria’s national anthem — or even a traditional folk song. It was written in 1959 by Rodgers and Hammerstein for The Sound of Music. The most Austrian-sounding song ever… was made in Broadway, not the Alps.

In 2015, a British filmmaker made a 10-hour movie of white paint drying — just to force the country’s film ratings board to sit through it. It was titled Paint Drying (naturally), and rated “U” for Universal... though it probably should’ve been “ZZZ” for nap-inducing protest art.

In 2015, after six weeks without internet, Diana Airoldi finally got Comcast to fix it — only after she tracked down and emailed the CEO’s mother. Turns out, the fastest way through Comcast customer service… is through mom.

30/07/2025

Did You Know...

Florida is the flattest state in the U.S. Kansas has the rep, but didn’t even medal — it came in seventh.

There was once a breed of dog bred specifically to run in a hamster-wheel-style contraption that turned meat on a spit. Aptly named the Turnspit Dog, it was the original rotisserie motor. When kitchen tech advanced, the breed became obsolete — and eventually went extinct. Run all day, cook someone’s dinner, and get no scraps? Ruff life.

In 1816, the U.S. built a fort to guard against Canadian invasion — but accidentally put it in Canada. They called it Fort Blunder — which, honestly, saved the historians some time.

“Reading the riot act” was once a legal warning, not just your mom yelling when you missed curfew. In 18th-century England, authorities would read the actual Riot Act aloud before dispersing a crowd. If they didn’t leave within an hour, they could be arrested or removed by force.

The ancient Greek doctor Soranus of Ephesus believed sneezing could prevent pregnancy. In the 2nd century CE, he advised women to hold their breath during... the fun, then sneeze to “clear the system.” Let’s just say… ancient medicine wasn’t exactly peer-reviewed.

Some Volkswagen Beetles in 1959 came with dashboard-mounted coffee makers — a contraption called the Hertella Auto Kaffeemachine. It ran off the cigarette lighter and brewed actual coffee while you drove. Nothing says “German engineering” like espresso at 60 mph.

French paper ‘La Bougie du Sapeur’ is the world’s least frequently printed newspaper. It only hits newsstands once every four years — on February 29.

Before he was a daredevil, Evel Knievel was a high schooler working in the copper mines of Butte, Montana…Until he tried popping a wheelie in a mining earthmover, hit a power line, and blacked out the entire city. Evel defied death — and apparently OSHA.

Harrison Ford and Sean Connery filmed their conversation scenes on the Zeppelin in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade without pants...Because the set was THAT hot.

When Chicago rock station The Loop (WLUP) was sold and flipped to Christian radio in 2018…They signed off by blasting AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Possibly the pettiest — and most metal — format change in radio history. Bless ’em.

29/07/2025

Did You Know...

Not only do orcas massage each other with kelp, they've now been seen kissing — with tongues. Ok, calm down, orcas. This is a family ocean.

A “capitonym” is a word that changes meaning based on capitalization — like “March” vs. “march” or “Polish” vs. “polish.” It's grammar with an identity crisis!

The Netherlands Forensic Institute can detect deepfake videos by analyzing subtle changes in facial color caused by a heartbeat — something AI still can’t convincingly fake. Your pulse might betray you… before the pixels do.

The first ice cream trucks rolled out in 1923, after Ohio candy maker Harry Burt realized his chocolate-covered ice cream bars would sell better if he brought them to people instead of waiting in a store. So he loaded up trucks with freezers, added bells—and accidentally invented summer.

In the late ’80s, Nintendo partnered with Sony to create the “Nintendo PlayStation.” When the deal fell apart, Sony released the console solo—and changed gaming forever.

Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was once saved from a train accident… by Edwin Booth — brother of the man who would later assassinate his father.

In 1969, the creator of "Candid Camera", Alan Funt was on a hijacked flight — but passengers thought it was a prank for his show. They didn’t realize it was real until they landed… in Cuba.

