Not So Random Facts

If you enjoy a nice cocktail and astronomy, than this is the episode for you. Now before you listen I will admit, I am stretching the definition of rum a bit. But please forgive me because like most episodes of this series I'm excited for the chance to share a random fact that takes us on so many wonderful tangents from the atomic orbitals of electrons to how raspberries get their flavor.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

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There's nothing quite as satisfying as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, no matter what your age. And as such a common treat, you might think we should spend an episode discussing the person who invented peanut butter. I thought it was invented by George Washington Carver, but I was wrong, and reading about him led me down an interesting journey about education, agriculture, and the healing powers of legumes. So take a listen to an episode about a man who cared so much about education, he made a classroom on wheels so he could travel and teach ... I have a feeling he would have loved the internet.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To make a monthly contribution as a subscriber to this podcast, head to https://www.storytellerentertainment.co/subscriptions

Do you ever mix up there, their, and they're? Or perhaps like me you forget when to use its as opposed to it's. Or perhaps you've wondered why cough doesn't rhyme with rough, or though, or through. Well, English is a messy language. It is so confusing that spelling words correctly is an accomplishment, so we host spelling bees to show off that skill. But English is unique in hosting spelling bees, most cultures of other languages don't have any need to test spelling. That begs the question, how did English become so messed up? This episode will guide you through the thousands of years of history that led to the language we know today.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To make a monthly contribution as a subscriber to this podcast, head to https://www.storytellerentertainment.co/subscriptions

Fireflies, sea jellies, and ... humans? Seriously, all of them can glow? It's true. But before you look down at your hands and say to yourself these aren't glowing so clearly this episode was made by a crazy person ... give his episode a listen. We take a deep dive into bioluminescence, the electromagnetic radiation spectrum, and free radicals to explain it all.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co

From an early age we're taught that 98.6 degrees Farhenheit (or 37 degrees Celsius if you live a country that uses a better measurement system) is the average body temperature for a human being. But it turns out that one of the most basic facts of human anatomy is wrong. Find out how a German physician with the greatest name first decided to figure out how hot humans are and why his conclusion no longer applies.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co

This is not a typical episode and deals with very heavy subject matter. This episodes discusses the common features of fascism, the riser of fascism in Europe and draws parallels to Trump's version of Conservativism in the United States today. It is not light-hearted and I take no offense to you deciding to skip this episode. Or disagreeing with some of the opinions I put forth. But this is an important conversation to have in the United States right now as nationalism and extremism are on the rise around the world, and this is my submission to the conversation.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co

It is such a series of strange events that lead to Mary Shelley and her friends being cooped up for a summer with nothing better to do than tell scary stories. No one could have predicted that a volcano eruption in the South Pacific would so drastically change the weather in Europe that no one could go out that summer due to the cold. But something about the story of friends who are stuck inside trying to come up with new ways to entertain each other certainly seems apropos at the moment, and I am one of those that consider the novel Frankenstein to be the birth of the science fiction genre. So let's take a deep dive into how his novel came to be.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co

How many hands have you shaken in your lifetime? Well after this episode, you might want to shake fewer hands in the future. From Ancient Babylon to Medieval Europe to rural America, we'll trace the history of this gesture and why its not a good idea during a pandemic.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co

If dogs are man's best friend, what are cats? Our begrudging roommates? Whatever they are, they hold a unique place in the genetic experiments we call domestication. While goats and sheep looked tasty and wolves were helpful on the hunt, cats were just kind of handy to have around. But they were free to come and go as they please for most of the historical interaction between homo sapiens and felis silvestris ... and that works just fine for cats.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

The Boston Tea Party was one of the founding moments of the American Revolution, and as such one of the founding moments of the United States. It was a protest against an unfair government by a people who had been pushed beyond their limits. As protests continue in the United States against police brutality, its important to look back at our history to see how this moment compares to our country's origins.

