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PODCAST

Now It"s Ruined

Kate Bridal and Larkin Harrington

Hello! We"re Now It"s Ruined, a podcast that reveals questionable facts about everyday objects, activities, and people in the hopes that you will never be able to truly enjoy them again. Hosts Kate Bridal and Larkin Harrington answer seemingly innocent questions like "Where did hammocks come from?" and "Who invented the chainsaw?" with distinctly unpleasant facts. We talk about the dark side of things we tend to take for granted and highlight the people who are often left out of the narrative. While

society & culture

All Episodes

00:59:47

Episode 19. Bananas

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/11/05

There are lots of fun facts about bananas: They’re radioactive, they may be the oldest fruit in the world, and they’re technically berries! So how did the bright yellow, comedy-inspiring fruit cause massacres, coups, and human rights violations? It’s a colonialist tale as old as time, full of not-so-fun facts about bananas and the men who steamrolled entire countries in order to sell

en-us

01:01:58

Episode 17. IPD Special: Jim Thorpe and Residential...

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/10/08

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, we wanted to dive into the life of the incredible Indigenous American athlete, Jim Thorpe.Despite a life marked with abuse, racism, alcoholism, and loss, Jim became the greatest athlete of the 20th century (we’d say ever), as well as an exceedingly generous member of his community. On top of his athletic accomplishments, Jim created a legacy of selflessness and love, truly living up to the name given to him by his Sac and Fox family: Wa-Tho-Huk, or Bright

en-us

00:49:47

Episode 16. Hello Kitty

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/09/24

How would you describe Hello Kitty? Cute? Innocent? A cat? You’d be partly right, but hold up on that last one…Larkin walks us through the history and legacy of Hello Kitty, shares some facts about her that make Kate absolutely furious, and describes how a culture of cute helped heal the economy (and image) of post-war Japan.ReferencesYano, Christine R. (2013) Pink Globalization - Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific. Duke University Press, Durham and

en-us

01:02:50

Episode 15. (American) Football

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/09/10

Happy American football season! Let’s talk about head trauma.Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that’s especially common in athletes. CTE has cascading effects that can cause memory loss, aggression, and other disturbing cognitive and personality changes, and football ranks second-highest on the list of sports with the most CTE exposure. This episode will teach you more about this upsetting disease, why certain positions in football may carry a higher risk (it’s

en-us

00:58:50

Episode 10. The Pink Triangle

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/07/02

In our slightly belated second Pride episode, Larkin discusses the dark history behind the pink triangle, a symbol of activism in the LGBTQIA+ community. Once used by the Nazis to identify gay male prisoners in concentration camps, the symbol was reclaimed in the 80s and used as a call to action during the AIDS crisis. Listen and learn about queer trailblazer Magnus Hirschfeld, which member of Hitler’s regime was openly gay, and Kate’s one red flag about Colin Hanks (slightly off-topic but cut us

en-us

00:43:46

Episode 9. Patreon Upcycle: The Triangle Shirtwaist...

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/06/18

Content Warning: This episode contains detailed descriptions of a deadly building fire. Listener discretion is advised.Due to the unexpected passing of Kate's mom, we're upcycling our first Patreon bonus episode so we don't leave you without content for a week. More ruinous content will come your way soon, but we appreciate your understanding and support during this tough time. We didn't know much about this tragedy before we researched it for the show, and it was even worse than we remembered. We

en-us

01:03:22

Episode 7. Charles Lindbergh

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/05/21

We’re ruining our first person as Kate tells us the dirt on thrill-seeking American hero (and fan of Nazi Germany) Charles Lindbergh. It’s a story that’s all the more frustrating because it could have been so romantic! Charles’ early days sound like a thrilling fairytale, and he could have been a highly influential catalyst for positive change. Instead, Charles devolved into a stubborn, deeply problematic figure who insisted on expressing opinions that would put him at odds with President Roosevelt

en-us

00:49:30

Episode 6. Mother's Day Special Part 2: Leonarda...

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/05/08

In Part 2 of our Mother’s Day Special, Larkin tells Kate the story of not-so-good mom Leonarda Cianciulli, the Soap Maker of Correggio. We don’t want to call her a “bad” mom, because she was doing everything she could to protect her child. But the methods she used move her out of “good mom” territory pretty fast. Leonarda had been told by a fortune teller that she would outlive all of her children. So when she found out her oldest son was planning to enlist in WWII, she went to extremes to keep him

en-us

00:48:18

Episode 5. Mother's Day Special Part 1: Sojourner Truth

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/05/07

In honor of Mother’s Day, we decided to do our first two-part episode! Kate and Larkin will be doing a story swap, with Kate covering a good mom from history and Larkin covering a… not-so-good mom. Even though it’s not a traditional Now It’s Ruined, both episodes are deeply dark and depressing, so don’t worry: Mother’s Day will still be ruined.In our first episode, Kate shares the incredible story of Sojourner Truth and her fight to free her son from slavery. Truth is famous for her participation in

en-us

00:43:18

Episode 4. Gin and Tonics

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/04/23

Malaria has plagued humans for centuries. It was written about by the ancient Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans, Hindus, and Chinese. The cure was waiting quietly in the bark of a tree in South America- A place malaria never touched until European colonizers brought it there.What does this have to do with gin and tonics, you ask? Give a listen to find

en-us

01:07:54

Episode 3. Chainsaws

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/04/09

In our gnarliest episode yet, Kate teaches Larkin the unfortunate history of the chainsaw. You’ll learn about human evolution, the religious makeup of Ireland, and a fly-by-night surgical procedure performed by a professional cow castrator. Hold on to your people parts, because this one gets graphic. TW: Medical trauma, childbirth trauma, abortion traumaHelpful links:How to connect Patreon to other podcasting apps:

en-us

43:58

Episode 2. False Eyelashes

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/03/26

In our first full episode, Larkin ruins false eyelashes with tales ranging from ancient Egypt to the present day. You’ll learn things like what fashions are currently trending among orcas, how Pliny the Elder died, and which famously racist film director had eyelashes glued to a starlet’s lids with spirit gum. Plus, a foray into werewolf dust (don’t ask, just listen) and Henry Cavill’s smooth tsking. Orca Fads: https://www.livescience.com/animals/orcas/orcas-start-wearing-dead-salmon-ha...

en-us

8:18

Episode 1. Hammocks Mini-Sode

Now It"s Ruined ·

2025/03/12

In this first mini-episode, recorded a few years ago before we really knew what we were doing, Kate fills Larkin in on the horrifying history of how the hammock came to Europe. It's a tale of greed and bloodshed starring colonizer- and famously terrible navigator- Christopher Columbus. Sound quality will improve in subsequent episodes! But we thought this was a good taste of what you can expect from the show. We're planning to re-do the episode in more detail at some point down the line...

en-us

13 results

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