Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

After Midnight with AHC Podcast: The Top 5 Worst Fictional A**holes

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's an AHC takeover! On this week's rowdy, irreverent, NSFW installment of After Midnight, all three guys from the AHC podcast join Shane and Duncan ...

Deviant Subcultures

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome, insomniacs, to a captivating late-night rendezvous with the fascinating world of deviant subcultures. Grab your oversized plushie, dust off y...

The 1980s Satanic Panic

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hail Satan! In the latest 1980s-throwback episode of MFFI, Shane and Duncan explain how sensationalized accusations and false memories led to the pers...

Outlaws and Renegades: The Hells Angels

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Part myth, part mayhem, and all leather-clad rebellion: welcome to the shadowy world of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.  In this week’s episode, ...

Instruments of War: Medieval Weaponry

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD! On this week's episode, Shane and Duncan delve into the dark and deadly world of medi...

Zombies and Incest: The Wild, Kinky World of Japanese Mythology (Shintoism)

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you ready for a rousing tale of ghosts and gods and taboo brother-sister love? No, this isn't a new streaming series from HBO; this is MFFI's firs...

AI 2050: The Future of Artificial Intelligence

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What will AI look like in 2050? Will it solve all our problems, or create new ones? Will our future AI companions be more “Her” or “T1000"? In ...

Artificial Intelligence: ChatGPT, Bing, Bard, and the AI Apocalypse

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ready or not, here they come: the robots have arrived. Artificial Intelligence has been under development since the 1950s, but viable AI didn't explod...

Historical Figures (That Might Never Have Existed)

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For millennia, characters like King Arthur and Robin Hood have captivated the masses, inspiring songs and books and films and Saturday morning cartoon...

Government Coverups: The Iran-Contra Affair

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the first installment of MFFI’s Government Cover-Ups series, grab your New Coke and Trapper Keeper for a trip back to the 1980s to uncover the tr...

Old Wives Tales

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Can an apple a day keep the doctor away? If you swallow your gum, will it spend years in your stomach? Can walnuts repair floor-scratches? (Spoiler al...

Accidental Inventions

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From Viagra to Super Glue, history is littered with "aha!" moments that were nothing more than lucky accidents. In this bumbling, stumbling episode of...

Killer Beasts: Notorious Animal Attacks

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: This one is brutal. On this week’s karma-packed episode of MFFI, cringe along with Shane and Duncan as they delve into some of the most not...

Social Media Meltdowns: The Rise and Fall of MySpace, the Teetering of TikTok, and the Twitter Apocalypse

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the "Social Media Schadenfreude" episode, in which Shane and Duncan delve into the misfortunes of the fortunate. First up: MySpace, the has...

Mysterious Cases of Lost and Found Media

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From Nixon's infamous Smoking Gun audiotape to the OJ Simpson "lost confession,” cases of missing and recovered media have commanded public attentio...

Ghosts of Christmases Past: The Pagan Origins of Christmas

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic num...

Public Executions and Capital Punishment

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Which countries have abolished the death penalty, and which countries execute the largest number of convicts? What are the most popular methods of dis...

The Weird, Uncomfortable, Creepy History of Clowns

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Few characters from pop culture are as divisive as clowns. Simultaneously endearing and terrifying, the archetype of the clown has persevered througho...

Animals with Superpowers

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Super strength, super hearing, the ability to fly; many of the standard superpowers from comic books are commonplace in the animal kingdom. But those ...

Mummies and Death Rituals

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every society faces an inevitable dilemma: what to do with dead bodies? Join Shane and Duncan as they travel across the globe and throughout history t...

Filth and Fury: The History and Legacy of Punk Music

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Which famous foursome is considered the first punk band? What did CBGB stand for? In what city did punk originate? What was the wild television moment...

The Skeptic’s Guide to Astrology

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join two lifelong skeptics as they attempt to set aside their cynicism and immerse themselves in the mystical universe of Astrology and the Zodiac. (“...

Gladiators and the History of Human Combat

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did gladiators always battle to the death? Who was the most famous gladiator of all time, and why did he never step foot in the Colosseum? Were any gl...

The Most-Frequently Misused Words in the English Language

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are the most consistently misused words and phrases in the English language? Find out in this week's nitpicking, pedantic, gloriously sesquipedal...

Deadly Plants: From Belladonna to the Gympie-Gympie

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the world’s most dangerous plant? Which notorious stinging nettle is capable of an aerial attack? And what the heck is a hemicryptophyte? ...

Alternate Histories: The End of the World as We Know It

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On September 26, 1983, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Soviet army saved the world. When the Oko nuclear-warning system erroneously reported an incoming b...

