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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

00:27:09

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

00:18:35

EP33 - The Unsinkable Lie: How the Titanic Myth Was...

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/24

We all know the story of the Titanic, the magnificent ship infamously advertised as "unsinkable" before its tragic maiden voyage. But what if that famous label, the very symbol of human hubris, was never a marketing slogan at all? This episode dives into the archives to uncover how the myth of the "unsinkable" ship was constructed in the wake of the disaster, not before it.

en-US

00:19:51

EP32 - The Toxin That Wasn't There: Detox Diets and...

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/21

We’re told our bodies are accumulating toxins that only a special juice cleanse can remove, and that drinking eight glasses of water a day is the key to health. But what if the multi-billion-dollar detox industry is selling a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, and the most famous rule in hydration is based on a complete misunderstanding?

en-US

00:18:26

EP31 - The Alpha Wolf: A Leader of the Pack, or a...

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/18

We all know the story of the "alpha wolf," the dominant leader who fights to rule the pack. This powerful image has shaped our understanding of nature and even human society. But what if the entire scientific basis for the alpha wolf was a profound misunderstanding, based on a situation that was anything but natural?

en-US

00:21:51

EP30 - The Trojan Horse: A Gift, a Weapon, or a Lie?

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/15

We all learned the story of the Trojan War's dramatic end: a giant wooden horse, a clever trick, and a city burned to the ground. It’s a classic tale of Greek ingenuity and Trojan hubris. But what if the most famous part of the story, the horse itself, is a complete fabrication?

en-US

00:19:15

EP29 - The Five-Second Fallacy: Our Delicious Lie...

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/12

We've all done it: dropped a cookie, snatched it up, and declared it safe by the "five-second rule." This universally accepted wisdom says we have a brief, magical window to rescue our food from the germs on the floor. But what if science says that window closes the instant the food hits the ground?

en-US

00:20:14

EP28 - An Iron-Clad Lie: The Great Spinach Typo

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/09

We all grew up believing that spinach, the secret to Popeye's strength, was a superfood packed with an unbelievable amount of iron. But what if this cornerstone of nutritional wisdom, this multi-generational parental trick to get kids to eat their greens, was all based on a simple typo from the 19th century? This episode uncovers the surprisingly flimsy truth behind the iron-clad myth.

en-US

00:20:16

EP27 - Vitamins: The Fuel or the Ignition?

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/06

We reach for vitamins when we feel run down, believing they provide a direct boost of energy to get us through the day. But if vitamins have zero calories, where does that "energy" actually come from? This episode dismantles the billion-dollar myth of energy in a pill, revealing the difference between being a fuel source and being the spark that ignites the fuel.

en-US

00:20:58

EP26 - X Marks the Myth: The Buried Truth About...

Half-Truths ·

2025/10/03

We all know the story: a grizzled pirate, a heavy chest, and a secret map where X marks the spot. But this iconic image of buried treasure is one of history's greatest half-truths. Where did this legend come from, and what did pirates *actually* do with their mountains of stolen loot?

en-US

00:21:06

EP25 - Bleeding the Patient: The Cure That Was Never...

Half-Truths ·

2025/09/30

We all learned about bloodletting as a grim but accepted part of ancient medicine, a practice used by the best doctors for thousands of years. But was it really a legitimate medical treatment based on the "science" of the day? This episode pulls back the curtain on the four humors to reveal how a philosophical idea, not evidence, dominated medicine for centuries and often did more harm than good.

en-US

00:20:24

EP24 - Marie Curie's Radiant Tomb: A Luminous Lie

Half-Truths ·

2025/09/29

We all learned that Marie Curie, the heroic mother of modern physics, died from radiation poisoning due to her groundbreaking research. It’s a tragic, poetic story of a martyr for science. But what if the official cause of death on her certificate tells a different, more complex, and medically fascinating story about the true cost of discovery?

en-US

00:21:07

EP23 - The Tongue Map: A Delicious Deception

Half-Truths ·

2025/09/28

We all remember the colorful map from science class showing where we taste sweet, salty, sour, and bitter on our tongues. It’s a simple, scientific fact we've carried with us since childhood. But what if that map is a complete fabrication, a century-old misinterpretation that has obscured the far more complex and fascinating truth about how we experience flavor?

en-US

42 results

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