For millennia, characters like King Arthur and Robin Hood have captivated the masses, inspiring songs and books and films and Saturday morning cartoons, but their reality is obscured behind myth and legend. Prepare for history-bending revelations as Shane and Duncan uncover the truth behind famous figures who might never have existed. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Sun Tzu Robin Hood Tokyo Rose King Arthur Spokespeople: Betty Crocker & Aunt Jemima ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

In the first installment of MFFI’s Government Cover-Ups series, grab your New Coke and Trapper Keeper for a trip back to the 1980s to uncover the truth behind one of the wildest political scandals in American history: the Iran-Contra affair. It’s a saga of guns, drugs, hostages, and lies that shook the White House to its core.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Ronald Wilson Reagan, the Actor The Hollywood Blacklist  President of the Screen Actor’s Guild Ronald W. Reagan, Informant Governor Regan Candidate Regan President Regan Nicaragua in the ‘80s  The Sandinistas  Fall of the Samosa Dictatorship The Contras (Counterrevolutionaries)  Democrats Sweep Congress  The Boland Amendments  “The Enterprise” Richard Secord Oliver North The Iran Iraq War Operation Eagle Claw Israel, Intermediary Manucher Ghorbanifar, Sneaky Snake National Security Adviser Robert MacFarlane Shipments Commence Hostage Release John Poindexter The Scheme Unravels Eugene Hasenfus, Lucky Pervert  Mehdi Hashemi Fawn Hall and the Shredding Party Cleaning House and the Tower Commission Congressional Inquiry  Oliver North, Celebrity Traitor Repercussions  George Bush  The Cover-Up Complete  ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

Can an apple a day keep the doctor away? If you swallow your gum, will it spend years in your stomach? Can walnuts repair floor-scratches? (Spoiler alert: no, no, and yes.) Everyone is familiar with Old Wives Tales, those dubious snippets of folk wisdom that have been passed down from generation to generation. But where do they come from? And are they all just harmless superstitions, or do any of them contain a grain of truth? Join Shane and Duncan as they explore the true stories behind some of the most enduring Old Wives Tales.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Does Coffee Stunt Your Growth? Can you Catch a Cold From Having Wet Hair? Should You Pee on a Jellyfish Sting? Does an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away? If You Cross Your Eyes Will They Get Stuck Like That? Should You Wait 30 Minutes to Swim After Eating? Will Self-Love Put Hair on Your Palms? Should You Feed a Cold and Starve a Fever? If You Shave, Will Your Hair Grow Back Thicker and Faster? If You Swallow Your Gum, Will it Stay in Your Stomach for Years? Can a Penny on the Train Tracks Derail a Train? Is There a Chemical That Can Detect and Reveal Urine in a Pool? Can Sitting Too Close to the TV Make You Blind? Can Spicy Food Cause Ulcers? Will a Watermelon Seed Sprout in Your Stomach? Do Cats Smother Newborn Babies? Can Peanut Butter Remove Gum From Your Hair? Can Walnuts Repair Floor Scratches? Do Wooden Spoons Keep Water From Boiling Over? Does Hot Water Cause Temporary Infertility?  ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

From Viagra to Super Glue, history is littered with "aha!" moments that were nothing more than lucky accidents. In this bumbling, stumbling episode of MFFI, the boys take a closer look at the flukes and misadventures that led to some of the most successful inventions in human history. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Sildenafil Citrate (Viagra) Peter Dunn and Albert Wood Dr. Nicholas Terret PDE5 and GMP Time Magazine and The Potency Pill Super Glue Dr. Harry Coover Eastman 910 I’ve Got a Secret Durabond Slinky Richard and Betty James Slinky Physics  Hookes Law, Compression Waves Slinkies in Space Velcro, the Zipperless Zipper George de Mestral David Letterman and Velcro Gender Fluidity NASA Matchsticks Tao Gu and the Fire Inch-Stick Chemical Matches Jean Chancel François Derosne John Walker and Friction Lights Play-Doh  Noah McVicker and Kutol Joseph McVicker Kay Zufall Rainbow Modeling Compound Play-Doh Pete The Doh-Dohs ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

Warning: This one is brutal. On this week’s karma-packed episode of MFFI, cringe along with Shane and Duncan as they delve into some of the most notorious animal attacks in history. From the killing of Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter) by a startled stingray to the public tiger-mauling of Roy Horn (of Siegfried and Roy), explore instances of hubris and outright stupidity that resulted in shocking animal-on-human violence. This episode won’t help your insomnia, but it’s a wild ride… ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Animal Attack Facts Danger Level: Cats vs. Dogs Danger Level: Humans vs. Snakes Unprovoked Ferrets Defense Strategies Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn Roy vs. Mantecore Timothy William Dexter aka Timothy Treadwell aka Grizzly Man The Death of Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard Werner Herzog and Jewel Palivak The Crocodile Hunter (Steve Irwin) Terri, Robert, and Bindi The Stingray Dingoes Got My Baby Alice (Lindy) Lynn Chaberlain-Creighton and Michael Chamberlain Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain Uluru  Greg and Sally Lowe The Conviction The Pardon The Vindication Sandra Herold, Charla Nasha, and Travis the Chimp  ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