If you would like to support protesters, the Black Lives Matter movement, or help all disenfranchised people in the United States, please consider checking out these organizations and make a donation.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/bailfunds
https://blacklivesmatter.com/
https://www.naacpldf.org/support/
https://colorofchange.org/
https://fairfight.com/
https://www.eatokra.com/
https://www.blacknation.app/

As the pandemic of the coronavirus has lead to frequent shortages of toilet paper, it got me wondering; what did people use before toilet paper? And why, considering its a respiratory disease, are people buying toilet paper in the first place? With a look back through history at a somewhat gross and taboo subject, this episode might just help you if you run out of TP

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

The world was coming out of the devastation of war to find itself in the worst pandemic in centuries. And as its the misnamed Spanish Flu is the worst pandemic we have experienced in the last hundred years or so, its worth taking a look to compare and contrast it with our current situation. The greatest weapon against the disease (and panic) is information, so I hope this episode puts certain aspects of the disease into context.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

It started as an accident that happens hundreds of times a year; a shipping container fell overboard during rough weather, spilling its contents into the Pacific ocean. But this container was filled with 28,800 beavers, frogs, turtles and rubber duckies that have since then, made their way around the world. And tracking their journey has led oceanographers to discover new information about how interconnected the world's water ways really are.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Spiders and goats go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? RIGHT?!? Well, according to some scientists they do, as genetic manipulation has led to a truly unusual hybrid. But why would a scientist do such a thing? Well it has to do with the remarkable qualities of spider silk. It's stronger than steel, tougher than kevlar, and if used in the right applications could save lives. And goats are going to help us get more of it.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

If you're occasionally annoyed by bureaucracy, I hope its a consolation to know that even astronauts have to deal with government forms. This mundane fact about the first mission to the moon cracks me up, but there are dozens of amazing facts and incredible stories leading up to that historic mission. Join me for a very brief dive into the history of space travel and how the Apollo program slowly came together to lead mankind to where they had never traveled before.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Have you been watching Chernobyl? I have, it was a great show. And as per usual, it sent me down a research rabbit hole as I learned more about the debilitating effects of radiation exposure. But it also led me to a fascinating fact about using plants to combat nuclear waste. Join me for a brief lesson on nuclear power and how sunflowers helped clean up Chernobyl after the disaster.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

What's the biggest organism in the world? Depends on who you ask. This episode is a quick overview of the origins and structure of all life on Earth ... quite a large subject, but its important to understand if we're going to try to answer the question of world's biggest living thing. But even with all that context, can we we ever really know for sure?

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Man's best friend has been by our side for thousands of years, and many scientists believe its about time they follow us into the lab. New studies indicate that there is scientific proof that indicates dogs can detect cancer with just a few sniffs, but to understand the implications of that we need to take a deeper look at both how animals smell and what cancer really is.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

As Earth Day approaches we look at one of the most wonderfully diverse biomes in the world; the Amazon rainforest. There is plenty to marvel at with the millions of species that call this area their home, and unfortunately like many areas around the world, the Amazon rainforest is in danger. But as we'll discuss in this episode, that wouldn't just be detrimental for the region, but for the entire world. And unbeknownst to most people, the jungle might hold a secret that could change agriculture for the entire world.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

It has been a while, but I'm back and ready to share more random facts. And where better to start than with Marie Curie, one of the greatest scientists and humanitarians of the 20th century. The first female Nobel Prize winner and the first to win in two different categories, Marie Curie had to overcome authoritarian governments and cultural prejudice in her path to scientific discovery.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Many of us enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, but most of us don't put much thought into how this beverage became so common place. 2.25 billion cups are consumed every single day, and coffee is actually one of the shapers of the modern world. So if our morning cup is so important, we figured it was worth a look at whether drinking all this coffee is actually a good thing.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Zombies have taken over pop culture, but before you dismiss them as simply inventions of Hollywood, take a listen to this episode. As it turns out they may be more real than you think, as zombies crop up both in history and in nature.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

As someone who has been through abusive relationships and has seen too many friends stuck in the cycle of abuse, I decided to devote an episode to highlight Domestic Violence Awareness month. It's a terrible problem that plagues our society, and I hope that this episode can shed some light on issues of domestic violence and abuse. Trigger warning for anyone who has suffered through this in the past.

