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 InsomniacsModern Snake Oil: From Cryotherapy to The Secret
We like to think we’re in the golden age of medicine, but the truth is that the healthcare industry is still rife with misinformation and hucksterism. Tune in…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsStupid Criminals
Way back in episode 2 ("Heists"), Shane and Duncan learned all about the most notorious criminal masterminds in history. In this episode, they meet the B Team…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMemes: They’re Literally Everything
This episode was a doozy. It turns out there's a ton of hard science behind memes, plus bucketloads of history, and this week's MFFI is packed. In this…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCults: QAnon, a.k.a W the Actual F
QAnon is straight-up bonkers. How bonkers? I'm glad you asked. Join the boys for an episode that goes way, WAY down the rabbit hole. In this episode: Q…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsScandals: Television Edition
The third installment in the MFFI "scandals" series focuses on infamous TV shenanigans. Small screen, big drama. In this episode: Adam Richman: Thinspiration…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsUrban Legends
They may not be true, but they're creepy as hell. In this episode: The Hook Murderer in the Backseat Ghost Hitchhiker Green Man Slender Man Bloody Mary Kidney…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsRidiculous, Silly, Frivolous Lawsuits
The ability to sue your fellow citizens is a cornerstone of civilized society, and our legal system has often functioned as the last resort for the most…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMore Idioms, a.k.a Say What?
You downloaded, we listened. In part 2 of one of the most popular MFFI episodes, Shane and Duncan reveal the meaning and origin behind more of the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCryptids, Mark 2: From the Mothman to the Wendigo
Back by popular demand! More cryptids, weirder cryptids, and cryptids with funnier names. For the second installment in the cryptids series, the focus is North…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsWelcome to the Manosphere: Pick-up Artists, Incels, and the Seduction Community
What's the difference between an MRA and a MGTOW? Should you even care? Probably not, but we'll tell you anyway. Join the guys for a weird and occasionally…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Devil
Lucifer. Satan. Beelzebub. Prince of Lies. The Devil has a thousand names, a chip on his shoulder, and major daddy issues. He also has one hell of a backstory…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSpectacular Failures: From New Coke to Segway
Not just your garden-variety screwups; these were epic, painful misfires that everyone should have seen coming. (We’re lookin' at you, Quibi.) In this episode…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Sordid Science Behind Interrogation and Torture
We have ways of making you talk... In this episode: Interrogation Techniques: Bargaining, Lying, Guilt Trips, Flattery "Pride and Ego Up" Vs. Down Reading Body…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBattle for the Living Room: from Atari to the Console Wars
The next generation of gaming is about to arrive, which makes this the perfect time to take a look at how we got here. Join the boys for a guided tour through…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMentalists, Faith Healers, and Frauds
Scammers and con artists are unavoidable facts of life, but only a select few manage to take the art of deception to the next level. All of the unscrupulous…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSketchy and Unethical Psychological Experiments
Modern researchers are expected to follow strict ethical guidelines, but it wasn't always this way. For thousands of years, scientific experimentation was a…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSleep and Insomnia (finally!)
In an episode that is long overdue, the boys explore the biology and science of sleep, and offer useful tips for tackling sleep disorders (including...you…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Darwin Awards
Warning: if you're not a fan of dark humor, feel free to skip this episode. We won't judge you! For our fellow twisted weirdos...enjoy. "The Darwin Awards…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsWeird and Terrifying Animals
Ask and you shall receive! Listeners have been requesting an episode about weird and scary animals, and MFFI finally delivered. Be careful what you wish for…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsOff the Deep End: Facts and Mythology of the Ocean
This one is unofficially subtitled "off the rails." If you're not a fan of tangents and silliness, maybe skip the second half. But if you enjoy a healthy dose…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsLost Civilizations
Lost civilizations have been puzzling archaeologists and transfixing the public for centuries. From multilayered honeycombs to underground mazes to underwater…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsInsomniacs Inbox: Bats, Penguins, and the Great Emu War
In the first ever “Insomniacs Inbox” episode, Shane and Duncan respond to listener feedback, get schooled on Irish names, and pick sides in the Great Emu War…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCryptids: from the Loch Ness Monster to the Dobhar-chu
From Bigfoot to Nessie to the Jersey Devil, Shane and Duncan break down the lore and origins of the most popular cryptids. In this episode: Nessie Bigfoot The…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsUnfiltered Fairytales
These aren’t your grandma’s fairytales. Gather ’round for a soothing rendition of "How Some Children Played at Slaughtering" and the infamous "Goose Girl,"…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsAncient Texts: From the Devil’s Bible to the Magna Carta
Before there were printing presses and modern mass-produced books, there were tablets, tomes, and scrolls. Some were full of wisdom, some were full of...you…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsScandals: Hollywood Edition
In part two of the MFFI "Scandals" series, Shane and Duncan cover sex, drugs, and murder in tinseltown. In this episode: Mel Gibson VS a paper bag Hugh Grant’s…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSuperstition: Black Cats and Devils and Mirrors, Oh My
When you step on a crack, do you immediately worry about your mother's back? Do you avoid walking under ladders, or regularly toss salt over your shoulder? If…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsUnique, Strange, and Creepy Historical Humans
Humans can be amazing creatures. Nellie Bly revolutionized mental healthcare and circumnavigated the globe; Violet Jessop beat incalculable odds and survived…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsScandals: Music and Murder
Murder, suicide, more murder, also...music! Plus some extra murder. This is a dark one. Enjoy! In this episode: The Beatles are bigger than Jesus Phil Spector…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Fermi Paradox, A.K.A ”Where are the Aliens?”