Welcome to the "Social Media Schadenfreude" episode, in which Shane and Duncan delve into the misfortunes of the fortunate. First up: MySpace, the has-been of the social networking world. Next: TikTok, the latest all-singing/all-dancing/all-spying flavor of the month. And last but not least, the endless stream of drama and chaos that is Twitter, from its beginnings as a 240-character bullhorn to its current incarnation as the pet project of a billionaire in freefall. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Primitive Social Media Samuel Finley Breese Morse Morse Code Telegraph Chat Culture  The Rise of the Internet  BBS CompuServe CB Simulator CBIG and the Rise of Online Dating America Online AOL's Disastrous Merger with Time Warner Classmates.com: The Proto Facebook Sixdegrees.com: The Proto MySpace Friendster: Proto MySpace #2 MySpace: The First Juggernaut Tom Anderson, Everyone's Friend Lord Flathead The Top 8 News Corp. Acquisition Specific Media and the Justin Timberlake era of MySpace The Ascendence of Zuckerberg  Odeo Spawns TWTTR The Founders: Noah Glass, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, & Jack Dorsey Backstabbing and Drama at Early Twitter Twitter's Big Break: SXSW The Myth of Musk The Elon Era at Twitter Crashes and Burnings Trashfires Galore Is There a Rock Bottom? ByteDance Spawns Douyin Douyin Spawns International TikToks  Trump v. TikTok Government v. TikTok TikTok is Shady AF The All-Powerful Algorithm "Toxic" Content The Current State of the Socials ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

From Nixon's infamous Smoking Gun audiotape to the OJ Simpson "lost confession,” cases of missing and recovered media have commanded public attention and left a lasting impact on the cultural zeitgeist. In this week's muckraking episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan unearth the most fascinating and bizarre cases of lost-and-found media in history. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Christine Chubbuck and the First On-Air Suicide Fritz Lang's Metropolis O.J. Simpson, The Lost Confession The Nixon White House Tapes ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic numerology message 20+C+M+B+22? And what's with all of those airborne reindeer? Welcome to Ghosts of Christmases Past, in which Shane and Duncan explore how tree-worship and animal sacrifice evolved into the bizarre, festive, highly commercialized holiday we know today. So whether you're feeling the Christmas spirit or just feeling jaded and grinchy, grab a cup of heavily-spiked eggnog, get cozy by the yule-log, and join the boys as they unpack the fascinating pagan history of Christmas. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Christmastide Christmas Eve The Feast of Saint Stephen, Protomartyr Childermas, The Feast of the Holy Innocents Herod the Great The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, Octave of the Nativity, Solemnity of Mary The Feast of the Holy Family 12th Night, Epiphany Eve Chalking the Door Saturnalia The Holiday of Yule Yule Boar, Yule Goat, Yule Log Anglican Revelers vs. Puritan Grinches The Story of the Nativity December 25th Becomes the Arbitrary DOB Christenmas, Christ Mass, and Xmas Christmas Trees Saint Nicholas of Myra, aka Saint Nick, aka Nicholas the Wonderworker Sinterklaas  Christmases Around the World Reindeer Thomas Nast Haddon Sundblom and Coca-Cola   ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

Which countries have abolished the death penalty, and which countries execute the largest number of convicts? What are the most popular methods of dispensing capital punishment? Who was the last person executed publicly in Europe, and America? Has anyone survived a public execution? Find out the answers to all of these disturbing questions and more in this week's punitive, vengeful, and relentlessly morbid episode of MFFI.  **Note: this episode includes all of the graphic details you'd expect based on the topic. If dark humor isn't your jam, there's no shame in skipping this one.** ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The Most Popular Methods of Execution: Guillotine, Firing Squad, Gallows, Gas Chamber, Lethal Injection, Electrocution Jamestown and The First American Execution: Captain George Kendall The Current State of the Death Penalty in the States Virginia and Texas Vie for Capital Punishment Supremacy Furman v. Georgia and the 4-Year Pause (1972-1976) Unitary Trials Capital Punishment Resumes The Supreme Court Chips Away at the Death Penalty Federal Versus State Charges TFG Reinstitutes Executions Federal Executions: The Worst of the Worst Lethal Injection and Julius Mount Bleyer Death-Cocktail Shortages Current State of Capital Punishment Worldwide The Rationale for Public Executions The Last Public Executions: Rainey Bethea (Kentucky 1936) and Hamida Djandoubi (France 1977) The Death Penalty as a Deterrent Capital Punishment for Lesser Offenses (Drug Dealing, Blasphemy, Apostasy)  Failed and Botched Executions Antonio Franks, 1872, Fiji Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty Exonerated Death-Row Inmates Conclusions   ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

Few characters from pop culture are as divisive as clowns. Simultaneously endearing and terrifying, the archetype of the clown has persevered throughout the ages despite being reviled by a significant portion of the world’s population. There’s even a word for the fear of clowns: coulrophobia. So how did ancient jesters and tricksters evolve into the unsettling, white-faced, crazy-haired clowns of today? And what makes the figure of the clown so durable? Find out in this week’s buffoonish, pratfalling, skin-crawling episode of MFFI. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Ancient Egypt and the "Dangas" Ancient Greece Ancient Rome and the “Stupidus”  Court Jesters and Fools Loki The Hayuka Carl Jung's "Trickster" Archetype Commedia dell'arte The Pierrot The Harlequin Joseph Grimaldi ("Joey") Philip Astley and the Circus The Whiteface, the Auguste, the Character and the Hobo Emmett Kelly’s “Weary Willie” Charlie Chaplin (Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr.) Music Hall and Vaudeville Marcel Marceau, Michael Jackson, and the Art of Mime Bozo the Clown Fear of Clowns: Coulrophobia The Joker Stephen King's It The Clown Panic of 2016 Insane Clown Posse and the Jugallos  Terrifier 2 and "Art the Clown" ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