Sheena Easton is the only artist in Billboard history with top-5 hits on the Pop, Adult Contemporary, Country, R&B, and Dance charts. Your move, Beyoncé.

In 1996, McDonald’s tried to sue a small-town Illinois diner called “McDonald’s Family Restaurant” — and lost. Even better? The owner’s name was Ronald McDonald. All that was missing was getting served papers by Mayor McCheese.

In 1943, the U.S. military accidentally bombed Boise City, Oklahoma during a training exercise gone wrong. Miraculously, no one was hurt — and 50 years later, the town put up a memorial to commemorate the day the Army Air Forces declared war… on Main Street.

28/07/2025

Did You Know...

Total solar eclipses are on a ticking clock. In about 600 million years, the moon will drift too far from Earth—and the sun will grow just enough—that total eclipses will vanish forever—a celestial curtain call.

The Venus flytrap can count to five. It snaps shut after two touches, but won’t start digesting until it’s counted at least five total triggers—proof that even plants have standards for takeout.

San Francisco International Airport is built on 267 giant ball bearings. In an earthquake, the terminal can slide up to 20 inches—so the building literally rolls with the punches.

Viking burials sometimes included board games — because even in the afterlife, you might need to crush your enemies... or just kill time.

The term “hot shot” was originally referred to a red-hot cannonball, fired at wooden ships to set them on fire. It used to mean flammable, not flashy.

Two rival scientists in the 1800s waged a petty, sabotage-filled war over who could discover more dinosaurs. They blew up dig sites and bribed workers. Their feud destroyed careers—but still resulted in over 130 species being named.. It’s called the Bone Wars.

The last shot of the Civil War was fired off Alaska—months after it was over. A Confederate ship kept attacking Union whalers in June 1865, unaware the fighting had ended. They didn’t surrender until November... in England.

Charlie Brown’s little red-haired crush was based on Charles Schulz’s real-life heartbreak. He proposed to a woman named Donna Mae Johnson, but she married someone else ...and he turned that heartbreak into a timeless cartoon crush.

In 2005, Walmart stores in Germany hosted “Singles Nights,” where shoppers tied bows to their carts...to show they were looking for love.
'Must enjoy long walks up Aisle 5 to the frozen peas'.

Paul Marcarelli, the “Can you hear me now?” guy from Verizon, says the line haunted him everywhere—even at his grandmother’s funeral. As her casket was being lowered, someone whispered the catchphrase to him graveside.

25/07/2025

Did You Know...

There’s a condition called auto-brewery syndrome, where your gut brews its own booze just from carbs. You can literally get tipsy from toast... plastered from pasta.

In medieval China and Japan, incense clocks released different scents throughout the day — so you could literally smell the time. I hear Monday at 6 a.m. stinks.

President Thomas Jefferson disliked formality so much that he greeted foreign dignitaries in slippers and what amounted to 1800s pajamas. They called it rude. Hail to the slacker.

The snooze button was introduced in the 1950s by General Electric. Its inventor later regretted it — turns out hitting it makes you more tired, not less.

The phrase “show your true colors” comes from warships flying fake flags to get close to enemies, then raising their real ones before attacking. No matter the color, that’s a red flag.

The largest fish ever caught on rod and reel was a 3,427-pound great white shark, landed in 1986 by Frank Mundus — the salty fisherman who inspired Jaws’ Quint. Smile, you son of a fisherman.

“Three-quarter siblings” are a real genetic category — they share more DNA than half-siblings, but not as much as full ones. Think: same dad, different moms... who happen to be sisters. “I’m my own grandpaaaa…”

It can cost $290,000 a year just to operate a hot dog cart in Central Park. And yet, vendors can still clear $60K–$120K in profit. That’s a yes from me, (Hot) Dawg.

