Before 1911, the Mona Lisa wasn't even considered Leonardo's best work. Then a man in a museum staff smock walked out the front door with it, and the world hasn't stopped looking at it since. This week: the missing painting, the two-year hiding spot, and the unlikely suspect list that included Picasso.

Sources:

* https://www.npr.org/2011/07/30/138800110/the-theft-that-made-the-mona-lisa-a-masterpiece
* http://History.comhttps://www.history.com/articles/the-heist-that-made-the-mona-lisa-famous
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Peruggia
* https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-bites-mona-lisa-louvre-heist-2708512

As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

For decades, a company collected an estimated two million dollars a year in royalties from a song sung at nearly every birthday party on the planet. Then one filmmaker got a $1,500 invoice and decided to find out if that company actually owned it. This week: what she found.

One story. A few minutes. No homework required.

Sources:

• WIPO Magazine – "In the courts: Court confirms legal status of Happy Birthday to You!"
• The Conversation – "The case against Happy Birthday copyright protection"
• IPWatchdog – "'Happy Birthday To You' Now In the Public Domain (Sort of)"
• ABA Journal – "'Happy Birthday' song is in the public domain, judge rules"
• Time – "Happy Birthday Song Copyright Lawsuit: The Strange History of a Song"
• Wharton Global Youth – "Let's Party! The 'Happy Birthday' Song Loses Its Copyright"

As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

In 1839, a newspaper editor made a joke almost nobody found funny, and it accidentally became the single most understood word on Earth, more universal than "hello." This week: the failed president, the telegraph, and the joke that never should have survived.

One story. A few minutes. No homework required.

Sources:

• History.com – "How 'OK' Became America's Favorite Word"
• Smithsonian Magazine – "How One Man Discovered the Obscure Origins of the Word 'OK'"
• Boston Magazine – "TBT: When the Word 'OK' Was Invented in Boston"
• Merriam-Webster – "The Hilarious History of 'OK'"
• NPR – "Origin of OK: From Martin Van Buren to Most Recognized Word"
• HowStuffWorks – "Made in America: The Ridiculous History of 'OK'"

As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

Did you know the Mona Lisa wasn't famous until someone stole it? That stop signs used to be yellow? That the word "podcast" was invented by accident?

Welcome to Trivia. Sort Of. – a weekly show about the surprising true stories hiding behind things you already know. One story. A few minutes. No homework required.

Each week: one fact, one twist, one "wait, really?" moment – sourced, fact-checked (mostly), and built for the few minutes you have between everything else.

Coming soon wherever you listen to podcasts.

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