National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1−800−799−7233 or find them online at https://www.thehotline.org/
https://www.domesticshelters.org/

Theodore Roosevelt. Conservationist, trust buster, and bull moose. He may have started a war with Spain out of boredom and he certainly was never meant to be President, but he defined American politics for the first half of the 20th century. Here's a look back at what made this man so tough that not even a bullet could stop him from running for President.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Inspired by my new nephew, I decided to make an episode about babies, and I was very interested to learn that the brains of newborn infants and the brains of people tripping on acid are remarkably similar. Not only that, but all babies might experience synethsesia, a phenomenon where they can see sound and hear colors. That's pretty far out.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

As I heard the news of lava flows destroying homes in Hawaii, it got me thinking ... what are the chances of a volcano erupting near me. And it turns out the answer was a bit scarier than I was anticipating. But as learn more about volcanoes the trepidation can turn to fascination as there is so much to learn about these geological features and this episode just scratches the surface.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

On this episode we review three facts that are spread around often but are totally untrue. Quacking ducks, Napoleon's height, and coins dropped from tall buildings all appear with just the right amount of science and history to disprove these myths.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Plumb the depths of the ocean as we talk about one of nature's most fascinating creatures. And while this episode will give you plenty of reasons to be scared of sharks, the goal isn't to frighten you, but rather to bring attention to an incredibly important species in the ecosystem of the world's oceans. You're gonna need a bigger boat.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Language is one of the most important developments of our species, it's what set us apart from all other animals and allowed for civilization to flourish. But if it's so essential, why are there so many different languages? Doesn't that make it harder for us to work together as a species? Well it turns out that of the over 7000 different languages in the world, there is only one word, one single word understood by everyone on the planet regardless of what language they speak.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

For tens of thousands of years humans have looked up into the night sky in wonderment. Why then, do we not look into the ocean with that same wonderment? What is waiting to be discovered at the bottom of the sea, and how can that actually help us explore space? We discuss all this plus some truly ghastly risks of space travel in this episode.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Modern daily life looks vastly different than daily life a few hundred years ago. Electricity, telecommunication, automobiles all define our existence, and it's all due to the industrial revolution that did away with the common agrarian lifestyle. But the scientific principles discovered and developed during this time could have been discovered at any time in human history since science doesn't change. So what if the same innovations had happened centuries earlier? Explore a theoritcal "what if" episode of Not So Random Facts.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

This episode is all about eyes, with a plethora of random facts about vision. And while I do go off on many tangents as I am wont to do, the one that I found most interesting is the fact that video games can treat certain vision impairments such as amblyopia, or a lazy eye. Really, any excuse to play more video games works for me.

Host - Michael Rainey - https://twitter.com/raineymichaelv

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

As our understanding of genetics grows every year we have accomplished some remarkable achievements, including bringing back extinct animals. Scientists at Harvard are now looking to do the same thing with Woolly Mammoths as these creatures might be crucial in the effort to stop global warming.

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
For questions, comments, or business inquiries email us at podcasts@storytellerentertainment.co

Borders have led to war as long as we have had borders and war. And while we may think that all the border disputes have been resolved at this point and maps are pretty much settled, there are actually quite a few disputes around the world. But none are quite so pleasant or polite as the "war" between Canada and Denmark over an island in the Arctic.

To see more of what Storyteller Entertainment has to offer, head to our website: https://www.storytellerentertainment.co
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You may be fascinated by solar and lunar eclipses because humans have been fascinated by these events for as long as they have occurred. But everything in the universe eventually has an end, as the moon moves further and further away from our planet, the eclipses will one day be a thing of the past.

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Many of us enjoy a cold brew at the end of a long day, but did you know that alcohol is actually the cornerstone of our entire civilization. Our entire modern society would never have happened without beer ... so I hope you're enjoying that six pack. Pull up a stool and listen as I explain why liquor was so important to prehistoric mankind.

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Another year goes by and we all try to better ourselves for the new year. But are we doomed to fail? The odds might be against you, but that's only because you haven't heard the science behind resolutions yet. Listen to this episode for advice from psychologists on how to keep your resolutions.

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Humans are part fish, and that's why we hiccup. It may sound crazy, but we explore the theories of how fish making the transition to amphibian still affect us today and the long road of human evolution that hits the occasional pothole.

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