*Full Episode* After Midnight: The Top 5 Greatest Movie Sequels

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To make up for the lost episode due to Shane’s bout with COVID, MFFI is releasing another full, brand new After Midnight this week! Enjoy your favor...

Designer Babies and Dystopian Hellscapes: The Future of Gene Editing With CRISPR

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The future is here, and it's terrifying. Join the boys as they learn all about the revolutionary gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9. What's with the crazy ...

Real-Life Mad Scientists

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Little-known fact: the mad doctor from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein was based on a real-life scientist named Giovanni Aldini. And even Aldini's corpse-...

“High Class Freaks”: The Globetrotting History of Ripley’s Believe It or Not

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leroy Robert Ripley would transcend humble origins to become an unlikely superstar, rebranding from an awkward teenage cartoonist to the sophisticated...

Spectral Evidence and Satanic Panic: The Salem Witch Trials

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 17th century, a satanic panic swept through the Puritan colony of Salem, Massachusetts. Neighbors turned on neighbors, families were torn ...

H.H. Holmes: Myths and Murder Castles

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everything you think you know about H.H. Holmes is probably a lie. Which is appropriate, because "Dr. Henry Howard Holmes" was more of a serial liar t...

Megafauna: Titans of the Past and Present

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the largest animal to ever inhabit the earth to the heaviest predator of all time, from Spinosaurus to Dire Wolves (they were real!), Shane and D...

Mormonism: Private Worlds, Secret Handshakes, and Sacred Underwear

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to another exciting episode of "Is it a cult?" (Spoiler: yep!) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is one of the world's youngest ...

Declassified Military Operations

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What was the sinister secret behind "Camp Century"? Did the American government really import and employ high-ranking Nazi scientists after WWII? Is t...

Sieges: Epic Bombardments and Standoffs

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Gather your supplies and settle in for a wall-crushing, bunker-busting, fire-raining episode of MFFI as the boys explore the most brutal sieges in his...

World’s Fairs: A Legacy of Weirdness and Innovation

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do touchscreens, electrical outlets, color televisions, and fax machines have in common? They were all revolutionary technological breakthroughs ...

The History of F@!#%$g Profanity

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's a god#%m mothe$#@king s*#tshow on this week's episode as the guys explore the history, purpose, and benefits of profanity. Keep it classy, Insom...

Galactic Warlords, Billion Year Contracts, and a Modern American Space Cult: The “Church” of Scientology

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do celebrities, sex magic, and the antichrist have in common? Find out in this week's all-clear, billion year, intergalactically cult-ilicious ep...

Epic Rivalries, Famous Feuds, and Bitter Beefs

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this first episode of the Epic Rivalries series, the boys opt for a (mostly) lighthearted introduction to the world of legendary grudge-matches. En...

Best of MFFI: The First 100 Episodes

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ready for a trip down memory lane? No? Well, it's happening, and it's all Duncan's fault. The plague monkey strikes again. (Thanks a lot, omicron.) Bu...

We’re All Mad Here: The History of Asylums (100th Episode Extravaganza!)

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the MFFI 100th episode extravaganza!! Announcements, podcast Q&As, plus a supersized topic: the History of Asylums. Support the show by becomin...

After Midnight (Full Episode): The Top 5 Holiday Movies of All Time

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Although many of you Insomniacs have probably been naughty this year, MFFI is releasing a full After Midnight episode to the regular feed just in time...

Lasers, Steam, and Chrome: The History of Science Fiction

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Who wrote the first ever science fiction novel? Why is Isaac Asimov hiding his middle initial? And which psychedelic author attempted to murder the mo...

Terrible Tools and Awful Inventions

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Some inventions are commercial failures (see episode 45), and some are failures of such moral and/or epic proportions that the repercussions reverbera...

Host Swap: The Marriage Episode (Kidnappers, Bloody Sheets, and Evil Spirits)

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of Shane's recent nuptials, Duncan takes the reins to explore the unsettling history and traditions of weddings. What was the original, si...

Death, Misery, Folly, and Ponies: The Chilling History of Polar Exploration

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Who was the first explorer to reach the North Pole? How about the South? It turns out that at least one of those answers is complicated, and although ...

The Fiery, Pagan History of Halloween

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we wear costumes on Halloween? When did pumpkins and candy get involved? And how the heck do you pronounce "Samhain"? Listen to find out... ~ J...

Lost Treasures: From Crown Jewels to Fabergé Eggs

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After a series of deep-dive episodes chock full of useful information, the boys are back to form with an entirely off-the-rails and nonsensical romp t...

The Fascinating History of Personality Tests

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are personality tests accurate? How were they developed, how reliable is the science behind them, and which are most respected? Most importantly: whic...

The Pirate, the Silk Road, and the Dark Web: Ross Ulbricht‘s Empire

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ross Ulbricht created the most notorious website in history when he launched the The Silk Road in 2011. An online marketplace for drugs, guns, poisons...