Super strength, super hearing, the ability to fly; many of the standard superpowers from comic books are commonplace in the animal kingdom. But those abilities barely scratch the surface when it comes to the awesome potential of evolutionary adaptation. In this latest episode, Shane schools Duncan on the most unique and powerful critters in the animal kingdom. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The Ninja Slug (Ibycus rachelae) Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) Mimic Octopus and Wunderpus photogenicus Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) Flea (Siphonaptera) Frog Hopper (Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

Every society faces an inevitable dilemma: what to do with dead bodies? Join Shane and Duncan as they travel across the globe and throughout history to explore Sky Burial, plastination, "Dancing with the Dead," and the most famous death ritual of all: mummification.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The World's Oldest Known Burial Site: Qafzeh Death Rituals Around the World Famidihana: Dancing With the Dead (Turning of the Bones) Buddhism and "Sky Burial" Viking Funerals South Korean "Death Beads" Western Funerals Mummification Autolysis and Decomposition Putrefaction Intentional vs Unintentional Mummies Otzi the Iceman Juanita, the Peruvian Sacrifice Egyptian Mummies The Book of the Dead The Ka, the Ba, and the Akh The Journey Through Duat The Hall of Maat The Judgment of Anubis Heart-Weighing Ammit The "Most Perfect Method"  King Tut (Tutankhamun)  Howard Carter and the Discovery of King Tut's Tomb The Death Mask The Legacy of Mummification Plastination Vladimir Ilyach Ulyanov Lenin Summum: The Mummy Cult ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

Which famous foursome is considered the first punk band? What did CBGB stand for? In what city did punk originate? What was the wild television moment that made The Sex Pistols a household name?  From the first on-stage snarls to punk's final wheezing gasps, follow along with Shane and Duncan as they trace the rise and fall of punk music. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Redefining Rebellion The Evolution of Punk 60s Garage Rock: MC5 and the Kinks Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The New York Dolls 1970s Socioeconomics Hilly Kristal and CBGB Hillbilly Poetry Wayne County/Wayne Richards/Jane County The Revalons, Television, Patti Smith PUNK Magazine  The Ramones Danny Fields and His Mom Malcolm McLaren, Vivian Westwood and SEX The Sex Pistols are Assembled Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious The Infamous Bill Grundy Show Meltdown The Sex Pistols Tour the American South The Demise of the Pistols Sid and Nancy Punk Factions: Hardcore, Political, Pop Political: The Dead Kennedys Hardcore: The Bad Brains, Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Germs Horror Punk: The Misfits Pop Punk: The Stiff Little Fingers, The Descendants, Bad Religion The Rise of Skate/Surf Punk: Offspring, NOFX, Green Day, Rancid Riot Grrrls: Bikini Kill, Buggy Bear, Slant 6, Bratmobile The Warped Tour and the Death of Rebellion Punk Goes Full Pop: Blink 182, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance etc  ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

Join two lifelong skeptics as they attempt to set aside their cynicism and immerse themselves in the mystical universe of Astrology and the Zodiac. (“Attempt” being the operative word. If you're a huge fan of Astrology, please take note: there will be some respectful debunking.) Whether you're a fixed feminine water sign or a masculine cardinal air sign, whether your 8th house is in Pluto or Mars, you'll find something to enjoy in this week's cosmic, celestial, prognosticating installment of MFFI.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Mesopotamia and the Babylonians The "How" Problem Constellations and the Zodiac Mayan Astrology Chinese Astrology Sun Sign The Elements: Earth, Wind, Air, and Fire Fixed, Cardinal, and Mutable Signs Rising Sign Moon Sign  Planets Houses The Infamous NASA blog Ophiuchus: The 13th Sign Joan Quigley and Nancy Reagan Mercury in Retrograde Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

Did gladiators always battle to the death? Who was the most famous gladiator of all time, and why did he never step foot in the Colosseum? Were any gladiators women? What would a day at the Colosseum look and sound like? (Spoiler alert: music accompanied the fights.) Were all gladiators slaves, or could free citizens compete in the arena?  Join Shane and Duncan as they explore the history and legacy of human combat in this week’s hacking and slashing, rough-and-tumble episode of MFFI. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   How Combat Became Entertainment Cultural Universals: Wrestling, Boxing, etc The Etruscans and Campanians Ludus/Ludi The Gladius (Sword) Funeral Ceremonies (Munus/Munera) Female Fighters Brutus Pera and Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva Caesar's Munus Venatio (Beast Shows/Animal Hunts) Augustus Regulates the Munera Trajan's Games Marcus Aurelius Commodus Russel Crowe's Maximus Myth Busting Lucius Cassius Dio The Colosseum Gladiator Pairs Gladiator Types: Retiaruus, Murmillo, Andabata, Thraex Mimus (Horn-Blowing Chickens and Flute-Playing Bears) Spartacus and the Third Servile War Honorius and the End of the Games   Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

What are the most consistently misused words and phrases in the English language? Find out in this week's nitpicking, pedantic, gloriously sesquipedalian episode of MFFI.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Terrific Queer Ironic Literally Meretricious  Irregardless Disinterested Electrocute Refute Fewer vs Less Nauseous  Nonplussed Eggcorns I Could Care Less Shoo-In For All Intents and Purposes Piqued Hunger Pangs You've Got Another Think Coming Dog Eat Dog World Coleslaw Buck Naked Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

