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PODCAST

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries

Brenda & Austin

Two friends, Austin and Brenda, delve into the rich history of secret nerd mysteries near and dear to their hearts in their own loose, light-hearted way. If you"ve ever wondered "Why Saturday morning for cartoons?" or "How come Chuck E. Cheese cares so much about other people"s birthdays?", this is the show for you!

society & culture hobbies

All Episodes

00:57:12

The Disney Store

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/09/30

It's the Disney Store

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00:54:04

What were some early controversial video games? ...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/09/23

We've talked about Night Trap. We've talked about Mortal Kombat. But what were some of the other games that led up to the creation of the ESRB? If you wish to skip the segment on custer's revenge, skip from 22:25 to 35:05

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00:44:00

Why is Brenda doing an episode about a horse? - Haru...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/09/16

Yes, you read the title right. Host Brenda is doing an episode on the history of a Japanese racehorse. Is this nerd history? Surprisingly yes. Haru Urara was a racehorse at the Kochi track in Japan who lost 113 out of 113 races she ever participated in. And yet she was beloved by the entire country for her indomitable spirit. Why are we talking about her today? You're going to have to tune in to find out.

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00:55:05

Ong's Hat: How did the First ARG Spiral out of Control?

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/09/09

For a long time, Ong's Hat, an abandoned ghost town in New Jersey, has been the subject of many urban legends and local folk tales, but it was also the location and subject for the Internet's first ARG (Alternate Reality Game). However, what happens when Paranormal investigators start treating the very fictional game as real?

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00:56:49

Do Dodonpa - Why did this Rollercoaster Start...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/09/02

For several decades, the launch coaster Dononpa was Japan's most iconic rollercoaster, drawing people in from all over the world to see. However, in 2020 something strange started happening. Dodonpa began breaking people's bones.

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00:53:40

Who founded the first Renaissance Faire?

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/08/26

It's the end of summer, which means thousands of nerds are descending upon fairgrounds around the country dressed in their finest medieval garb. But how did these festivals come to be? Who founded these events? And what does it have to do with the Red Scare?

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00:55:18

The Thief and the Cobbler Part 2

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/08/12

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheThiefArchive

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00:48:50

The Thief and the Cobbler Part 1

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/08/05

In 1964 award winning animator Richard Williams set out with a simple goal: to make an animated feature film that showed off everything the medium of animation was capable of. However, between rights disputes, the failure of a Raggedy Ann and Andy movie, and Richard William's severe mismanagement of time and money, The Thief and the Cobbler would become one of the most infamous animated films in history due to its decades long production cycle.

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00:59:39

Why do Books Come out on Tuesdays? feat. Reading Glasses

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/07/29

Today in this special episode of Secret Histories, Host Austin welcomes Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara from the hit podcasts Reading Glasses and Reading Smut. The topic for today? Why do books release on Tuesdays? https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/reading-glasses/

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00:59:55

Action Park: Looping Waterslides, Drunk Teens, and...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/07/15

In 1976, disgraced wallstreet investor Eugene Mullvihill opened the infamous Action Park in Vernon New Jersey. It would turn out to be a lawless place full of drunken poorly trained teens, a deadly wave pool, and the world's first, and last, looping waterslide.

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00:57:53

The Dawn of Podcasting

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/07/08

If you're reading this, chances are, you know what a podcast is. But, do you know how podcasting got started? What is considered the first podcast? Where did the name come from? And how does Maximum Fun play into all this?

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00:57:33

Homes of the Future Attractions

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/07/01

Before a lot of our modern tech was mainstream, homes of the future walkthroughs were there to show us a glimpse into a supposedly better and brighter future. But did these homes of the future, now several decades old, manage to predict how houses are built now? Is there anything practical about building houses out of foam and balloons?

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00:56:08

Life With Mikey: Michael J. Fox's Forgotten Flop

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/06/25

In the 90's, summer family comedy Life with Mikey released in theaters...and was a terrible flop. Despite having a star studded cast like Michael J. Fox, Cyndi Lauper, and Nathan Lane, the movie was panned by movie-goers and critics alike. But why? What lead up to this disaster, and does it really deserve to be forgotten?

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01:04:06

The Follies of Six Flags: Movieland Wax Museum, Auto...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/06/17

Despite being one of the leading chains of theme parks in the united states, Six Flags has sure made some awful business decisions over the years. From running a wax museum, to opening an entertainment venue inside an old power plant (with no rides), it's a wonder that there's still any Six Flags parks left at all.

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01:05:01

The Disneyfication of Studio Ghibli

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/06/10

Studio Ghibli films had a rough start to being distributed in the west, with early dubs that made a lot of changes, the inclusion of pop songs, and cats that aren't supposed to talk, However, in the mid 90's, Disney stepped in, hoping that supporting Ghibli would give them a stronger foothold in Japan. They also hoped that Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki would continue to make them kids movies like Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, not gory historical epics like Princes Mononoke, or

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01:12:52

Rerun - King of the Hill

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/06/03

Note: The decision to rerun this episode was made several days before the unfortunate passing of actor Johnathan Joss. It’s Austin’s week to pick a topic, and they’ve chosen “King of the Hill”, their all-time favorite show. This episode has it all.Bonus: Brand new audio from Austin about the King of the Hill Revival!

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01:02:14

The Evolution of the Themed Restaurant

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/05/27

What's better than getting food at a nice restaurant? How about getting food inside the rainforest? Or in the stands of a medieval arena? Or how about...a prison?

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00:51:31

Dating Sims

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/05/20

Dating sims are a often forgotten genre of video game in the west, predominantly because of its lewd origins. However some of the most hard hitting people in the video game industry have worked on dating sims, and it's a genre that deserves more respect!

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00:54:45

More Amusement Park Ghosts

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/05/06

Host Brenda is back at it again with more spooky scary ghost stories from your favorite amusement parks. What ghosts lurk in America's oldest theme park, and did a little girl really fall to her death from the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios Hollywood? And what famous ghost has been forced to watch Shrek 4D for all eternity?

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00:57:40

Kid's Programming Blocks: Kids WB, One Saturday...

Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries ·

2025/04/29

While Saturday morning cartoons have been around for decades, the concept of the kid's programming block is a fairly recent invention of the 90's. Starting with the Disney Afternoon, channels began carefully curating children's programming into themed blocks, not only to satisfy new government regulations requiring certain hours of educational programming, but to compete with the brand new 24 hour networks like nickelodeon and cartoon network.

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183 results

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