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 InsomniacsThe Reckoning: Charles Manson and The Helter Skelter Murders (Part 3)
PART 3! In this final topic of spooky season, unravel the sinister saga of the Manson Family and the pint-sized puppet master who convinced his followers that…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Devil’s Work: Charles Manson and the Helter Skelter Murders (Part 2)
PART 2! In this final topic of spooky season, unravel the sinister saga of the Manson Family and the pint-sized puppet master who convinced his followers that…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsENCORE: The (Original) Darwin Awards
ENCORE! Shane needed a break, but we'll be back with a regular episode next week. In the meantime, if you need to chat or decompress, join our Discord…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCult of Personality: Charles Manson and the Helter Skelter Murders (Part 1)
In this final topic of spooky season, unravel the sinister saga of the Manson Family and the pint-sized puppet master who convinced his followers that Helter…
Midnight Facts for Insomniacs[Throwback Encore] We Are Legion: Exorcism and Demonic Possession
BEGONE, FOUL DEMON!! NO LONGER SHALL YOU BEDEVIL THE INSOMNIACS OF THE MIDNIGHT MASSES (Apologies for the caps lock, but Satan doesn't respect lowercase.)…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsJack the Ripper: History’s Most Notorious Serial Killer
In the shadowy alleys of Victorian London, a sinister figure lurked, leaving a trail of terror that has baffled historians for over a century. Join Shane and…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsEncore: The Fiery, Pagan History of Halloween
Why do we wear costumes on Halloween? When did pumpkins and candy get involved? And how the heck do you pronounce "Samhain"? Listen to find out... ~ Become an…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMadness and Mythos: The Legacy of H.P. Lovecraft
Welcome, insomniacs, to another dive into the weird, the wild, and the wonderfully unsettling. Tonight, we’re exploring the twisted mind behind some of the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe NEW 7 Wonders of the World
Get ready to embark on a globe-trotting journey through time and across continents to uncover the secrets of the New Seven Wonders of the World. From the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
Prepare for a silly, whirlwind tour of the most epic bucket list in history: the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. From engineering feats that defied logic…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsExtreme Prisons: From ”Squirrel Cage” to Camp 14
Unlock the gates to some of the most bizarre and extreme prisons on Earth. From the rotating madness of “squirrel cage” jails to a Norwegian island where…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsTechnology Disasters: From Boeing to CrowdStrike
In our high-tech interconnected world, a single software glitch can spiral into global disaster. Tune in this week to discover the hidden stories, the dramatic…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAfter Midnight with Alfred Banks: The Top 5 Animated Series of All Time
Rapper/artist Alfred Banks joins the show to debate the 5 greatest animated TV series of all time! What's in your top 5? Tell us in the Discord... ~ Become an…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Devil’s Rope: How Barbed Wire Tamed the West
Prepare to unravel the twisted history of "The Devil's Rope,” and discover how a simple invention sparked fierce conflicts that transformed the American West…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsVideo Game Scandals: From Hot Coffee To Gamergate
Join Shane and Duncan as they expose a trio of scandals that rocked the gaming community. From the hidden sex scene that transformed a popular game into a…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsInvasive Species: Claws, Tusks, and Karmic Retribution
Well if it isn’t the consequences of our actions. The spread of humans around the globe has accidentally—and sometimes intentionally—led to the introduction of…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Pulse-Pounding History of Rollercoasters and Theme Parks
Get ready to plunge into the adrenaline-pumping history of roller coasters, amusement parks, and theme parks. From ancient Russian ice slides to the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsDeadly Viral Trends and Challenges
Join Shane and Duncan as they venture into the dark and baffling world of dangerous viral trends. From laundry detergent consumption to milk-crate balancing…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsFrom Chernobyl to the Amazon: The World’s Creepiest Ghost Towns
Prepare for an eerie, unsettling journey through the silent streets of the world’s abandoned ghost towns. From a city frozen in time by the Chernobyl disaster…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Wild World of P.E.T.A
Where is the line between activism and extremism? In this furry, feathered, fanged episode, MFFI tackles one of the most divisive and controversial…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Scandalous, Grifting History of Megachurches
In today’s supersized praise-worthy episode, MFFI uncovers the scandalous stories behind the rise of megachurches and explains how a few ambitious…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsHost Swap: The History of War Games and D&D
Duncan takes the reins! It's been a long time coming, but another host swap episode is finally here. This week Duncan officially ran out of excuses and agreed…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsWizards, Dragons, and White Supremacy: The Ku Klux Klan
Here there be dragons! But not the fun kind… How are wizards, ghouls, and dragons connected to the civil war? What does “AYAK” stand for? And what the hell is…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Darwin Awards: 2000s Edition
Back by popular demand, and dumber than ever: The Darwin Awards. One of MFFI's most popular episode topics returns, this time with a modern twist... ~ Become…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsPrison Breaks: Alcatraz and El Chapo
Unlock gripping true stories that defy the confines of steel and stone in this tunneling, plotting, unshackled episode of MFFI. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBlack Holes: Time-Warping Cosmic Paradoxes
How powerful is a singularity? Can anything escape from an event horizon? Do black holes “suck”? Dive into the cosmic shadows with Shane and Duncan as they…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsDecoding Blood: The History of Genetics and DNA Profiling (Forensics Part 2)
Follow Shane and Duncan along the twists and turns of the double helix as they unravel the history of genetics and DNA profiling. From Watson and Crick to the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBlood, Sweat, Fingerprints and Tears: Forensic Science
What do blood, sweat, tears, and fingerprints have in common? They can all be used to solve crimes. In this episode of Midnight Facts for Insomniacs, Shane and…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsFamous Ships Lost at Sea
Which nautical tragedy represents the largest loss of life in non-combat American Navy history? Are there any undiscovered shipwrecks in American lakes? How…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsNative American Mythology