In 1956, Navy pilot Tom Attridge shot himself down. He fired two bursts from his 20mm cannons at 13,000 feet, continued to dive — and around 7,000 feet, something smashed his windshield and knocked out his engine. Turns out, he’d flown into the path of his own bullets. Cracked windshield, wrecked engine — and a very awkward report.

Happy Gilmore was inspired by Adam Sandler’s childhood friend Kyle McDonough, a hockey player who could outdrive everyone at their local course. Kyle went pro in hockey. Sandler made him a legend in sweatpants.

In the 1800s, bananas were considered “immoral” because of their shape. Fruit companies fought the stigma with postcards of women eating them.
No, it’s the eye contact you’re making.

24/07/2025

Did You Know...

Pressing your thumb to the roof of your mouth can stop brain freeze — it warms the nerves and tells your brain to chill. Slurpee science at work.

Most “push to walk” buttons in New York don’t do anything — the lights are automated. We still press them anyway, like it’s casting a spell to stop traffic.

In 2004, a parking garage in Derby, England was ranked one of the most secure places on Earth — right up there with Fort Knox. Motion sensors under every car, bar-coded tickets, 24/7 CCTV, and lockdowns if anything moved.

The first lab-grown burger cost $325,000 in 2012. By 2025, it’s under $10. I’m still not THAT hungry.

The Hindenburg was packed with 7 million cubic feet of explosive hydrogen—and it still had a smoking room. Sure, why not hand everyone pins too?

Guess launched acid-washed jeans in 1981, but the trend didn’t fully blow up until the late '80s. Just in time for class photos — and lifelong regret.

Basketball in North Korea has its own rules: dunks are 3 points, swished threes are 4, missed free throws cost you a point, and final-minute shots are worth 8. Imagine how mad March Madness would be.

Roald Dahl wrote a sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where W***y Wonka goes to space, fights aliens, and overdoses Charlie’s grandparents on anti-aging pills. It’s like Golden Ticket meets 2001: A Space Oddity.

Midnight Cowboy, starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, is the only X-***ed film to ever win Best Picture at the Oscars. And no, it’s not what you’re thinking — it’s mostly just very gritty, very 1969, and very not for all audiences.

In 1746, Sweden’s king tried to prove coffee was deadly by forcing one twin to drink it daily while the other drank tea. The coffee twin outlived the tea drinker, the doctors, and the king. Caffeine: 1, Royalty: 0.

23/07/2025

Did You Know...

Just watching someone put their hand in ice water can lower your own body temp. It’s empathy — with goosebumps.

The oldest evidence of humans in North America is from 130,000 years ago in what’s now the San Diego area. Stupid tourists — even back then.

When hummingbirds reach puberty, the males’ beaks grow longer and sharper. They use them to stab other males in the throat to secure mating spots. I mean I rebeled as a teen, but that's overkill.

Word of the day: Anemoia. It's nostalgia for a time you never lived through. Like missing the '50s just because your mom looked so cool in poodle skirts — and nobody had a thousand unread emails.

In 2018, Google created a cheeseburger emoji — but put the cheese UNDER the patty. The internet revolted. Because if there's one thing we can all agree on, it’s burger architecture.

The snow globe was invented by accident. In 1900, Erwin Perzy was trying to brighten surgical lamps by adding particles to water — but they just floated like snow. So he stuck a church inside and called it a day.

It takes a surprisingly long time for your garbage to decompose. Like: One to 10 years for a cigarette butt . . . 10 to 1,000 years for a plastic shopping bag, 200 years for a plastic straw, 500 years for a diaper, 2,000 years for tires, one million years for a glass bottle...and longer than that for the jokes on my show.

In 1938, Superman’s creators sold all rights to the Man of Steel for a $130 check. In 2012, that very check sold at auction — for $160,000. Faster than a speeding regret.

In 2010, scientists studied Ozzy Osbourne’s DNA to figure out how he survived decades of drugs and booze. Turns out, he had rare mutations that help him process it all. The man was basically a Marvel origin story in leather pants.

