Shows / Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
A podcast of fascinating facts! What do extraterrestrials, radio signals, and a mushroom from Texas have in common? What is a "number station" and why is it so spine-tinglingly creepy? Join comedians Shane Rogers and Duncan MacEwan for an entertaining and hilarious deep-dive into obscure facts from science, history, and pop culture.
Episodes
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBonus Re-Release: The Fiery, Pagan History of Halloween
Back by popular demand (and dark ritual), this Halloween classic rises once more from the archives. Join Shane and Duncan for a deep dive into the strange…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsIconic Movie Monsters: Frankenstein
It was the summer that wasn't. In 1816, a volcanic eruption on the other side of the world choked the skies with ash and drowned Europe in cold, ceaseless…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAfter Midnight Live Stream: The Top 5 Most Terrifying Non-Horror Films (sample)
Alive? No Country For Old Men? Outbreak? Which would be in your top 5? Tell us in Discord ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsHistory's Greatest Hauntings: The Bell Witch, Scratching Fanny, and Fisher's Ghost
This week, Shane and Duncan go ghost hunting across two centuries and three continents. In Tennessee, the Bell Witch moves into a farmhouse, wrecks an…
- Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
After Midnight: The Top Five Musical Performances That Changed Everything (sample)
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan? Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison? Which would be in your top five… Tell us in Discord ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMadness on Trial: The History of the Insanity Defense
For centuries, courts have wrestled with one impossible question: does madness excuse murder? From Daniel M’Naghten and his delusions about the British…
- Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
After Midnight Livestream: The Top 5 Bass Riffs of All Time (sample)
Bilie Jean? Money? Under Pressure? Higher Ground? Which would be in your top 5? Tell us in Discord ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsDoomsday Real Estate: Luxury Bunkers
This week, Shane and Duncan descend into the strange world of luxury bunkers, from the bizarre Atomitat to a Las Vegas mansion buried beneath the desert, an…
- Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
After Midnight Livestream: The Top 5 Most Viscerally Impactful Scenes in Non-Horror Movies (sample)
The storming of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan? The T-Rex reveal in Jurassic Park? Avengers assemble? Which would be in your top 5? Tell us in Discord ~…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCastles, Cannons & Billionaires: The History of Bunkers
Castles, cannons, concrete, and the persistent human desire not to get blown up. This week, Shane and Duncan trace the strange evolution of the bunker, from…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe History of Tattoos (A Host Swap Livestream!)
Body-art aficionados rejoice! MFFI finally takes on tattoos... Long before tattoo machines, sterile needles, and flash books, humans were finding creative ways…
- Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
After Midnight Livestream: The 5 Things Humanity Should Ban Forever (sample)
Leaf blowers? Glitter? Daylight savings time? Which modern annoyances would be in your top 5? Tell us in Discord ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsWhy Does Doubt Have a B? The Twisted Logic of English Spelling
Why does doubt have a B? Why is colonel pronounced “kernel?” And how can rough, through, though, and bough all ignore the same letters in completely different…
- Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
After Midnight Livestream: The 5 Most Epic Films of All Time (sample)
What makes a film epic? Scale, score, scope, duration? And which would be in your top 5? Tell us in Discord ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSouthpaws: The Sinister Science of Left-Handedness
Join Shane and Duncan for an exploration of the strange history and surprising science of left-handedness, from sinister medieval myths and bizarre medical…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAfter Midnight Livestream: The Top 5 Fictional Places to Live (sample)
The Shire? Hogwarts? Atlantis? Which would be in your top 5? Tell us in Discord ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsNature's Weirdest Phenomena: Ghost Lights, Sailing Stones, Poison Lakes, and More
Ghostly lights on the horizon. Thousands of fireflies pulsing in tandem. A lakeshore strewn with petrified figures. A storm that never seems to end. This week…
- Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
A.M. Livestream with Special Guest Alfred Banks: The Top 5 Lies We Were Told As Children
Alfred is back! Longtime friend of the show Alfred Banks returned to the livestream to help the guys tackle one important question: What were the biggest lies…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsJackasses: The History of Daredevils, Stuntmen and Professional Idiots
History remembers the great inventors, leaders, and visionaries. This episode is about the other guys. Join Shane and Duncan for a celebration of daredevils…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMysterious Celebrity Deaths