What’s the world’s most dangerous plant? Which notorious stinging nettle is capable of an aerial attack? And what the heck is a hemicryptophyte?  Join Shane and Duncan as they explore the wild world of toxic foliage in this week’s lush, leafy, and lethal episode of MFFI.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Atropa Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) Herbaceous, Perennial, Rhizomatous, Hemicryptophyte Augustus and Livia Atropine Daffodil (Narcissus Poeticus) Lycorine Castor Bean (Ricinus Communis)  1978 Umbrella Murder (Georgi Markov) Ricin Poison Gympie-Gympie (Dendrocnide Moroides) Gubbi-Gubbi Phototoxic Giant Hogweed (Heracleum Mantegazzianum) Tangent: Corpse Bloom (Amorphophallus Titanium) Hemlock (Conium Maculatum) Socrates Nerium-Oleander The Deadliest Plant on Earth Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

On September 26, 1983, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Soviet army saved the world. When the Oko nuclear-warning system erroneously reported an incoming barrage of American missiles, Stanislov Petrov chose not to alert his superiors, and averted the apocalypse. But what if he had made a different decision? Would civilization still exist? What would the world look like today?  Join the boys as they examine the uniquely human obsession with revising history, and take a journey down the "what if" rabbit hole. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The Roman Origins of Alternate History Titus Livius's Ab Urbe Condita Points of Divergence Chaos Theory The Butterfly Effect Edward Norton Lorenz "For Want of a Nail"  Apocalyptic Futures Lieutenant Colonel Stanislov Petrov The Oko Warning System "Launch on Warning" Protocol Mutually Assured Destruction Northern Hemisphere Effects vs. Southern Fallout Little Ice Age vs. Nuclear Winter  What if the North Hadn't Won the Civil War? Likelihood of a Northern Failure/Southern Stalemate Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1864 McClellan Negotiates a Ceasefire Lincoln's Legacy Slavery Continues Southern Decline Westward Expansion, Further Fragmentation WWI in America Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

To make up for the lost episode due to Shane’s bout with COVID, MFFI is releasing another full, brand new After Midnight this week! Enjoy your favorite segments like “How Stupid Are We?” and “This Week’s Random Fact,” plus the greatest movie sequels of all time. What’s in your top five? Tell us in DISCORD ... ~ Access the entire back catalog of After Midnights, plus bonus episodes and perks over at the brand new MFFI Patreon:    PATREON   ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website  

The future is here, and it's terrifying. Join the boys as they learn all about the revolutionary gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9. What's with the crazy acronym, how swole can a chicken be, and when will Duncan get his prehensile tail? Find out on the latest DNA-snipped, biologically enhanced episode of MFFI.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats Genetic Scissors Streptococcus Pyogenes Bacteria: The Real Hero Yoshizumi Ishino Francisco Mojica Cas9 Emanuelle Marie Charpentier and Jennifer Anne Doudna DNA/RNA/crRNA Cas12a Sickle Cell Treatment Victoria Gray CRISPR Crops Memphis Meats The GMO issue HIV and Cancer Treatments Challenges Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript        

Little-known fact: the mad doctor from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein was based on a real-life scientist named Giovanni Aldini. And even Aldini's corpse-reanimating experiments were mild compared to some of the bizarre and horrifying travesties that have been committed in the name of scientific progress. Join the boys as they explore two-headed dogs, telekinetic pong-playing monkeys, and the history of unhinged science. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Vladimir Demikhov Head Transplants Shavka and Brodyaga Jose Manuel Rodriguez Delgado Shiro Ishii Unit 731 Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night (Disease Fleas) Giovanni Aldini, the OG Frankenstein Galvanism The Postmortem Electrocution of George Forster Andrew Ure, Frankenstein Part 2 The Postmortem Electrocution of Matthew Clydesdale Elon Musk and Neuralink Pager the Mind-Pong Monkey Cryonics Alcor, the Life-Extension Foundation M.E.A.R.T, the Semi-Living Artist Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript        

Leroy Robert Ripley would transcend humble origins to become an unlikely superstar, rebranding from an awkward teenage cartoonist to the sophisticated leader of a profitable multimedia empire. In the process he would expand minds, introduce Americans to the wonders of the larger world...and also contribute to misinformation, promote stereotypes, and work hard to conceal the true secret behind his success. Join the boys this week as they tackle the complicated legacy of Ripley's Believe It or Not!   ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Leroy Robert Ripley Santa Rosa Those Teeth From the San Franciso Bulletin to the New York Globe Robert Leroy Ripley Handball Champion Rebranding/Makeover Champs and Chumps Believe It or Not The Laconia Ramble 'Round the World With Ripley Ripley Meets India Ripley Fetishizes China The Lindbergh Controversy The First Book William Randolph Hearst Makes Ripley Rich Curioddities Norbert Pearlroth, Secret Weapon The Warner Brothers Film Shorts The Radio Show Ripley, Casanova BION Island The First Museum Human Exhibits, Oddities, and "High Class Freaks" Freda Pushnik Post-World-War Tour The First TV Show Death Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

In the late 17th century, a satanic panic swept through the Puritan colony of Salem, Massachusetts. Neighbors turned on neighbors, families were torn apart, and when all was said and done 19 innocent men and women were dead. And the scariest part? It could happen again.   Join Shane and Duncan for a thorough exploration of one of the most shameful episodes in American history: the Salem Witch Trials.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   European Witch Trials The German Trier Trials King James VI The Berwick Witch Trials Connecticut Witch Trials Arthur Miller's The Crucible The Puritans The Catholic Church and Indulgences Salem in the 1690s Abigail Williams and Elizabeth "Betty" Parris Samuel Parris William Griggs Mary Sibley and the Witches Cake Elizabeth Hubbard and the Wolf The First Three Accused: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba Ann Putnam Jr. The Devil's Book John and Elizabeth Proctor John Hathorne and Jon Corwin Governor Sir William Phipps Judge William Stoughton The First Execution: Bridget Bishop Oyer and Terminer Spectral Evidence Witch Tests The Pressing of Giles Cory The Superior Court of Judicature The Panic Ends Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

