What does an 'Indian Summer' actually mean? Where does the phrase 'Raining Cats And Dogs' come from? Hint: while you might not encounter cats pouring out of the sky, there are some wonderful other creatures you could. Not recommended. And the surprising origins of the phrase 'Buttering Someone Up'. Take a listen and level up your idiom game with this very fun short! BRF Shorts On Us are mini episodes much more home grown in production than our full length episodes, and therefore slightly varying...
Aug 20, 2021•11 min
This episode is on Fire! (pun :D) What happens when the God of Fire gets indigestion? What happens to fire in space? Can the human body spontaneously combust on its own? Does pyrokinesis exist? Also, is that the correct term for it? And how do dragons breathe fire? We answer all these and other burning questions. Also, as a treat - find out the very literal origins of the phrase 'You Are Fired'. The Apprentice can thank us later. Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to ...
Aug 13, 2021•39 min
<hic> Welcome to another episode of BRF Shorts on Us! From women in whiskey-making to recommendations in the world of whisk(e)y to lexicography, this episode is a short but has it all! There's also a surprise announcement at the end that you're not going to want to miss. <hic> BRF Shorts On Us are mini episodes much more home grown in production than our full length episodes, and therefore slightly varying in quality. Content is aces like always though - so take a listen and enjoy! B...
Aug 06, 2021•17 min
History, Politics, Medicine, Astronomy, Psychology - this episode really took us places! Find out where it all began, the amazing journey of the Indian fairytales book the Panchatantra across the world, the dark historical story that inspired a much told tale and some expert psychological and medical diagnosis for our favourite fairy characters! Listen and live happily ever after... Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based experiential ...
Jul 30, 2021•38 min
What is this strange word you ask - listen to the episode to find out! Find out about our holiest saviour, the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the devoutness of his followers. Ramen to that! BRF Shorts On Us are mini episodes much more home grown in production than our full length episodes, and therefore slightly varying in quality. Content is aces like always though - so take a listen and enjoy! Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based ex...
Jul 23, 2021•9 min
From the expected - like where the word 'Pasta' comes from and the history of this fascinating dish - to the absolutely unexpected, this episode covers so much ground. Take a listen to explore the creep-tastic internet world of Creepypasta, pasta wars, punny pasta religions and the latest in pasta shapes! Also, if anyone has a better explanation for what lictorian means, please do let us know. Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based ex...
Jul 16, 2021•36 min
Happy Birthday to Ragini! We decided to do a fun little short on birthdays right from the history of these special days to birthday traditions around the world. And Shar spills the beans on some stories about Ragini - all of which gave birth to this amazing podcast! So more than one birth day being celebrated on this one today. Happy listening!
Jul 09, 2021•15 min
Our first ever guest episode and this one's a tasty one! Find out about the history of cake, and a charming little story of how a little town in southern India grew to become a global hotspot for Christmas cakes. There are stories about conjoined twins, examination practices at Oxford and folklore from China. Also a really fun segment on some totally bizarre world cake records! And we rechristen Red Velvet cake. Packed with flavour and information! Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (...
Jul 02, 2021•38 min
June 26th is celebrated as Rat Catcher's Day in the town of Hamelin in Germany. This episode we take you through the disturbingly true stories that inspired some of our much beloved fairytales - including the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin that inspires the celebrations today! There's also a fun little music video about the Three Little Pigs. You can find the link to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtffv9bpB-U And a story about how two little girls kept an international hoax ...
Jun 25, 2021•13 min
Our word for this episode: Palm! From experts who predicted their own death to Ragini's newly acquired palm-reading skills, to Los Angeles and its infamous arboreal mascot, this episode is short but packs a punch! Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based experiential arts company. Born out of the infamous lockdown of 2020, the show is a trip down dissection lane – of words. Every episode, the hosts Ragini and Shar choose one word and de...
Jun 18, 2021•28 min
Our first ever BRF Shorts On Us! Mini episodes where we pick words, phrases, idioms and tease them out for you. This episode features the word 'Pride'. We take you through the evolution of this very topical word - it's had a fascinating journey! And of course, there's a fair bit on Pride in its political use today. Jump in! Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based experiential arts company. Born out of the infamous lockdown of 2020, the...
Jun 12, 2021•11 min
Our word for this episode: Dream! In this episode, dreams were a royal road indeed - to super interesting facts! Our chosen word for this episode took us from the supernatural to the surreal! Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based experiential arts company. Born out of the infamous lockdown of 2020, the show is a trip down dissection lane – of words. Every episode, the hosts Ragini and Shar choose one word and deep dive into it. Every...