Some celebrity deaths become legends. Others become conspiracy theories. A few become both. From an OG Superman found dead under mysterious circumstances to a…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsTrue Tales of Revenge, Volume 3: Orson Welles vs. William Randolph Hearst
Power, ego, and one of the most legendary media grudges in Hollywood history. This week, Shane and Duncan dive into the explosive feud between Orson Welles and…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsClassic True Tales of Revenge, Volume 2: The 47 Ronin
Long-term grudges and carefully planned revenge. This week, Shane and Duncan unpack the iconic true story of the Forty-seven rōnin, a tale of honor, loyalty…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsClassic Tales of Revenge: John and Lorena Bobbitt
A knife. A trial. A story that made the entire country cross its legs. In the early morning hours of June 23, 1993, Lorena Bobbitt swung an 8-inch kitchen…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsLivestream Host Swap: The History Of Pornography
Cave art, ancient smut, scandalous engravings, and the long, slow march toward moving pictures. In this host swap episode, Duncan takes the reins and walks…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBunnies, Eggs, and Ancient Math: The Real History of Easter
The internet will tell you Easter was stolen from a pagan goddess. The internet is wrong. Join Shane and Duncan as they crack open the strange, surprisingly…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsPirates, Snakes, and Shamrocks: The Real Story Behind Saint Patrick’s Day
Pirates. Snakes. Shamrocks. And the stomach-turning truth behind those green rivers... Saint Patrick’s Day is one of the world’s most recognizable holidays…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsEven More Box Office Bombs: Borderlands and The Marvels
Hollywood promised spectacle. Audiences stayed home. In this fiscally irresponsible episode, Shane and Duncan return to the financial wreckage of modern…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMore Box Office Bombs: Megalopolis and Tron Ares
They say lightning never strikes twice, but Hollywood keeps proving otherwise. In this budget-busting pair of episodes, Shane and Duncan return to the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsStone, Storm and Shadow: The Solar System, Part 2
In part two of their irreverent jaunt through the solar system, Shane and Duncan venture beyond the inner planets into the vast outer reaches, where storms…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsFire, Acid, and Ice: The Solar System, Part 1
The Sun is an unrelenting nuclear inferno. Mercury is a dense little rock with zero atmosphere and the worst sunburn in the system. Venus is a cautionary tale…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMidnight Mind Benders: Famous Paradoxes and Thought Experiments
This week, plunge with Shane and Duncan into the most maddening mental puzzles ever devised, from ancient identity crises and time travel nightmares to…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Pagan Origins of Christmas (Annual Re-release)
-Merry Christmas, insomniacs! Here's a blast from the past. We hope you're having an amazing holiday season- How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsFull Livestream Episode: The Story of MFFI (Plus the History of Podcasting!)
In this special live-streamed double-retrospective, Shane and Duncan trace the evolution of podcasting from its humble beginnings in the shadow of radio and…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Explosive Origins of the Nobel Prize
Alfred Nobel made a fortune inventing things that go boom, earning the nickname “merchant of death.” But with his own death approaching, he set out to salvage…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsHost Swap: Witchcraft!
In the first full-episode MFFI livestream, Duncan opens the spellbook on the roots of witchcraft and the modern movements keeping the magic alive. So grab your…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCopy, Paste, and Panic: The Story of Creepypasta
In this chilling, thrilling, and revealing episode, MFFI explores the internet’s favorite collection of anonymous nightmares. From message boards to movie…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAn Annual Tradition: The History of Halloween
Back by popular demand (and dark ritual), this Halloween classic rises once more from the archives. Join Shane and Duncan for a deep dive into the strange…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSize Matters: The Largest Structures Ever Built
Some objects are built with purpose. Others are built with ego, ambition…and a total disregard for scale. In this gargantuan episode, Shane and Duncan dive…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Wild, Weird History of the Guinness Book of World Records
It began with a shotgun, a missed shot, and a very nerdy debate. In this record-breaking episode, Shane and Duncan track the origins of the Guinness Book of…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsObsessed and Possessed: A Guide to the World’s Weirdest Collections
Some people collect coins. Others collect vomit bags, ventriloquist dummies, and an unsettling number of preserved penises. In this bizarrely specific episode…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsLivestream Mailbag Episode!