Everything you think you know about H.H. Holmes is probably a lie. Which is appropriate, because "Dr. Henry Howard Holmes" was more of a serial liar than a serial killer. But while the popular version of his story is more myth than reality, the truth behind the legend is equally fascinating. Join the boys as they unearth the disturbing history of Herman Webster Mudgett, aka H.H. Holmes.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Herman Webster Mudgett Myths vs. Reality Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City vs. Adam Seltzer's The True History of the White City Devil Yellow Journalism The "Murder Castle" The World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago World's Fair) Formative Years Herman Webster Mudgett, "Resurrectionist" First Wife: Clara Lovering First Child: Robert Lovering Mudgett Second Wife: Myrta Zulique Belknap Second Child: Lucy Theodate Holmes Englewood, Chicago The Holtons Scams and Swindles (Mineral Water and Natural Gas) Benjamin Pitezel The Connors: Julia, Ned, and Pearl The Keeley Cure The Disappearance of Emeline Cigrand Third Wife: Minnie Williams Disappearance of Anna and Minnie On the Run Fourth Wife: Georiana Yoke Murders of Benjam, Howard, Alice, and Nellie Pitezel Apprehended The Trial Executed Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript    

From the largest animal to ever inhabit the earth to the heaviest predator of all time, from Spinosaurus to Dire Wolves (they were real!), Shane and Duncan explore the biggest of the big.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Modern Megafauna Blue Whale: Balaenoptera Musculus Megatherium (Giant Ground Sloth) The Pando Aspen Colony  Armillaria Ostoyae: Clone Network of Fungus Rhizomorphs La Brea Tar Pits and Zed The Five Major Extinction Events The Square Cube Law Patagotitan Mayorum Brontosaurus (?) Spinosaurus Meganeuropsis Permiana Paraceratherium Dire Wolves Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

Welcome to another exciting episode of "Is it a cult?" (Spoiler: yep!) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is one of the world's youngest and fastest-growing religions. It's also completely bonkers. In this week's supersized episode, Shane and Duncan marvel at the sheer awesome silliness of Mormonism and recount the unlikely story of the church's enigmatic con-artist founder, Joseph Smith. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Joseph Smith The Angel Moroni and the Golden Plates Urim and Thummim The Book of Mormon (Lehi, Nephi, Laman et al)  Brigham Young Nauvoo Exoduses from: New York, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri Revelation of Polygamy The Expositor and the Death of Joseph Smith Salt Lake, Utah The Mountain Meadows Massacre Missionaries The Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah Warren Jeffs Tithing (Sacred Taxation) The Artists Formerly Known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Endowment Ceremony Covenants, Tokens, Signs and Seals Veils and Secret Handshakes Execution of the Penalty Sacred Temple Garments (God's Armor) Baptizing the Dead Exaltation (Private Worlds) Mormon cosmology and Kolob The Oath of Vengeance Mormons and LGBTQ+ Prop 8 Family Home Evening (FHE) Shunning/Excommunication ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

What was the sinister secret behind "Camp Century"? Did the American government really import and employ high-ranking Nazi scientists after WWII? Is there a non-pervy interpretation of the term "Rods of God"? Find out the answers to all of these questions and more in this week's classified, undercover, top-secret edition of MFFI.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Project Iceworm Project Sunshine Project Thor Operation Northwoods Operation Paperclip ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

Gather your supplies and settle in for a wall-crushing, bunker-busting, fire-raining episode of MFFI as the boys explore the most brutal sieges in history. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Complete Investment Circumvallation Trebuchets, Catapults, Siege Towers, Mangonels The Siege of Stirling Castle Alexander the Great and The Siege of Tyre The Siege of Leningrad (Saint Petersburg)  The Siege of Ceuta  The Siege of Saguntum The Siege of Tenochtitlan ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

What do touchscreens, electrical outlets, color televisions, and fax machines have in common? They were all revolutionary technological breakthroughs that debuted at World’s Fairs. Also from World’s Fairs: powdered root beer, portable bathtubs, and Elektro the Smoking Robot. Hey, they can’t all be winners. This week, join the guys for a grand tour of the most sensational hits and misses from the storied history of International Expositions.  ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Fairs vs. Expositions Prague in 1791 France in 1798 et al The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park (https://www.royalparks.org.uk/whats-on/the-great-exhibition-virtual-tour) Monkey Closets and George Jennings Thomas Crapper Spending a Penny The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations Prince Albert Karl Marx, Shade Thrower Schweppes  The Mountain of Light Cyrus McCormick's Steam-Powered Reaping Machine The Fax Machine Leeches and the Tempest Prognosticator Charles Hobbes and the Parautoptic Lock Linus Yale The Bureau Internationale De Expositions Specialized Expos, World Expos, Horticultural Expos, and the Milan Triennial Donald Rumsfeld and the Known Unknowns The Space Needle The Chicago 1893 World's Columbian Exposition H.H. Holmes William Cody Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. and the Ferris Wheel X-Rays, Zippers, and AT&T's Picture Phone RCA and Color Television The Knoxville Tennessee World's Fair Samuel Hurst and the Touchscreen Cherry Coke The Eiffel Tower The Paris Colonial Exposition The "Truth on the Colonies" Elektro the Smoking Robot, and Sparko The New York World's Fair of 1964 The Bell Rocket Belt The Suboceanic Resort It's a Small World The Festival of Gas Philadelphia's Centennial Exposition of 1876 The Statue of Liberty's Hand Ethelbert Watts and the Portable Bathtub (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008XSXQIO/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_ADHM9NHG1NVP9Q2X13H5) Expo '86 The Challenger Disaster and Chernobyl ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

