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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

00:22:28

EP60 - The Great Hemisphere Heist: Why You Are Not...

Half-Truths ·

2026/03/04

We have all heard that logical people are left-brained and creative types are right-brained, a binary label that shapes how we view our own potential. But this episode uncovers the split-brain experiments that started it all to reveal why your brain is less of a divided house and more of a highly connected superhighway.

en-US

00:18:32

EP59 - The Ostrich Paradox: Cowardice, Camouflage,...

Half-Truths ·

2026/02/25

We all know the idiom about the foolish bird that thinks it can hide by burying its head in the sand. But what if this symbol of willful ignorance is actually a misunderstood survival tactic from one of nature’s most formidable parents?

en-US

00:19:50

EP58 - The Liquid Sweater: Why Alcohol is the Worst...

Half-Truths ·

2026/02/18

We’ve all seen the image of the St. Bernard dog carrying a barrel of brandy to save a freezing traveler, and we all know the warming burn of a stiff drink on a cold night. But we uncover why that sensation is a biological lie and how a teenage painter’s artistic license accidentally created one of history's most dangerous survival myths.

en-US

00:16:35

EP57 - The Great Shaving Deception: Why Your Stubble...

Half-Truths ·

2026/02/11

We have all been warned that shaving our hair will cause it to grow back thicker, darker, and faster. But does a razor really have the power to alter your DNA, or is this century-old belief merely a trick of the light and touch?

en-US

00:22:53

EP56 - Seeing Red: The Matador’s Cape and the Myth of...

Half-Truths ·

2026/02/04

We all know the image of the enraged bull charging at a matador’s red cape. But what if the beast isn't reacting to the color at all? In this episode, we dissect the science of bovine vision, the history of the bullring, and reveal why the color red is actually meant for the audience, not the animal.

en-US

00:19:11

EP55 - The Grim Reality Behind George Washington's...

Half-Truths ·

2026/01/28

We all know the story of the first American President and his clumsy set of wooden dentures, a symbol of his rustic humility. But the truth of Washington's smile reveals a dark history of physical agony, primitive dentistry, and the exploitation of enslaved people that the history books tried to hide.

en-US

00:20:14

EP54 - The Horned Helmet Hoax: Unmasking the Real...

Half-Truths ·

2026/01/21

We all know the image of the Viking: a hulking, dirty brute in a horned helmet, interested only in pillage and destruction. But what if that iconic helmet was a costume designer's mistake, and the "mindless barbarians" were actually the best-groomed, most sophisticated traders of their age?

en-US

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

60 results

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