Let's explore a catalog of prohibitions imposed by governments convinced they were protecting citizens. Why were common recreational games, popular foods enjoyed globally, specific colors, and even reference books deemed illegal? We trace the moral panics that led to restrictions lasting decades, revealing a structural failure: the ease with which fun things are banned compared to the difficulty of regulating profitable dangers.

Content Notice

This episode discusses historical legal restrictions surrounding moral panics, including accusations of organized crime (Pinball) and laws initially targeting prostitution (Japanese dance ban). It also references censorship and "objectionable" words like "knock up" and "ball" in the discussion of dictionary bans.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.

Taft, your namesake hated being president. Fell asleep in meetings, gained 100 pounds, called it "the loneliest place in the world." Then became Chief Justice and was genuinely happy for the first time in decades. Between 1868 and 1923, Ohio produced seven presidents through pure political machinery—swing state math, party bosses, and electability over vision. Then Harding's corruption killed it. This episode covers how a state became a presidential factory, why Taft's redemption story matters, and why the whole system collapsed.

Content Notice

This episode discusses political corruption, including bribery, embezzlement, and the Teapot Dome scandal. Treatment is historical and analytical, not graphic.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.

George Shaw took scissors to the first platypus specimen in 1798—not to dissect it, but to check for stitches. It looked too wrong to be real. The bombardier beetle shoots boiling chemicals from a rotating turret. The mantis shrimp punches so fast it creates temperatures approaching the surface of the sun. Tardigrades survived ten days in space, then walked away. This episode covers animals so fundamentally impossible they forced scientists to rewrite the rulebook. Nature doesn't care about our categories. It cares about what works.

Content Notice

This episode discusses biological science and evolutionary adaptations in accessible terms.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.

Small, overlooked details that shifted war outcomes—a chocolate bar, a weather forecast, a language nobody bothered to learn, a pigeon flying through gunfire, and a diplomat's public confession. Not dramatic turning points but quiet pivots that only look important in hindsight. Wars decided by generals, but also by meteorologists, chocolatiers, pigeons, and the choice to confirm or deny one telegram.

Content Notice
This episode discusses warfare and military history, including casualties and wartime conditions. Treatment is historical and analytical, not graphic.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.

A high school senior keeps his biggest dream locked away, never letting himself fully want it. If he doesn't care too much, rejection won't hurt as much—right? Wrong. A parable about why protecting yourself from disappointment guarantees a different kind of pain: the permanent ache of never really trying.

Content Notice

This episode explores emotional vulnerability, fear of disappointment, and self-protective behaviors. Discusses the psychology of wanting versus half-wanting. Gentle and affirming while addressing difficult emotional truths.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.

This is the Episode 1 I promised you—except it's actually Episode 2 now because you asked me about Spencer Cox and that felt worth exploring first. But here we are: five jobs that used to support families, build communities, and shape daily life—then disappeared because we found better solutions or stopped needing them entirely.

Content Notice

This episode discusses historical labor practices and working conditions. Treatment is historical and analytical.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.

Taft, you asked why Spencer Cox is so unpopular. Turns out he's not. He just has a unique talent for making everyone mad at different times. From vetoing trans sports bans to endorsing Trump after criticizing him for years, Cox has mastered the art of being simultaneously too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.

This episode unpacks Utah's political paradox: a governor with decent approval ratings that nobody seems to actually like.

Content Notice

This episode discusses transgender rights legislation and political polarization. Treatment is analytical and policy-focused.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.

Two hours back from Logan, chasing down the word "discriminant," spiraling through Michelin stars, tire rubber, the Korean War, Berlin's four sectors, and the BMW logo. None of it planned, all of it worth it.

This is the origin story—why I'm making these, what they'll sound like, and what I'm hoping you get out of them. You're leaving for college in eight months, and texts aren't the same as conversations. So here's the deal: I send you weird facts, you send me oddball links, and we keep the rabbit holes going.

Consider this the pilot. The rest will be tighter, themed, and (mostly) AI-narrated after this intro. But this one's all me, telling you what happened and why it mattered enough to turn into something you can keep.


Content Notice

This episode references war casualties and historical military conflicts. Treatment is informational and respectful.

Let's see what the world's been hiding.