It's a god#%m mothe$#@king s*#tshow on this week's episode as the guys explore the history, purpose, and benefits of profanity. Keep it classy, Insomniacs.    Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Profanus: Outside of Temple Zounds Osculation Sl*tty Tummies The Overton Window Modern Profanity: Racism, Sexism, and all the other isms The Problem With Time Machines The Home of Profanity: The Right-Brain Limbic System Aphasia International Restrictions on Speech Obscenity Laws The Miller Test (The 3-Pronged Obscenity Test) Averages and Community Standards Lenny Bruce Jim Morrison, Hugh Hefner, and Mae West George Carlin's "7 Dirty Words" Eddie Murphy's "Delirious" Telegraph, Radio, and Television The Radio Act of 1912  The Federal Radio Commission The Radio Act of 1927 The Federal Communications Commission WBAI  John Douglas Goes to the Supreme Court The Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters The Fairness Doctrine The Hays Code (The Motion Picture Production Code) The MPAA and Arbitrary Ratings Steven Pinker and the 5 Functions of Swearing Cathartic, Dysphemistic, Emphatic, Idiomatic, Coprolalia ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

What do celebrities, sex magic, and the antichrist have in common? Find out in this week's all-clear, billion year, intergalactically cult-ilicious episode of MFFI.  Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health Lafayette Ronald Hubbard Going Clear Celebrity Members (Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Giovanni Ribisi, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Pena, etc) Margaret Louise "Polly" Grubb Hubbard in the Navy Jack Parsons, Thelema, OTO, and Aleister Crowley The Moonchild (Antichrist) Marjorie Cameron  Sarah Northrup Engrams Auditors E-Meters Scientology vs Psychiatry The Reactive vs. The Analytical Mind The Tone Scale Founding of Scientology The Sea Org The Bridge (Ladder) to Total Freedom Operating Thetan Levels The Purification Rundown OT3, Xenu, Teegeeack, Glycol, DC-8s, Super Colossal Screens Hubbard Discards His Body David Miscavige, Sleazy Diminutive Sociopath Suppressive Persons 7th Floor of the Hollywood Headquarters Pre-Clear Folders The Office of Special Affairs Scientology vs. the IRS Michele "Shelly" Miscavige Scientology Television Network Meet a Scientologist, Freedom TV, Voices For Humanity ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

In this first episode of the Epic Rivalries series, the boys opt for a (mostly) lighthearted introduction to the world of legendary grudge-matches. Enjoy! Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Coke Vs Pepsi Hatfields Vs McCoys Pat’s Vs. Geno’s ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

Ready for a trip down memory lane? No? Well, it's happening, and it's all Duncan's fault. The plague monkey strikes again. (Thanks a lot, omicron.) But luckily the first long-distance episode ended up being a rollicking good time. Listen along as the boys revisit everyone's favorite and most inappropriate moments from the first 100 episodes. Trigger warnings and NSFW tags apply. Enjoy!   Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website    

It’s the MFFI 100th episode extravaganza!! Announcements, podcast Q&As, plus a supersized topic: the History of Asylums. Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The Moonstruck Etymology of "Lunatic" The 21st-Century Language Act of 2012 Mental Healthcare Pre-Asylums Bedlam: The Bethlehem Royal Hospital The Mad Doctors Munro Alienists Hydrotherapy Rotational Therapy Blistering  Evacuation  Venesection  Scarification Mercuric Chloride James Norris and Edward Wakefield The Quakers William Tuke & Hannah Mills The York Retreat  Public Institutions  County Asylums Act The Lunacy Act of 1845 Utica State Hospital Thomas Story Kirkbride The Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason Friends Hospital Dorothea Dix Nellie Bly, Redux Henry Cotton Julius Wagner-Jauregg Malaria Injections Insulin Coma Therapy Lobotomies, Redux Electroconvulsive Therapy, ECT Ugo Cerletti Straight Jackets The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Domestic Trouble Sterilization The Rise of Antidepressants and Antipsychotics ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript  

Although many of you Insomniacs have probably been naughty this year, MFFI is releasing a full After Midnight episode to the regular feed just in time for the holidays. It's a Christmas miracle! From historical classics to modern classics to Die Hard 2, Shane and Duncan debate the best holiday movies of all time. What's in your top 5? Tell us in the MFFI Discord...   MFFI DISCORD   ~ In this episode:   3 Rounds of Midnight Madness Thunderdome of Ideas (the Top 5 Five Holiday Movies), chosen from: The Grinch Love Actually Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Edward Scissorhands Bad Santa Scrooged Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Gremlins It's a Wonderful Life Just Friends How the Grinch Stole Christmas The Muppets Miracle on 34th Street Planes, Trains, and Automobiles The Muppet Christmas Carol Die Hard 1 and 2 Elf The Prince of Egypt Lethal Weapon Frosty the Snowman The Christmas Chronicles ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~    