Hunting for Easter Eggs: Secrets Hidden in Movies and Video Games

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ten episodes away from the big 1-0-0, the boys are hunting for the true origin story of the elusive video-game Easter egg. (Hint: Ready Player One got...

Common Misconceptions about Animals

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do bears really hibernate? What does the color green look like to a cat? And most importantly, is ice cream flavored with beaver butts? Find the answe...

Host Swap: Talking Slang

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The word of the week is “tangent.“ This host-swap episode is supposedly about slang (like, for instance, “off the rails”), but it’s also ab...

Unreal: The History and Secrets of Reality TV

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Never say never. Shane swore that MFFI would never address the dreaded "K" family, but fate (and the Discord crew) had other plans. Join the boys for ...

Botched Coups and Failed Assassinations: The Bay of Pigs

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You can’t win them all. In 1961, America experienced the sting of its first truly humiliating public defeat, a debacle that played out in real time ...

Crimes of the Century: The Lindbergh Baby, the Mona Lisa Heist, and the Fatty Arbuckle Scandal

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why have only a few particular murders and heists and scandals been immortalized in popular culture? Join Shane and Duncan for a dive into three famou...

The Most Dangerous Cult in the World: North Korea

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The largest cult on earth has over 25 million followers, the 4th largest army in the world, and a nuclear arsenal. It also has bowling alleys and kara...

Bizarre and Disturbing Fashion Trends Through the Ages

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From paper dresses to giant metal erections, MFFI explores some of the weirdest historical fashion trends.  ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on epi...

Misattributed Quotes, Theories, Discoveries, and Inventions

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Only a sucker would believe that P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute." In the latest episode of MFFI, the boys once again undermine ...

Host Swap: The Science Behind Ghosts, Phantoms, and Apparitions

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is it reasonable to believe that ghosts actually exist? From a scientific standpoint, are there any credible explanations for ghost sightings? In the ...

Decrypting Crypto: Bitcoin and NFTs

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The boys take a break from espionage to explore bitcoin, the blockchain, and all things cryptocurrency. What even IS a Bitcoin, and how does it work? ...

Espionage Technology: From Lipstick Pistols to the Insectothopter

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second installment of MFFI's espionage series, the boys investigate spying technology, from cryptography to microdots to The Thing.  ~ Join th...

Spy vs. Spy: The History of Espionage

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the first installment of MFFI's espionage series, Shane gives Duncan an overview of the spy game, from its origins in postiquity through the Cold W...

Cursed Tourism: Unique and Surreal Tourist Attractions

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One traveler’s dream vacation is another’s nightmare. This week, Shane shares his personal picks for some of the least appealing tourist destinati...

International Cryptids: The Strange and Obscure

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the second MFFI host-swap episode, Duncan teaches Shane  about a bevvy of baffling and little-known cryptids from around the globe.  ~ Join the M...

Marketing Boomsplode: Ads that Crashed and Burned

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the latest "what the hell were they thinking" edition of MFFI, the boys trace the history of advertising and then call out the worst marketing blun...

We Are Legion: Exorcism and Demonic Possession

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

BEGONE, FOUL DEMON!! NO LONGER SHALL YOU BEDEVIL THE INSOMNIACS OF THE MIDNIGHT MASSES (Apologies for the caps lock, but Satan doesn't respect lowerc...

Dangerous Toys: Notorious Product Recalls

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite what the American Supreme Court would have you believe, corporations aren't actually people, but it turns out that companies can be just as st...

Bizarre Laws: International Edition

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From Australia's anti-bunny legislation to Caribbean profanity bans, from lonely Swiss Guinea Pigs to the protected Royal Fish of Britain, Shane and D...

Robots go Rogue: When Artificial-Intelligence Malfunctions

16 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are robots dangerous? Is Artificial Intelligence destined to take over the world?  The short answers: yes, and eventually. The robot apocalypse is in...

Dry America: The Prohibition Debacle

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It makes perfect sense that a comedy podcast would cover this week’s topic, because prohibition was a joke. If you’re not familiar with the story...

How it Ends: The Most Likely Extinction Events

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Like it or not, the earth has an expiration date. Billions of years from now the sun will expand and swallow the planets of our solar system...but the...

Weird Science: Psychology Edition

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Humans like to believe that we're the pinnacle of evolution, but are we truly logical, rational creatures? If so, why do we self-sabotage? Why do we c...

Host Swap: Scottish Facts and Fictions

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

By popular demand via the MFFI Discord, Shane and Duncan swap roles for a special episode recorded on April Fools Day! Follow along in this Scottish-t...