Jun 05, 2021•39 min
We chose a listener-submitted word to dissect this episode and boy, did it deliver! Thank you to Akshai for suggesting “Octopus”. We have to admit – at first, it didn’t seem very promising but that’ll just teach us to trust in our listeners from now on, because it was quite the opposite in the end! All we know is – whether they’re having weird sex, taking pictures of schoolchildren, taking drugs, or being the subject of fetishes, octopuses deserve our respect, love and admiration. Too bad our (h...
May 21, 2021•41 min
Riddle us this dear listeners... In this episode we answer why that statement leaves you feeling like you're the champion of the world or in a broken pile of anxiety on the floor. To put things in perspective, especially if you're one of the latter - we also take you down the history of riddling, where a mess-up on the answer could lead to public humiliation or certain death. So no pressure there. And because we're so cultured, we've also brought in a little bit about storing your wine appropria...
May 06, 2021•38 min
Our word for this episode: Mirror! In this episode, we take listeners through the history of the mirror and ponder the magpie-like nature of humans in their obsession for shiny things. We journey from the sands of the Egyptian civilization to a janitorial closet in an American club - what a ride! Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based experiential arts company. Born out of the infamous lockdown of 2020, the show is a trip down dissect...
Apr 22, 2021•33 min
Our word for this episode: Memory! This one's going to be a hard one to forget. And if you do, we'll tell you exactly why that happened in this episode. From setting world records to some crazy stories about some crazy memories - newly self appointed Drs. Shar and Ragini take you through some incredible facts about all that we remember. Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus , a Mumbai-based experiential arts company. Born out of the infamous lockdown...
Apr 09, 2021•28 min
Our word for this episode: Geek. Bite the head off a chicken and get ready for a "galloper" of an episode! Since our word for the episode is "Geek", it's obvious we bring up carnivals, right? Right! We go through a range of emotions with this one. From talking about early American carnivals to Geek culture, to Don Quixote this "Ding Show" would be far from having "Mr. and Mrs. Wood and All the Little Woods". If you think that's gibberish, you haven't heard Ragini's "P" language yet and you haven...
Mar 20, 2021•25 min
Our word for this episode: Ash! Disclaimer: the content in this episode may not be suitable for everyone. Volcanic erections, hacks to keep your pets flea-free and your chickens parasit free and more! This episode, we talk about all things ash - some predicatable and some unpredictable. We did have to cover the obvious - crematorial practices but we take you down a road that's hopefully more interesting than it is morbid. We also covered how scientists and archaeologists in France have found hop...
Feb 26, 2021•29 min
Our word for this episode: Echo! From mythology to ancient civilizations to astronomy, this episode takes us on a comprehensive journey through time - as much as you can in twenty eight minutes anyway! Does a duck's quack echo? Can a human echolocate? Do we play the card game bridge? Is the Big Bang speaking to us across space from the past over time? (Or however someone knowledgeable about astronomy would phrase that question!) We kind of answer all these questions in this week's episode. Barel...
Feb 12, 2021•28 min
This episode features an abrupt great segue into talking about the plague, the miasma and germ theories in science, rotting organic matter (Yay!), mask wearing in the western medical world in the 1900s and a fifteen minute long death scene! Intrigued yet? Well how about a guest appearance by one of our mums? Now that's a clincher! Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus, a Mumbai-based experiential arts company. Born out of the infamous lockdown of 202...
Jan 29, 2021•34 min
Hats have evolved from being integral to protect against the elements to having ceremonial significance and now primarily as a fashion accessory. We discuss hats, hat pins, magic hats, significant hats and mercury poisoning (obvs). We journeyed from the oldest hat in circa 3500 B.C. through to 9th century Scandinavia, 19th century North America, 20th century England and beyond as we uncover some of the interesting stories and facts we came across in our research. Barely Researched Facts is a fac...
Jan 16, 2021•38 min
Barely Researched Facts is a facts-based show (barely) brought to you by ArtNowThus, a Mumbai-based experiential arts company. Born out of the infamous lockdown of 2020, the show is a trip down dissection lane – of words. Every episode, the hosts Ragini and Shar choose one word and deep dive into it. Every interesting fact we can find, we research – somewhat casually – and bring to you, pairing it with some good humour and casual chat between two friends. Come take a listen! In this pilot episod...
Jan 02, 2021•25 min