Where are all the aliens?? According to scientists, the Milky Way galaxy should be teeming with life, but when we point our telescopes and radio dishes at the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsArmageddon, Ragnarok, and End Times
Don't rapture me, bro! In the 666th episode of MFFI (not really) Shane and Duncan get cryptic with eschatological prophesies and learn all about the end of the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsWeird and Obscure Facts About the Human Body
Which is the smallest bone in the human body? The largest muscle? Which of your fingernails grows fastest? At what time of day are you tallest? If you ironed…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsThe Dark Side of Disney
All is not as it seems in the House of Mouse. Grab your fastpass and buckle up for a journey behind the scenes of the happiest place on earth. It's going to be…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMyths in the Modern World: The Olympians
Legends never die, they’re just recycled. Torture, betrayal, incest...ancient myths are woven so tightly into modern culture that they're inextricable from…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsSecret Societies
First rule of secret societies: you do not podcast about secret societies. Secret rituals, secret initiations, secret handshakes. From the sinister to the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsReal-Life Human Superpowers
What qualifies as a "superpower," and do superhumans exist? Are there any drawbacks to being extraordinary? Don your cape and spandex for an entertaining…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsPirates: Were they anything like the stereotype? (No. But kind of. But mostly no.)
Were pirates really the peg-legged, eye-patched, parrot-toting, swashbuckling sea vagabonds depicted in Hollywood? Dive into the weird, filthy history of…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsUFOs ARE REAL (but they’re probably not aliens)
Join Shane and Duncan for an extraterrestrial (maybe?) exploration of all things flying and unidentified. Find out the real name of Area 51, learn about…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMedical Quackery: From Snake Oil to Coca Wine
True story: back in the 1800s you could buy a gram of cocaine at a local drug store for 25 cents, and corn flakes were waging a war against masturbation. Ah…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMore Misconceptions: If You Didn’t Know, Now You Know
What's the spiciest part of a hot pepper? (Hint: it's not the seeds.) How long does a Twinkie actually last? Which types of food do mice crave way more than…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMore cults: Moonies, Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate
Cults...still the worst. In part 2: Find out which suicide-cult Shane thinks is "kind of charming”; plus door-to-door monkey sales, Flavor Aid isn't Kool Aid…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsIdioms (common sayings): Mysteries Solved
Do white elephants exist? (Spoiler: yes.) Was there actually a "Riot Act" and did anyone read it? (There was, and they did). Join Shane and Duncan for a…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsScrewups and Blunders (Part 2)
Another batch of epic mistakes that led to death, destruction, and mayhem. Also, cannibalism. Plus: Shane sucks at accents, Duncan disses NASA, and cats are…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsScrewups: humanity’s biggest blunders (part 1)
Everyone makes mistakes, but only a select few are capable of making mistakes so massive that they change the course of history. From a drunken oil-tanker…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsPandemics, Plagues, and Scourges
Are you prepared for the zombie apocalypse? From the Black Death to Ebola, from SARS to Zika, Shane and Duncan explore the worst pandemics in history, and the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCults: NXIVM and Branch Davidians
Cults. They're the worst. In part one: Duncan can't pronounce "Ayn," Shane can't pronounce "Raniere," and everyone hates MLMs. Plus perverts abound, mullets…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsCommon Misconceptions
What color is the sun? How many spiders do you swallow in your sleep every year? (Spoilers: not yellow, and none.) In this episode Shane and Duncan dispel…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsMysterious Disappearances
How many Americans go missing every year, and how many of those disappearances remain unsolved? Which states have the highest numbers of missing people per…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsBox Office Disasters
Bombing on stage as a comedian is embarrassing, but bombing in theaters with a multi-million dollar budget is waaay worse. In the latest episode, Shane and…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsConspiracy Theories
Shane and Duncan deep-dive into the paranoid rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. From flat-earthers to the Berenstain Bears, explore the genesis of some of the…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsInfamous Hoaxes
Shane and Duncan explore hoaxes, swindles, and cons, and Shane reveals the most damaging hoax ever. In this episode: Nessie The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 Clever…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsNotorious Heists
Shane schools Duncan on the wild world of heists, and reveals the most expensive heist ever perpetrated. In this episode: D.B. Cooper The Antwerp Diamond Heist…
Midnight Facts for InsomniacsUnexplained Phenomena
What do deja vu, the "Wow" signal, and a mushroom in Texas all have in common? As you might have guessed by the title, they're all examples of unexplained…