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PODCAST

Half-Truths

Half-Truths Podcast

Remember that neat, tidy version of history and science you learned in school? The one with brave explorers discovering continents, brilliant inventors having a single "eureka!" moment, and a food pyramid that was definitely going to make you healthy? It turns out, a lot of it was wrong. Welcome to Half-Truths, the show dedicated to unlearning the myths, half-truths, and outright fabrications that have become common knowledge. In each episode, we take one "fact" you thought you knew and trace it

science social sciences

All Episodes

00:21:12

EP53 - Saved by the Bell: Buried Alive or Just...

Half-Truths ·

2026/01/14

We all know the spooky Victorian origin of the phrase "saved by the bell," involving safety coffins and strings attached to fingers. But what if that perfect gothic story is a complete fabrication? Join us as we dig up the truth behind safety coffins and reveal the surprisingly sporty origins of our favorite macabre idioms.

en-US

00:20:52

EP52 - The Crumbled Myth: How a Japanese Tea Cake...

Half-Truths ·

2026/01/07

We crack open the crispy shell of the fortune cookie to reveal a history that has nothing to do with China and everything to do with a Japanese temple tradition. Join us as we trace the journey from Kyoto to California, revealing how World War II and a shift in American taste buds created the ultimate culinary half-truth.

en-US

00:18:54

EP51 - The Mandela Effect of History: Why We Rewrite...

Half-Truths ·

2025/12/30

We all know Sherlock Holmes's catchphrase and Marie Antoinette's callous dismissal of the poor, but what if those iconic words were never actually spoken? This episode uncovers the fascinating origins of history's most famous misquotes and explores why our collective memory prefers the polished fiction over the messy truth.

en-US

00:20:01

EP50 - Psychology’s Darkest Fables: The Bystander and...

Half-Truths ·

2025/12/23

We all know the stories that define the dark side of human nature: the thirty-eight neighbors who watched a murder in silence, and the students who turned into sadists in a basement prison. But what if the textbooks got it wrong? This episode uncovers the manufactured narratives behind the Kitty Genovese tragedy and the Stanford Prison Experiment to reveal a truth that is less sensational, but far more important.

en-US

00:18:59

EP49 - The Great Pyramid Scheme: Did Slaves Really...

Half-Truths ·

2025/12/16

We all know the story: cruel pharaohs forcing thousands of enslaved people to build the pyramids under the crack of a whip. But what if the builders were actually well-fed, unionized workers who named their teams "The Drunkards of Menkaure"? We dig into the archaeology to reveal the surprising truth behind the workforce that built eternity.

en-US

00:25:47

EP48 - Beyond the Disney Myth: The True Tragedy of...

Half-Truths ·

2025/12/09

We all know the story of the Native American princess who fell in love with an English explorer and bridged two worlds. But history reveals a shocking gap between the Disney romance and reality, involving a child diplomat, a kidnapped hostage, and a political spin doctor named John Smith.

en-US

00:18:30

EP47 - The Not-So-Wild West: Gun Control and the...

Half-Truths ·

2025/12/05

We all know the story of the American frontier: a lawless landscape of high noon duels and rugged individualism. But what if the Wild West actually had stricter gun control than modern America, and the average cowboy looked nothing like John Wayne? This episode uncovers the regulated, diverse, and surprisingly bureaucratic reality behind the legend.

en-US

00:20:52

EP46 - The Thirty-Minute Swim Rule: A Cramp in Your...

Half-Truths ·

2025/12/02

We were all told it was a life-or-death rule: wait 30 minutes after eating before you swim, or you'll get a cramp and drown. But is this universal law of summer a medical fact, or was it just the greatest parental trick ever pulled?

en-US

00:21:35

EP45 - The Gray Lie: What Dogs Really See

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/29

We were all told dogs see the world in black and white, like a classic film. But what if that 'fact' is just a convenient story we tell ourselves? This episode uncovers the surprisingly colorful truth about dog vision, and why that red ball you bought is invisible on your green lawn.

en-US

00:30:43

EP44 - The Skyscraper's Sting: Why a Penny Won't Kill...

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/26

We've all heard the warning: a penny dropped from the Empire State Building can kill a person below. It's a perfect, tiny bullet. But is this high-rise horror story a physics fact, or just a tall tale?

en-US

00:18:12

EP43 - The Queen, The Cake, and The Great Calumny

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/23

We all know the story: when told the peasants were starving, Marie Antoinette scoffed, "Let them eat cake." It’s the perfect soundbite of aristocratic arrogance. But what if the most famous quote of the French Revolution was nothing more than a spectacular piece of fake news?

en-US

00:27:09

EP42 - The Line King: What Henry Ford Didn't Invent

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/20

We all learn that Henry Ford invented the automobile and the assembly line. But the real story of the car is decades older, and the inspiration for his famous line came from a much bloodier industry. This episode uncovers the genius that wasn't invention, but a revolution in a system that changed the world.

en-US

00:20:30

EP41 - Cat's Eyes and Carrot Lies: The Night Vision Myth

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/17

We’ve all been told to eat our carrots to see in the dark, a piece of wisdom passed down from parents to children. But what if that "fact" isn't a medical marvel, but one of the most successful propaganda campaigns of World War II, designed to hide a top-secret, war-winning technology?

en-US

00:26:06

EP40 - The Thanksgiving Alibi: A Meal, a Myth, and a...

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/14

We all know the story of the First Thanksgiving: Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians sharing a harmonious feast of turkey and friendship. But what if that familiar scene is less a historical snapshot and more a 19th-century invention, designed to cover up a far more desperate, political, and fascinating truth?

en-US

00:17:56

EP39 - Einstein's Failed Math: The Genius of a...

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/11

We all know the story: Albert Einstein, the ultimate genius, was a bad student who failed math. It’s the perfect tale of a late-bloomer, proving that grades don't matter. But what if that comforting story is one of the biggest myths in modern history?

en-US

00:21:32

EP38 - The Iron Maiden: Case Closed

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/08

We all picture the Iron Maiden as the ultimate symbol of medieval cruelty, a spiked coffin synonymous with the Dark Ages. But what if this terrifying device wasn't medieval at all? This episode investigates the most famous torture machine in history, only to find its hinges were forged in the 19th century.

en-US

00:19:07

EP37 - Bloodsport: The Gladiator's Retirement Plan

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/05

We all know the Roman gladiator: a slave forced to fight to the death for a bloodthirsty mob. But what if the Colosseum was less an execution chamber and more a high-stakes professional sports arena? This episode uncovers the surprising truth about the superstars, the referees, and the retirement plans of ancient Rome's most famous athletes.

en-US

00:20:54

EP36 - The Ten Percent Brain and the Seven-Year Gum

Half-Truths ·

2025/11/02

We've all heard that we only use a tiny fraction of our brainpower and that swallowing gum means it's stuck in you for years. But are these biological 'facts' just old wives' tales that refuse to die? This episode chews on the truth behind our most persistent bodily myths.

en-US

00:18:24

EP35 - The Lie of the Visual Learner

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/30

We’ve all taken the quiz and proudly declared our learning style—visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. It's a fundamental concept in education that we learn best when information is tailored to our unique preference. But what if the entire idea of learning styles is a myth, one that's holding us back from how we truly learn?

en-US

00:21:56

EP34 - Salem's Gallows: Where There's No Smoke,...

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/27

We all picture the same scene: villagers, torches, and a witch burning at the stake in colonial Salem. It's an image seared into our collective memory of America's most infamous witch hunt. But what if the most iconic, fiery detail of that entire tragedy is completely wrong?

en-US

53 results

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