Have you ever wondered who started the Internet? Or what TCP/IP stands for? Or when the Internet’s birthday is? Well, today’s episode is for you, since Lauren has a–shall we say–personal connection to the World Wide Web. Later, stay tuned for a quiz called “Not-So-Famous Brothers in Law”!
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[Music: 1) The Internet, “Hold On,” 2018; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
You are about to enter another dimension– of science fiction literature by the groundbreaking author Octavia E. Butler! Learn all about her path to success, fantastical works, and common literary themes. Later, enjoy a quiz called “The Butler Did It!”
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[Music: 1) lo-fi is sci-fi, “Phase IV,” 2013. Courtesy of lo-fi is sci-fi, CC BY 4.0 license; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
By popular demand! Enjoy a full sensory experience with this episode that’s all about everyone’s favorite dairy product: CHEESE. To eat along with us while you learn, make sure you have: gouda, asiago, cheddar, brie, and of course, some accompaniments. Later, take a quiz called “Workin’ on My Night Cheese!”
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[Music: 1) Bob Seger, “Night Moves,” 1976; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
How many temporary organs can you name…? If the answer isn’t “one,” then you have plenty to learn from our special guest Sonya Kouthouridis, a graduate researcher from McMaster University working on placental stem cell research. We discuss the female reproductive system, placental mammals, stem cells, and of course, the miracle of birth. Later, take a quiz called “Trust Me, I’m *NOT* a Doctor!”
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[Music: 1) Donna Lynne Champlin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “The Miracle of Birth,” 2018, written by Adam Schlesinger, Jack Dolgen, Rachel Bloom, Aline Brosh McKenna; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Sure, we all know about Elvis–but what about the queer black woman whose style and showmanship he basically copied?! Today, learn all about Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her incredible talent that inspired several generations of musicians. Later, take a quiz called “Mothers of Rock ‘n’ Roll”!
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[Music: 1) Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “Rock Me,” 1938; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Let’s take a quick breather from current events and head down memory lane instead. Julia spins her day job as Archivist at The Strong National Museum of Play into an entire episode on the National Toy Hall of Fame! It’s a real sensory experience as we talk about toys inducted into the Hall of Fame based on their icon status and innovation. Oh, and the 2020 class will be announced on Thursday, November 5! [To learn more, check out https://www.toyhalloffame.org/.] Later, enjoy a quiz on other famous halls of fame.
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[Music: 1) The Script ft. will.i.a.m, “Hall of Fame,” 2012; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
You know what they say– the bigger they are, the harder they fall. GUESTOBER concludes with the radiant Hannah McIntyre, who recaps four centuries of Roman history and highlights the people, places, and things we should remember about the once-powerful Roman Empire. Later, enjoy an incredible quiz called “Vini, V.D., Vichy!”
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[Music: 1) Coldplay, “Viva La Vida,” 2008; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Miss Information: A Trivia Podcast
170 - All Roads Lead to Rome: The Roman Empire (with Hannah McIntyre)
We’re just bubbling with excitement over this week’s special guest, Sam Pike of the Urban Farm Fermentory in Portland, Maine. He brews up a batch of fun fermentation facts and pickling particulars [and assures us that kombucha is not as gross as Julia thinks it is]. Later, enjoy a quiz called “Green Eggs with Sam”!
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[Music: 1) The Kills, “Sour Cherry,” 2008; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
To continue GUESTOBER, Eric Siy returns with a second installment of math trivia as he teaches us about algebra, philosophy, and another Mathematician You Should Know. [By the way, René Descartes may begin to haunt your dreams…] Later, enjoy a delightful quiz called “Eric Always Forgets About the Lesbians”!
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[Music: 1) Tom Lehrer, “New Math,” 1965; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Miss Information: A Trivia Podcast
168 - The Only Subject that Counts (with Eric Siy)
To kick off GUESTOBER, we are joined by the delightful Ryan Meyers, whose knowledge of figure skating deserves a perfect 10. Learn about the history of ice skating, its evolution through modern times, and of course, the most famous of figure skaters. Later, take a “Figure 8” quiz!