Join Shane and Duncan as they attempt to navigate the sensitive topic of Native American mythology, exploring the elusive world of talking coyotes, giant…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBonus Re-Release: The Pagan Origins of Christmas
Christmas comes early this year with the bonus re-release of one of our favorite episodes exploring the strange, pagan, occasionally twisted origins of the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsGunpowder, Treason, Masks, and Plot: The Legend of Guy Fawkes
Join Shane and Duncan for an explosive tale of political intrigue, religious fervor, and a daring conspiracy that could have reshaped an entire nation. ~…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsScamFluencers Part Two: The Worst of the Worst
Last episode was just a warm-up. Swindle month continues, this time with actual influencers! These are the worst of the worst… ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the…
- Midnight Facts for Insomniacs
ScamFluencers: Social Media Grifters and Con Artists
The internet is a dangerous place. Hold onto your wallet as MFFI takes you on a scamtastic tour of two of the most notorious online swindles of the last…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsLegendary ”Cursed” Objects
Spooky season continues! A car that killed a star. A haunted doll. A vindictive painting. Are any of these items genuinely cursed? Not a chance. But hey, it’s…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsTrue, Creepy, Unsolved Mysteries
Spooky season has arrived! Join Shane and Duncan for a trio of mind-bending mysteries: first, venture into the frozen enigma of Dyatlov Pass, then wander the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsUseless Technology
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 History and Origin of Names
What's in a name? A lot, actually. Names are more than just labels; they carry meanings, stories, and histories that reveal our origins, cultures, and…
Midnight Facts for Insomniacs*Full Episode* After Midnight with Alfred Banks: The Top 5 Desert Island Movies
Rapper, producer, all-around entertainment dynamo, and long-time member of the midnight masses Alfred Banks joins Shane and Duncan this week to generate a list…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsExtreme Exploration, Space Edition: From Nazi Rockets to the Falcon 9
Strap in and prepare for liftoff as Shane and Duncan take you on a jet-fueled ride through the history of space exploration. From the Nazi origins of…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsExtreme Exploration, Ocean Edition: from Reed Rafts to the Titan Submersible
Why did humans first venture into the dark and mysterious depths of the ocean? What discoveries and dangers did they encounter along the way? And how will the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsStrange and Unique Sports
Prepare yourself for a wild ride, insomniacs, because we're diving headfirst into the realm of quirky sports, where ancient traditions meet bizarre modern-day…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsDeviant Subcultures
Welcome, insomniacs, to a captivating late-night rendezvous with the fascinating world of deviant subcultures. Grab your oversized plushie, dust off your…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe 1980s Satanic Panic
Hail Satan! In the latest 1980s-throwback episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan explain how sensationalized accusations and false memories led to the persecution…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsOutlaws and Renegades: The Hells Angels
Part myth, part mayhem, and all leather-clad rebellion: welcome to the shadowy world of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. In this week’s episode, Shane and…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsInstruments of War: Medieval Weaponry
Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD! On this week's episode, Shane and Duncan delve into the dark and deadly world of medieval…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsZombies and Incest: The Wild, Kinky World of Japanese Mythology (Shintoism)
Are you ready for a rousing tale of ghosts and gods and taboo brother-sister love? No, this isn't a new streaming series from HBO; this is MFFI's first episode…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAI 2050: The Future of Artificial Intelligence
What will AI look like in 2050? Will it solve all our problems, or create new ones? Will our future AI companions be more “Her” or “T1000"? In the latest…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsArtificial Intelligence: ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, and the AI Apocalypse
Ready or not, here they come: the robots have arrived. Artificial Intelligence has been under development since the 1950s, but viable AI didn't explode into…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsHistorical Figures (That Might Never Have Existed)
For millennia, characters like King Arthur and Robin Hood have captivated the masses, inspiring songs and books and films and Saturday morning cartoons, but…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsGovernment Coverups: The Iran-Contra Affair
In the first installment of MFFI’s Government Cover-Ups series, grab your New Coke and Trapper Keeper for a trip back to the 1980s to uncover the truth behind…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsOld Wives Tales
Can an apple a day keep the doctor away? If you swallow your gum, will it spend years in your stomach? Can walnuts repair floor-scratches? (Spoiler alert: no…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAccidental Inventions
From Viagra to Super Glue, history is littered with "aha!" moments that were nothing more than lucky accidents. In this bumbling, stumbling episode of MFFI…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsKiller Beasts: Notorious Animal Attacks
Warning: This one is brutal. On this week’s karma-packed episode of MFFI, cringe along with Shane and Duncan as they delve into some of the most notorious…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSocial Media Meltdowns: The Rise and Fall of MySpace, the Teetering of TikTok, and the Twitter Apocalypse
Welcome to the "Social Media Schadenfreude" episode, in which Shane and Duncan delve into the misfortunes of the fortunate. First up: MySpace, the has-been of…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMysterious Cases of Lost and Found Media
From Nixon's infamous Smoking Gun audiotape to the OJ Simpson "lost confession,” cases of missing and recovered media have commanded public attention and left…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsGhosts of Christmases Past: The Pagan Origins of Christmas
How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic numerology…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsPublic Executions and Capital Punishment
Which countries have abolished the death penalty, and which countries execute the largest number of convicts? What are the most popular methods of dispensing…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Weird, Uncomfortable, Creepy History of Clowns
Few characters from pop culture are as divisive as clowns. Simultaneously endearing and terrifying, the archetype of the clown has persevered throughout the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAnimals with Superpowers
Super strength, super hearing, the ability to fly; many of the standard superpowers from comic books are commonplace in the animal kingdom. But those abilities…