Things I Learned Last Night

Rendlesham Forest Incident

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the world of UFO sightings, it can often be tough to delineate fact from fiction. Well, actually, sometimes it's pretty easy to see what is fiction...

BONUS - Live From Boulevardia in Kansas City Ep 1

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join Jaron and Tim for this special live edition of Things I Learned Last Night recorded live on the podcast stage at Boulevardia 2022 in Kansas City,...

Russ George

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The ocean is one of the earth's most precious resources. However, like many of the resources on earth, capitalism has not treated them well. For that ...

Operation High Jump

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Antarctica is one of the most mysterious places on the planet. Few people in the world have ever or will ever step foot on this massive slab of ice. D...

Ash Street Shootout

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1980's Tacoma, Washington, faced a stark increase in gang activity. The hilltop neighborhood was a particularly active subset of the city and b...

Julian Assange

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The early days of the internet were truly the wild west. Anyone with the means to post to the world wide web could upload whatever they wanted and lea...

Count of St Germain

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since the first humans took their first breath, we have been trying to subvert the forces of death. But, to date, no one has successfully unlocked the...

Man From Taured

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On a hot summer day in 1954, a man arrived at Tokyo Haneda Airport. Since the man came on an international flight, he was required to show his passpor...

Juliane Koepcke

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today flying is one of the safest forms of transit that exists. Out of the millions of flights every year, only about 30 of those result in an acciden...

Lake City Quiet Pills

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since the start of the internet, forums have been a strange place. Something about allowing people anonymity brings out the worst in humanity. The eff...

Biosphere 2

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1991, eight people walked in a large glass dome in the Arizona desert. Camera crews captured the group as they disappeared into the void. The struc...

1561 Sky Battle

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you woke up one morning to find the sky is full of circular, triangular, and cylindrical objects darting to and fro in an apparent struggle fo...

John Ruffo

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are the names that come to mind when you think of bank robbers? For many, names like Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger, and maybe even certain GTA V...

The Barkley Marathons

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Marathon runners are a rare breed of humans. Few hobbies involve wheezing for miles and shopping for shirts that won't rub your skin off. Every year a...

The Watcher of 657 Blvd

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Moving into a new home can be stressful. In the best-case scenario, the new neighbors are helpful or maybe distant, depending on how social of a perso...

L Ron Hubbard

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

These days just about anyone can tell you a thing or two about Scientology. Most of the public exposure to the church of Scientology has come from Lea...

M Theory

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the idea of other universes, timelines, and dimensions has become mainstream. We've all become well-versed in...

Freedomland USA

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine a theme park that surveyed the history of the United States while being shaped like the continental United States. How could that not excite y...

Mothman

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Point Pleasant. If you chose to stop for gas in Point Pleasant, you might be shocked to see a 12-foot-tall metallic statue of the mythological creatur...

Skinwalker Ranch

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Few places have sparked as much public intrigue as Skinwalker Ranch. Dubbed as the most paranormally active place in America, the ranch has books and ...

Jack Parsons

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The life story of the man who helped found the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is one that anyone would assume is full of intrigue. That is precisely the ca...

Microtransactions

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Video games have long been a joyous escape for many throughout the world. Few other outlets provide people with the same expanse of experiences as tha...

Anthony Curcio

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bank Robbery is no easy feat. Many have seen the dollars that move in and out of banks every single day and dreamt of ways to procure the money moving...

Dead Internet Theory

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the mid-'90s, the internet took the world by storm. For the first time in history, everyone had access to an unprecedented amount of information. I...

Rockwall TX

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fifty years ago, pieces of an ancient wall peaked out from underground all around Rockwall, TX. Today, much of the wall has been buried, but this quie...

Tartaria

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The globe is dotted with beautiful columns and archways popularized by the Beaux-arts style of architecture. Beaux-arts caught on and took the world b...

The Kardashev Scale

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Humanity has been expanding and advancing for as long as we have existed. It seems like we have an insatiable desire for creating new things and devel...

Sixto Rodriguez

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sixto Rodriguez was an aspiring musician in the late '60s. After little success, he retired from music and worked as a day laborer in Detroit, Michiga...

Epcot

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Walt Disney had an issue with the way cities were built in his day. He spent much of his adult life in Los Angeles, notorious for traffic and dangerou...

The Internet

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We've all had these questions before. What is the Internet? Who invented it? When was the internet invented? How does it even work? The story is often...

The Dave Matthews Band Chicago River Incident

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This story isn't for you if you have a weak stomach. Honestly, if you're human this story isn't for you. This is easily the most disgusting story we'v...

Santa

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You know Dasher and Dancer and vicious misuse of a historical figure for profit. But, do you know the story of how St. Nick turned into the Santa Clau...

Epistemology

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you know what you know? That's a weird question. It's an important question to ask, though, and that question is at the heart of epistemology. ...

Mouse Utopia Experiment

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout history, generations watched as the younger generation took the helm. With each transition of power, the older generation has often disappr...

Satan

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Let's talk about Satan. The devil is one of the scariest creatures in the whole Biblical story. The problem? Well, the Bible never describes the devil...