Who wrote the first ever science fiction novel? Why is Isaac Asimov hiding his middle initial? And which psychedelic author attempted to murder the most wives?   In the latest MFFI episode, Shane snd Duncan answer all of the burning sci-fi-history questions that you never cared enough to ask. ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The Epic of Gilgamesh? Johannes Kepler’s 1634 “Somnium” (The Dream) Mary Shelly and the Mad Scientist Trope Frankenstein  The Last Man Roger Dodsworth: the Reanimated Englishman" (Another) Last Man: “Le Dernier Homme” by Jean-Baptiste François Xavier Cousin De Grainville  “The Steam Man of the Prairies” Johnny Brainerd, Ethan Hopkins and Mickey McSquizzle Jules Verne and the Extraordinary Voyages HG Wells (Herbert George Wells) Samuel Butler’s “Erewhon” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World The Futuristic Tales of Rudyard Kipling Edgar Allen Poe goes to the moon  Edgar Rice Burroughs: Mars (Barsoom) The Rise of the Pulps  Amazing Stories Astounding Science Fiction The Big Three: Robert A Heinlein, Arthur C Clark, and Isaac Yudovick Asimov Rendezvous with Rama  Stranger in a strange land Nightfall Ray Bradbury? Fritz Lang’s Metropolis  Art Deco, Googie, the Jetsons The Pulp Films: It Came from Outer Space et al  Science Fiction on Television: Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers The Impact of the Bomb: How Nuclear Weapons Shaped Sci Fi Kaiju, On the Beach Richard Matheson and I Am Legend  Planet of the Damn Dirty Apes Frank Herbert and Dune Phillip K Dick  Harlan Ellison Ursula K. Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness Soylent Green Logan’s Run  West World Michael Crichton  Orson Scott Card Saves the Day Avoiding Star Wars  Greg Bear’s Blood Music  Cyberpunk William Gibson’s Neuromancer  Bruce Sterling, Neal Stephenson, Mirrorshades  Richard Calder’s Dead Things The Era of Schwarzenegger  Dan Simmons Hyperion  Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Series  The Matrix etc  YA: Divergent, Maze Runner, Ready Player One, Hunger Games  Modern Sci Fi  ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript

Some inventions are commercial failures (see episode 45), and some are failures of such moral and/or epic proportions that the repercussions reverberate throughout history. These are those failures.    ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Land Mines Smell-O-Vision Sony XCP Zepellins  Shutter Shades ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~      

In the wake of Shane's recent nuptials, Duncan takes the reins to explore the unsettling history and traditions of weddings. What was the original, sinister purpose of the "Best Man"? How are evil spirits related to Bridesmaid's dresses? And in what way is a honeymoon similar to fleeing a crime scene? Listen to find out... ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Marriage/Ownership Best Men/Kidnappers Bridesmaids/Decoys Wedding Party/Accomplices Garters/Zombies White Weddings Cake Smushing Wedding Traditions Around the World ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~      

Who was the first explorer to reach the North Pole? How about the South? It turns out that at least one of those answers is complicated, and although the controversy may never be laid to rest, plenty of would-be arctic conquerors were themselves laid to rest during the golden age of polar exploration. Join MFFI for the fascinating, brutal, bloody, pony-packed tale of the race for polar glory.  ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The "Top" of the World Map Makers, Eurocentrism, and the West Wing Polar Facts 90 Degrees Latitude The Polar Day, the Tilt of the Earth, and Polar Seasons Alert, Canada Nautical Twilight Thomas Nast and Santa Claus Russia Claims the Pole The Northwest Passage Prices of Spices Robert McClure and the HMS Investigator  The Magnetic North Pole VS the True North Pole The Lost Franklin Expedition of 1845 The Arsenic-Poisoning of Charles Francis Hall The Crushing of George W Delong The Crashing of Salomon August Andree The Race Between Robert Peary and Frederick A Cook The Contributions of Matthew Henson Polar Bear Liver The Race for the South Pole  Roald Amundsum Fridtjof Nansen and the Fram The Night of the Ponies Amundson Takes the Pole Amundson Takes Another Pole The Death of Amundson ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~      

Why do we wear costumes on Halloween? When did pumpkins and candy get involved? And how the heck do you pronounce "Samhain"? Listen to find out... ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Celtic Festivals, Gaelic Origins Samhain and Beltane Fairies (The Aos Si) Bonfires, Livestock, Leaps Liminal Celebrations The Romans and Feralia Pomona Apple Bobbing?  Feast of All Martyrs Pope Boniface IV Pope Gregory III All Saints Day (All Hallows Day) Feast of All Souls All Hallows Day/Evening Allhallowe'en Souling and Allhallowtide Soul Cakes Souling Plays Guising Mischief Night Jack O'Lanterns  Stingy Jack Turnip Lanterns Trick or Treating Candy Corn Pet Costumes Calorie Counts ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Notes   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~      

After a series of deep-dive episodes chock full of useful information, the boys are back to form with an entirely off-the-rails and nonsensical romp through the history of some of the world's most famous, celebrated lost treasures. Pointless, silly fun. Enjoy! ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   The Scepter of Dagobert The Three Brothers Faberge Eggs ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~  

Are personality tests accurate? How were they developed, how reliable is the science behind them, and which are most respected? Most importantly: which developers of personality tests were sexy MFers and which of them wrote erotic fiction about old men? Follow along to discover the strange history behind personality tests.  ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   WW1 and Shell Shock (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) The Robert Sessions Woodworth Personal Data Sheet (WPDS) Carl Jung's Psychological Types Katherine Cook Briggs Isabel Briggs Meyers The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) The 8 Functions The 16 Types The Forer (Barnum) Effect CPP (Formerly Consulting Psychologists Press) ENTJ, The CEO Type Objective vs Projective Tests Hermann Rorschach, Sexy Badass Psychodiagnostik Pareidolia The Rorschach Test Ink Blot Interpretation (Klecksography) Gobolinks The Five Factor Model (FFM, or the Big 5) Enneagram Type A and Type B  The DISC Model ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~  