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[Music: 1) Vanilla Ice, “Ice Ice Baby,” 1990; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
She may have been thought of as the original femme fatale, but as it turns out, Lucrezia Borgia was a complicated and talented lady: a true Renaissance Woman. Learn all about Lucrezia and her crazy family on today’s episode! Later, take a quiz on some equally famous Italians. Per favore divertiti!
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[Music: 1) Rosemary Clooney, “Mambo Italiano,” 1954; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Do you already know everything about Watergate? Think again! Julia takes a deep dive into the 1972 scandal that ultimately brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon [and introduced us to several infamous people in the aftermath]. Later, enjoy a quiz on other famous gates!
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[Music: 1) Devo, “Gates of Steel (2009 Remaster),” 2009; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Sure, we all loved The Little Mermaid growing up, but did you know how horrific the original story was?! In today’s episode, Lauren takes us through some of the works of Hans Christian Andersen, his lonely life, and strange proclivities. [Hint: You never wanted him as a houseguest!] Later, take a quiz called “Princesses and Peas”!
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[Music: 1) Danny Kaye, “Wonderful Copenhagen/Hans Christian Andersen,” 1952; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Feminism is for everybody! Julia provides a primer on ten works of feminist literature that You Should Know. Later, enjoy a quiz called “Some Problems That DO Have Names”!
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[Music: 1) Chaka Khan, “I’m Every Woman,” 1978; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Miss Information: A Trivia Podcast
163 - "The Problem That Has No Name": Feminist Literature
Get ready, volcanology-fiends: It’s time to get explosive with the most intense volcano blast in modern history on the continental U.S. Settle in for the tale of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, along with stories of the people who tracked it [and some noted skeptics]. Later, take a quiz called “Rock Flow”– a quiz about rock/rap collabs and bands!
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[Music: 1) Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy” vs. The xx “Intro” mashup, YouTube user soccerplaya514, 2010; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
A mule named Sal won’t help you here… Julia digs up some dirt on the major international waterway about which we all keep missing trivia questions. Learn all about the history of the Suez Canal, along with some major global events centering around this manmade border between Africa and Asia. Later, enjoy a quiz called “From C to Shining C!”
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[Music: 1) Giuseppe Verdi, “The Grand March” from Aida, performed by the United States Marine Corps Band, 2002; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Since art episodes are becoming our bread and butter… Lauren’s going to teach you all about one of the most famous female artists of the 19th century: Edmonia Lewis [the first woman of African-American and Native American heritage to achieve international fame as a sculptor]. Learn all about Lewis’ incredible life, art, and legacy. Later, take a quiz about the Renaissance!
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[Music: 1) Madrigal National Choir & Anna Ungureanu, “Ars Nova and Renaissance” from Guillaume de Machaut’s ballads to Claudio Monteverdi’s madrigals, George Enescu Festival, 2015; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a delightfully rich recurring trivia topic just so happens to be famous opening lines of novels. With that in mind, Julia endeavored to compile a podcast episode that would cover that very theme. And later, enjoy a quiz called “Take It From the Top!”
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[Music: 1) Stefano Vita, “Once Upon a Time,” 2015. Courtesy of Stefano Vita, CC BY-NC-SA license; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Have you ever wanted to know more about Classical music, but felt you weren’t ~fancy~ enough to ask? Well, you’re in luck, because today, our guest, musician (and current Mental Samurai!) Heather Hurley has all the information you crave. Later, take a quiz on plays and ears called “Playing by Ear”!
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[Music: 1) Ludwig von Beethoven, “Allegretto” from Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]
Miss Information: A Trivia Podcast
158 - A Miss Information Guide to Classical Music (with Heather Hurley)
Let’s be honest, you don’t know what really happened during the Boer War either– but that’s why we’re here! Learn all about the complicated and astounding history of this conflict between South Africa and the UK. [To be fair, it’s not a light one, folks.] But, later!– take a fun quiz about the Dutch! .
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[Music: 1) Johnny Clegg & Savuka, “Cruel Crazy Beautiful World,” 1989; 2) Frau Holle, “Ascending Souls,” 2017. Courtesy of Frau Holle, CC BY-NC 3.0 license.]