Diets Debunked: The Sketchy Science of Health and Weight Loss

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Meet the Midnight Masses! Join Shane and Duncan and the rest of the Insomniacs on Discord: https://discord.gg/4KUWbgj4PN ~ What's the most effective w...

Uncool: Failed Fads and Terrible Trends

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We humans are suckers for the latest crazes and fads, but it's easy to forget that today's TikTok dance will be tomorrow's Macarena. Today's iPhone wi...

Substandard Superheroes: The Bad, the Worse, and the Ugly

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Not all heroes are created equal. Join the boys for adventures in mediocrity as they explore the least "super" heroes from comic book lore.    In th...

Misnomers and False Advertising

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A peanut isn't a nut, a king crab isn't a crab, a koala isn't a bear, and the funny bone isn't a bone. Listen to this week's episode to find out all o...

Forbidden Tourism: The Most Dangerous Locations on Earth

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Exploring new locations can be fun, but there’s a fine line between “adventure” and “ordeal.” Join the the MFFI boys for a whirlwind tour of...

MFFI Challenge: can Shane make an entertaining episode from the world’s most hated subject?

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Full disclosure: no one suggested this week’s topic. Why would they? Only an idiot would attempt to make an interesting podcast episode out of the ...

Murdersville U.S.A: Ed Kemper

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

TW: This episode is not for the faint of heart. Seriously, like, for reals. If you don't have a VERY dark sense of humor, feel free to skip this one. ...

Murdersville U.S.A: The Serial Killers of Santa Cruz

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Finally, an MFFI true-crime crossover! In the 1970s, a small California surf town earned the nickname “Murdersville USA.” As bodies piled up with...

Modern Snake Oil: From Cryotherapy to The Secret

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We like to think we’re in the golden age of medicine, but the truth is that the healthcare industry is still rife with misinformation and hucksteris...

Unhinged Tyrants and Sadistic Monarchs

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Inbreeding: not a great strategy for maintaining your sanity. Join the guys as they celebrate--and mock--the craziest kings, tyrants, and dictators in...

Nuclear Power: Evil or Misunderstood? (It’s a Little of Both)

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nuclear power is about as popular as a three-eyed fish, but it still provides 10% of the world's electricity (and double that percentage in America). ...

Stupid Criminals

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Way back in episode 2 ("Heists"), Shane and Duncan learned all about the most notorious criminal masterminds in history. In this episode, they meet th...

Memes: They’re Literally Everything

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was a doozy. It turns out there's a ton of hard science behind memes, plus bucketloads of history, and this week's MFFI is packed. In thi...

Cults: QAnon, a.k.a W the Actual F

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

QAnon is straight-up bonkers. How bonkers? I'm glad you asked. Join the boys for an episode that goes way, WAY down the rabbit hole.    In this epi...

Scandals: Television Edition

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The third installment in the MFFI "scandals" series focuses on infamous TV shenanigans. Small screen, big drama.  In this episode: Adam Richman: Thin...

Urban Legends

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

They may not be true, but they're creepy as hell.   In this episode: The Hook Murderer in the Backseat Ghost Hitchhiker  Green Man Slender Man  Blo...

Ridiculous, Silly, Frivolous Lawsuits

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The ability to sue your fellow citizens is a cornerstone of civilized society, and our legal system has often functioned as the last resort for the m...

More Idioms, a.k.a Say What?

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You downloaded, we listened. In part 2 of one of the most popular MFFI episodes, Shane and Duncan reveal the meaning and origin behind more of the mos...

Cryptids, Mark 2: From the Mothman to the Wendigo

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Back by popular demand! More cryptids, weirder cryptids, and cryptids with funnier names. For the second installment in the cryptids series, the focus...

Welcome to the Manosphere: Pick-up Artists, Incels, and the Seduction Community

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between an MRA and a MGTOW? Should you even care? Probably not, but we'll tell you anyway. Join the guys for a weird and occasio...

The Devil

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lucifer. Satan. Beelzebub. Prince of Lies. The Devil has a thousand names, a chip on his shoulder, and major daddy issues. He also has one hell of a b...

Spectacular Failures: From New Coke to Segway

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Not just your garden-variety screwups; these were epic, painful misfires that everyone should have seen coming. (We’re lookin' at you, Quibi.)  In...

The Sordid Science Behind Interrogation and Torture

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We have ways of making you talk...   In this episode: Interrogation Techniques: Bargaining, Lying, Guilt Trips, Flattery "Pride and Ego Up" Vs. Down...

Battle for the Living Room: from Atari to the Console Wars

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The next generation of gaming is about to arrive, which makes this the perfect time to take a look at how we got here. Join the boys for a guided tour...

Mentalists, Faith Healers, and Frauds

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Scammers and con artists are unavoidable facts of life, but only a select few manage to take the art of deception to the next level. All of the unscru...