~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with fellow…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsChaos, Criminals, and Coldplay: CEO Scandals from Andy Byron to Harvey Weinstein
What do a disgraced pizza mogul, a Hollywood predator, a fugitive auto exec, and a guy who accidentally triggered a PR meltdown from a Coldplay Jumbotron have…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe World’s Weirdest Festivals
Every culture has traditions. Some honor the dead. Some feed the local monkey population. Some involve grown men in devil costumes leaping over rows of live…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsGrigori Rasputin: Murder, Mysticism, and the Fall of the House of Romanov
Grigori Rasputin was many things: a wandering mystic, a spiritual advisor to the Russian royal family, and according to persistent rumors, extremely difficult…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Zizian Cult, Part Two: Meat is Murder, and So Are We
The first episode covered the origins; now it’s time for the bloodbath. In part two of the Zizian cult series, Shane and Duncan unpack the chilling details of…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsA modern vegan Sith-Lord murder-cult: the Zizians (Part 1)
They preached compassion, practiced anarchy, and packed a samurai sword. In this episode, Shane and Duncan uncover the bizarre rise and explosive downfall of…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMidnight Menagerie: Nocturnal Animals
From creatures that soar through moonlit skies with uncanny precision to those that hunt the forest in utter darkness, discover the fascinating adaptations…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAltered States: A Brief History of Psychedelics
Join Shane and Duncan for a journey through the kaleidoscopic world of psychedelics... Psilocybin (magic mushrooms), MDMA (ecstasy/molly), and LSD (acid)--once…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsWorkplace Wreckage: Stories of Industrial Catastrophe
Sometimes the most dangerous place to be is on the clock. This week, Shane and Duncan explore workplace events so disastrous that they reshaped industries and…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBlood, Sharks, and Sandstone: More Incredible Stories of Survival Against the Odds
Surviving a plane crash is one thing, but cutting off your own arm to escape a boulder? Whole different level. In this follow-up episode, Shane and Duncan are…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsHarrowing True Stories of Wilderness Survival
Stranded in the Andes. Lost in the jungle. Trapped in the desert with nothing but a questionable grasp of hydration. History is packed with jaw-dropping…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsTrenches, Tactics, and Total Chaos: World War I Explained
It was the war to end all wars…until it wasn’t. In 1914, a tangled mess of alliances, ancient grudges, and questionable facial hair decisions erupted into one…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsShane Goes Rogue! The History of Boxing
Gloves on, mouthguards in—this week, Shane and Duncan are stepping into the ring to throw hands with the Sweet Science. How did a sport that started as an…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Greatest Unsolved Internet Mystery: Cicada 3301
For years, an enigmatic online puzzle known as Cicada 3301 has baffled cryptographers, hackers, and conspiracy theorists alike. Was it a recruitment tool for a…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe History and Psychology of Gambling
From ancient dice games to high-tech slot machines, the allure of risk and reward has shaped human behavior for centuries. In this high-rolling episode…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe History and Evolution of Cats
Join Shane and Duncan as they dig their claws into the captivating history and evolution of our feline friends. From the revered temple cats of ancient Egypt…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsUseless Technology (Throwback Encore)
From umbrellas that distribute rain to radios that print the news, here are the most useless pieces of technology ever foisted an unsuspecting public. ~ Become…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Origins of Common Idioms, Phrases, and Figures of Speech (Redux)
Have you ever wondered why we "turn a blind eye," "pull out all the stops," or "fly off the handle"? In this episode, Shane and Duncan dive into the quirky…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsEncore: The Pagan Origins of Christmas
Merry Christmas, insomniacs! Here's a blast from the past. We hope you're having an amazing holiday season. How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsJehovah’s Witnesses: A Modern Evangelical Doomsday Cult
Crack open the door on one of the world’s most intriguing and controversial faiths: The Jehovah’s Witnesses. Despite requiring members to give up holidays…