Jose Canseco

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jose Canseco was one of the greatest home run hitters in MLB history, with over 450 on his long career. He had a little help, though. Many regard him ...

Lawn Chair Larry

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lawn Chair Larry, also known as Larry Walters, had always dreamed of flying. As a kid, he planned on becoming a pilot in the airforce. Unfortunately, ...

Timothy Dexter

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Timothy Dexter might actually be the luckiest man ever to live. Dexter was a prolific business mam at the dawn of the United States. He was one of the...

Ferdinand Waldo Demara

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ferdinand Waldo Demara is quite possibly the most legendary imposter to ever live. This man lied his way into almost every career known to man. Throug...

Valiant Thor

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Valiant Thor is the subject of a truly unbelievable story. We mean it. Tim doesn't even buy this one. Here's the story. Valiant Thor, or Val as his fr...

Emperor Norton

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We all remember the days sitting through history class learning about all the presidents in the short history of the United States. We learned all abo...

Even More Cat Daddy Voicemails

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We went viral on TikTok earlier this year with our "Cat Daddy" voicemail reactions. Since then, our listenership has grown by the tens-of-thousands an...

The Bomber Mafia

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of World War I, virtually everyone on earth knew that we could not afford another war as treacherous as the great war. In the US, a group ...

Stanley Meyer

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stanley Meyer was a prolific inventor in the late 20th century. While working for a local lab, Meyer was on the team that had filed for numerous paten...

BlackRock

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

BlackRock inc. is the largest bank in the world. How big, you ask? Well, it manages an estimated total of $9 trillion. This corporation controls more ...

Phoenix Jones

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On the rooftops of Seattle lurks a hero the city never asked for and barely needs. In $10k dollar armor Phoenix Jones rushes down fire escapes and acr...

Space

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Since the United States first landed on the moon 50 years ago, the dream of a space colony has been alive in the American consciousness. Is a space co...

LW Wright

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nascar has long been the pinnacle of the racing world. However, within the Nascar community, there stands no track greater than the Talladega Super Sp...

Lake Lanier

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

About 50 miles outside downtown Atlanta lies Lake Lanier. This artificial reservoir spans 59 square miles and boasts an impressive 692 miles of shorel...

Freeway Rick Ross

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freeway Rick Ross built an empire of drug dealing and real estate in the mid-'80s. His reputation was stout, but he knew what he was doing and evaded ...

Bonus: Tesla Bot

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tesla held its special AI day yesterday and showcased all kinds of incredible new technologies in its autonomous vehicles. Then at the end of their co...

The Great Emu War

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every nation in the world has had its fair share of embarrassing moments. But only one has lost a war to flightless birds. In 1932, the Australian mil...

Government Cheese

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every Presidential candidate makes promises throughout their campaign to sway voters to earn their spot as president. For many candidates, only a few ...

Operation Chrome Dome

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Few things are more dangerous than extended distance flights. Yet, occasionally, brave pilots will attempt to fly extreme distances in one go. A singl...

Bull Island

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At this point, we are all familiar with the Fyre Festival disaster. The Netflix and Hulu documentaries about the absolute failure of a concert capture...

Charles J Guiteau

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You have to be a pretty crazy person to assassinate a United States President. But, for Charles J Guiteau, the man who assassinated the 20th President...

AT&T

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1877 Alexander Graham Bell founded the Bell Telephone Company. It was the world's first telephone company and would one day become AT&T. Even thoug...

The Salton Sea

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fans of the Things I Learned Last Night podcast know that the United States has made some missteps over the years. However, everything we've discussed...

John McAfee Update (Bonus)

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 32, we talked about John McAfee, the man who created McAfee antivirus and that's the LEAST interesting thing about him. For years, he has s...

Alien Abduction Voicemails (Bonus)

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've been putting signs up at Starbucks and on social media asking for weird voicemails! This time, we put up a sign that said "Have you been abducte...

Slab City - Welcome to the Lawless Californian Town

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What do Salvation Mountain, East Jesus, and West Satan have in common? If you guessed they're locations in a video game then you're only half right. T...

Lonnie Zamora Incident

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New Mexico, 1964, Police Officer Lonnie Zamora was tending to his typical daily routine of ticketing speeders outside the city of Socorro. Zamora foun...

Cargo Cults

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When tribal groups first make contact with cultures and civilizations outside their own there are often unexpected consequences. Throughout history mo...

Eels

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever heard of Eels? Yeah, we're talking about the really weird snake-like fish that sometimes electrocute people. Sidebar, electric eels actu...

The Boston Molassacre

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On January 15, 1919, a 40-foot tidal wave ripped through Boston. This tidal wave did not come from the sea. No, it was a wave of molasses. This thick,...

The 1904 Olympic Marathon

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It was the dawn of the modern Olympic era. St. Louis boasted the pleasure of being the 3rd host of the soon-to-be world-renowned games. Everything wen...

Aleister Crowley

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

He was a magician, an occultist, and a vagabond. At one point, Aleister Crowley either struck fear or admiration into people all around the world. Eve...