In 2011, a 17-year-old intern in Florida convinced hospital staff he was a physician’s assistant — and spent days examining patients, performing CPR, and giving medical advice. All thanks to a fake badge and a scary amount of confidence.

22/07/2025

Did You Know...

There's a moon of Saturn called Mimas that looks just like the Death Star from Star Wars. Either it's a cosmic coincidence… or George Lucas knows something we don’t.

Dalmatians used to run alongside horse-drawn fire wagons, barking to clear crowds and calming the horses en route to the blaze. That’s how they became the firehouse mascot we still see today. A siren with spots.

Snake wine is made by steeping a real venomous snake—sometimes alive—in rice wine or grain alcohol for weeks. The venom gets neutralized by the alcohol, and the flavor? Think vodka with earthy, fishy, or gamey notes. Yep, earthy, fishy, or gamey is what I look for in a Chardonnay.

What we might call Indian Leg Wrestling in this U.S. is actually Rövkrok, a Scandinavian game in which two people lie on their backs, hook their legs together and attempt to flip each other over.

The longest straight road in the world is Highway 10 in Saudi Arabia — it runs due east for 140 miles without a single curve. Great for testing your car… bad for your attention span.

Employees at the Jack Daniel Distillery get a free bottle of whiskey on the first payday of every month — a tradition known as "Good Friday." Because nothing says 'employee morale' like a liquid bonus.

The phrase “how do you like them apples” comes from World War I, where British troops nicknamed their trench mortars “toffee apples.” They walked so Matt Damon could run... and taunt a guy with a ponytail.

“Smokey the Bear” was created in 1944 after the Forest Service’s deal with Disney to use Bambi expired. Besides, preventing forest fires requires more than wide-eyed trauma and a violin soundtrack.

In the 1950s, The Price Is Right once offered a live elephant as a gag prize, planning to swap it for $4,000 instead. But one Texan contestant insisted on the real deal — so the show delivered an actual elephant to his home. Hope he didn’t live in an upstairs apartment.

On February 15, 1969, Vickie Jones was arrested for impersonating Aretha Franklin in concert — but she was so convincing, no one in the crowd asked for a refund. That's one soulful deepfake.

21/07/2025

Did You Know...

In South Korea, only visually impaired individuals can legally become licensed masseurs—a law that dates back over 100 years to Japanese colonial rule. It was originally intended to guarantee the blind a reliable way to earn a living, and it’s still enforced today.

The world record for bench press was 364 pounds in 1916. It's now almost QUADRUPLE that — in 2023, Jimmy Kolb bench pressed 1,401 pounds using equipped gear.

In Europe, Cool Ranch Doritos are called Cool American Doritos.

There’s a guesthouse in Belfast called Rayanne House that serves the same 9-course meal once offered to Titanic’s first-class passengers.

Submarines aren’t just a modern invention — they were used as early as the Revolutionary War, including the one-man ‘Turtle’ submersible launched in 1776.

The phrase ‘to wing it’—meaning to improvise—comes from 19th-century theatre slang. It referred to actors learning their lines in the wings at the last minute.

In 1859, an aurora was so strong over the Rocky Mountains that gold miners were woken up in the middle of the night thinking it was morning and they made breakfast.

MAD Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman has been grinning at America since before MAD even existed — his face has shown up in ads and postcards dating back to the 1890s. Long before he became the “What, me worry?” mascot, he was hawking everything from painless dentistry to joke products. His true origin? Still a mystery.

In 2017, a woman in India underwent Asia’s first upper-arm double-hand transplant, receiving both hands from a male donor. The limbs were initially darker and hairier—but over time, they became lighter and more feminine, gradually matching her own skin tone, to the surprise of her doctors.

In 1994, when ‘Married… With Children’ moved from Fox's Hollywood Studios to the Sony-Columbia, the cast held an actual exorcism to purge the lingering spirit of ‘Full House,’ which had taped there previously.

18/07/2025

Did You Know...