Ross Ulbricht created the most notorious website in history when he launched the The Silk Road in 2011. An online marketplace for drugs, guns, poisons, and explosives, the Silk Road would become synonymous with the Internet's lawless new frontier: the so-called "Dark Web." But what really IS the Dark Web? And how did a middle-class suburban kid become the notorious criminal kingpin known as the "Dread Pirate Roberts"? Fire up your TOR browser and cover your digital tracks as you follow Shane and Duncan into the darkest depths of the web for a fascinating true story of drugs, contract killings, and betrayal.   ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Deep Vs Dark Ross Ulbricht, Libertarian TOR (The Onion Router)  The Bitcoin Connection 'Shrooms Altoid Dread Pirate Roberts Variety Jones The Kingpin Statute Gawker and Chuck Schumer Julia and Erica Ross's Rules and the "Nonaggression Principle" DEA, FBI, and IRS Agent Carl Force, aka Nob Curtis Green, aka ChronicPain Agent Shaun Bridges, Thief  Assassinations IRS Agent Gary Alford Caught Trial and Sentencing  Carla Sophia, the "French Maid" ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~      

Ten episodes away from the big 1-0-0, the boys are hunting for the true origin story of the elusive video-game Easter egg. (Hint: Ready Player One got it wrong.) Follow along as Shane guides Duncan through some of the most famous, interesting, or pathetically failed examples of hidden content from movies and games.    PS: is there an Easter Egg in episode 90? Guess you'll have to keep listening to find out...  ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Debunking Spielberg's Version of the First Easter Egg Adventure, by Warren Robinett Adam Clayton, Snitch Not Fixed by Brad Stewart Steve Wright and the Origin of the Term "Easter Egg" Video Whizball and the First Name Drop The True Origin: Moonlander, by Jack Burness The DEC G40 Red Faction: Armageddon and Mr. Toots  Stormtrooper Blooper and the Battlefront Homage Resident Evil and the Jill Sandwich Castlevania CD Remix Doom II and John Romero's Head Diablo's Nonexistent Cow-Level Diablo II's Actual Hidden Cow-Level Batman: Arkham Asylum and the Product-Placement Easter Egg Konami, Solid Snake, Psycho Mantis, and the Creepiest of Easter eggs The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Literal Easter eggs Back to the Future and the Case of the Disappearing Pine Captain America: The Winter Soldier Samuel L Jackson, Pulp Fiction, and Nick Fury's Tombstone Ezekial 25:17, Murder Monologue Big Kahuna Burger and the Tarantino/Rodriguez connection  From Dusk Till Dawn, Reservoir Dogs, Four Rooms, Death Proof Indiana Jones and Droid Hieroglyphs  (C-3PO and R2D2) The Phantom Menace (Galactic Senate E.T.s) Ready Player One and the Death of Easter Eggs ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~    

Do bears really hibernate? What does the color green look like to a cat? And most importantly, is ice cream flavored with beaver butts? Find the answers to these and other essential animal-related questions in this week's episode of MFFI.  In this episode:   Do Bears Hibernate? Are Bats Blind? Can Dogs and Cats See Color? Can Owls Spin Their Heads Around? Are Penguins Monogamous? Is Ice Cream Flavored With Beaver Butts? Do Cats Love Milk? Have Primates (Like Koko) Actually Learned Sign Language? ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~

The word of the week is “tangent.“ This host-swap episode is supposedly about slang (like, for instance, “off the rails”), but it’s also about bees and legs and wives and Snoop D-O-Double-G. If you enjoy listening to the guys talk smack and ramble, enjoy.  In this episode:   Definition of Slang History Gig Lit 23 Skidoo Dumpster Fire Salty California Slang Monkey's Uncle The Bechdel Test Inspo Gucci Mansplain  Unplug Ghost ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~

Never say never. Shane swore that MFFI would never address the dreaded "K" family, but fate (and the Discord crew) had other plans. Join the boys for a fascinating dive into the putrid swamps of television history to learn how the scourge that is Reality TV conquered the entertainment world.  In this episode:   Reality Television VS Documentary Series The Finances SAG-AFTRA Networks VS Production Companies Writers Strikes The History of Reality TV American Family Meet the Louds Nummer 28 MTV The Real World New York Cast VS Editors Expedition Robinson Survivor Debuts Types of Reality TV Competition/Elimination Shows Formatted Shows Docu-Style Shows  Soft Scripting Story Narratives Criticism and Controversy Reality TV as Anthropological Experiment Frankenediting Joe Millionaire and the Slurp Heard Around the World Liquor and Sexual Abuse Allegations Product Placement The Humiliation Factor/Shame TV Tragedies ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~

You can’t win them all. In 1961, America experienced the sting of its first truly humiliating public defeat, a debacle that played out in real time on the international stage. The bungled and bloody Bay of Pigs Invasion would mark the first major misstep of the Kennedy administration, and as “Operation Zapata” began to unravel in Cuba, the resulting scandal would undermine America’s carefully crafted image as a shining beacon of virtue. In this episode:   Fulgencio Batista 1933 Sergeants uprising Mafia’s Playground Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz Che Guevara The Movement The Moncada Army Barracks 26 of July movement Granma Yacht  Brain Drain Dwight D Eisenhower John Fitzgerald Kennedy Operation Pluto Phases One, Two, and Three Operation Zapata Sonic Booms Brigade 2506 Carlos Rafael Santana Estevez The Attack  Mad Dog Flight FAR T-33s The Aftermath Tractors  Operation Mongoose Poison Cigar Exploding Mollusk The Fountain Pen Scuba Suit Poison Pills LSD Spray Thallium Salts ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch  ~ Leave an Audio Message! ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website ~ Episode Transcript   ~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~