Dyatlov Pass Incident

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In February 1959, ten experienced hikers embarked on a dangerous hike through the northern Urals (a mountain range in the then Soviet Union). None of ...

Remote Viewing

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Remote Viewing and the government project that popularized it just might take the cake as the most unbelievable thing this little comedy podcast has e...

The 2008 Florida Gators

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Not only were the 2008 Florida Gators the nearly undefeated BCS National Champions, but their roster is composed of a shockingly wide range of players...

The Suburbs

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the U.S. and its neighboring nations, mainly Canada, you'll find a suburban sprawl. Suburbia has become almost synonymous with the American way of ...

Bob Lazar

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Lazar has been noted as making some of the most audacious and outright unbelievable claims in recent history. If you can believe what Bob Lazar cl...

Identical Strangers

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine meeting a total stranger that looked exactly like you do, now imagine experiencing that unreal phenomenon twice. This is exactly what happened...

The Voynich Manuscript

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Want to talk about a really weird book? Well, do we have a book for you! The Voynich Manuscript is the definition of an enigma. Named after the book s...

Tulip Mania

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At the height of Tulip Mania investors and collectors alike were willing to spend just amount any price for a single bulb. The value of one tulip at t...

The American Dream

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Since the ribbon cutting of the Mall of America many other real estate investors have tried to mimic the colossal project. One such attempt has just r...

The Cat Daddy (TILLN Bonus)

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We recently had a clip from our show get over 7 million views on TikTok! Which means a lot of you joined our show because you saw that clip. Here's th...

Castle Bravo

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to Nuclear bombs there's large and then there's Castle Bravo. On March 1st, 1954 the United States detonated the largest Thermonuclear w...

'Oumuamua

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On October 19th, 2017 Robert Weryk turned to a new part of the sky with the Pan-STARRS telescope at Haleakalā Observatory in Hawaii and spotted somet...

The Demon Core

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Demon Core had the potential to be one of the most dangerous devices of the 20th century. In a stroke of luck, it wasn't used for it's original pu...

Göbekli Tepe

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Göbekli Tepe is an Archeological site in Turkey that could change everything we know about, well everything. This ancient monolith predates all the m...

Bitcoin

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is talking about Bitcoin these days, but what is it? Tim and Jaron sit down to talk about Bitcoin in 2021. They talk about Bitcoin mining, bl...

Travis the Chimpanzee

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Travis was a beloved figure in this small town. The police officers knew him, he ate dinner with the family, but he's still a wild animal. Learn about...

Billionaires

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches Jaron all about billionaires. Who the richest people in the world are, how they got there, what makes someone a "billionaire", and how it'...

Agent Garbo

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches Jaron about Agent Garbo, a double agent who convinced Great Britain to hire him to sabotage the Germans. Without his contribution, the Inv...

Action Park

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Wild rides, underage drinking, and no adults. What could go wrong?? Tim teaches Jaron about Action Park, a theme park that is the subject of many laws...

Las Vegas Tunnel Town

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Underneath the Vegas Strip is a system of tunnels that is home to over a thousand people! Tim teaches Jaron about fascinating community, police respon...

Synthetic Media

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches Jaron about synthetic media, a method of content creation that relies solely on automated systems, like artificial intelligence algorithms...

Norilsk, Russia

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Tim teaches us about Norilsk, a city in Russia that has been called "the worst place on Earth". From their 2 month long night, to their riv...

Little Caesars

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jaron asked Tim to do less controversial topics and Tim delivered with this episode about Little Caesars. We learn about their history, marketing stra...

Second Life

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches Jaron about Second Life, a massive online role playing game that lets you reimagine your life and build anything you want, including a REA...

Richmond TV Vigilante

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches us about the Richmond TV Vigilante, a masked prankster who leaves box TVs on peoples' front porches all across the city of Richmond, VA tw...

MK Ultra

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Tim teaches us about MK Ultra, a CIA operation that used experimental tactics on unknowing citizens, detainees, and even their own agents. ...

Pokemon

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Tim teaches Jaron about the international brand, Pokemon. We talk about it's origins, branding strategy, and the unintended effects of their...

Operation Paperclip

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of World War II, Nazi scientists were fleeing to different countries to avoid jail or death. The United States found the plans the Nazis ha...

I-400s (Aircraft Carrier Submarines)

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Tim teaches us all about I-400s, Japanese aircraft carriers that were used during World War II. FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/tillnpodcast ...

BCIs (Brain Computer Interfaces)

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches us about the technology that would allow you to control your devices using only your mind! We talk about how it's developed so far, how it...

Oak Ridge, TN

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We tried to record an episode over Zoom! It's been too long. Tim teaches us about Oak Ridge, TN. A town created during WWII for the purpose of develop...

Natalia Barnett

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches us about Natalia Barnett (Grace). We learn about her bizarre story of being adopted into a family as an 8 year old, even though doctors cl...

XFL (Xtreme Football League)

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim teaches us about the XFL, a spring football league making waves as a new competitor to the NFL. Tim takes us through their first attempt at becomi...