When dogs get the “zoomies,” it’s actually called a Frenetic Random Activity Period—or FRAP. It’s just pure, bottled-up energy... finally getting uncorked.

The largest stadium in the world isn’t in the U.S.—it’s in India. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad seats a jaw-dropping 132,000 people.
That’s a NASCAR venue just waiting for its first left turn.

Denver has an official mayor’s mansion—but no mayor has ever lived there. Donated in 1998, it once featured a fire pole from the master bedroom, a spiral staircase, elephant statues, and a pink piano. Five mayors and zero takers. Wonder why? (It was remodeled in 2012.)

The KFC Double Down was originally an April Fools’ joke—until America said, “No joke—give us more.” Demand made it a menu mainstay.

John Adams had a dog named Satan. Which makes you wonder what the mailman did to deserve that.

Nebraska was technically bombed by both sides during World War II.
U.S. planes dropped practice bombs on Tarnov and Dickens by mistake… then in 1945, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded over Omaha. No one was hurt—but yep, Nebraska caught fire from both teams.

33⅓ records have small center holes, but 45s have big ones—thanks to a postwar format war. Columbia launched the LP. RCA countered with 45s and a bigger hole for auto-changers. The compromise? Spindle adapters... millions of lost spindle adapters.

Big Bird isn’t a canary—he’s a Golden Condor. At least, that’s what he told Mr. Rogers. (Still doesn’t explain the roller skates.)

In Major League Baseball, if a player catches a ball with their hat, the batter gets an automatic triple—and all runners score. Which is why fielders use gloves... and not improv.

In 1910, E. Lilian Todd became the first woman to design and build an airplane—just three years after the Wright brothers flew.
But she wasn’t allowed to fly it. Why? She was denied a permit—because she was a woman.

17/07/2025

Did You Know...

Many competitive eaters are skinny — because their stomachs can actually expand more than obese individuals. Extra fat crowds the midsection, while leaner bodies make more room for stretch. Ironically, less gut means more grub.

Scientists created contact lenses that let you see infrared — meaning you can see in the dark, even with your eyes closed. Finally, a way to find the bathroom at 2 a.m. without stubbing your toe.

Wisconsin uses leftover cheese brine to treat icy roads. Counties blend salty byproduct from local cheese factories into winter road mix — saving money and cutting salt use by 40%. It ain't easy being cheesy — but it is less slippery in Sheboygan.

When ballpoint pens hit U.S. shelves in 1945, 5,000 people swarmed Gimbels in NYC — and police had to restore order. They sold 10,000 pens ...at $12.50 each (over $200 today), all for a “miracle pen” that could write underwater and for two years.

In Victorian England, “sitting in the garden with the gate unlocked” ...was a euphemism for getting pregnant while u***d. Polite society, shady metaphors.

In 2021, over 40 camels were disqualified from a Saudi beauty contest for receiving botox. At the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, the stakes — and the lips — are high.

Despite what John Travolta says in Pulp Fiction, a Quarter Pounder in France isn’t called a “Royale with Cheese” — it’s actually “Royal Cheese.” As long as he doesn’t say he’s taking Idina Menzel to lunch, we’re good.

Michael Crichton is the only person to have a #1 book, #1 movie, and #1 TV show all in the same year — and he did it twice. In 1995 (The Lost World, Congo, ER) and again in 1996 (Airframe, Twister, ER).

In 2022, a London tennis club trained dogs to replace ball boys at Wimbledon — but it flopped when the dogs refused to give the balls back. Every match turned into tug-of-war... and nobody wanted to call “game.”

A 73-year-old former truck driver bought a painting for $5 at a California thrift store — and it turned out to be an original Jackson Po***ck, now worth $50 million. That’s one heck of a return on investment.

Trivia Rogues Podcast

01/08/2025

31/07/2025

30/07/2025

29/07/2025

28/07/2025

25/07/2025

24/07/2025

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21/07/2025

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