1) In 1998 a construction worker found something extraordinary under Benjamin Franklin’s London-based home - human remains. What was the founding father up to?? 2) Dwight D. Eisenhower. Susan B. Anthony. Sacagawea. We keep trying dollar-coins, and they keep failing. Why? 3) Even if they know you well, people that suffer from prosopagnosia can’t recognize you - in fact, they often can’t even identify themselves. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethe...
Jun 06, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 68
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy remains a favorite topic of conspiracy theorists six decades after the event. It probably doesn’t help that we don’t know where his brain is… The murder of Amber Hagerman has saved more than 1,000 kids. It changed the way child abductions are handled. Why does her own case remain unsolved? Yo Dawg! In the mid-2000s, MTV was full of music videos and reality shows like Cribs and Pimp My Ride. Pimp My Ride took an old, end-of-life car and “pimped” it o...
May 30, 2022•24 min
1) Ride-hailing services like Uber have dominated the industry for more than a decade. Open the app, order a ride, and you’re on your way. But remember those yellow taxis we used to call? Well, they have feelings, too. 2) Paul McCartney is the most successful and famous rock musician of the last 50 years. At one point his fans thought he was dead and secretly replaced by a double. Things are about to get weird. 3) Online dating sites have gone from taboo to mainstream with record speed - but do ...
May 23, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Do we ever stop to think where the words we use came from? Case study: Bluetooth. Wouldn’t it be great if you could gamble and never lose? Houston furniture mogul Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale may have figured it out. In 1579, a mysterious man from Africa arrived in Japan and lived quietly and anonymously, but by the end of his time there he would become a legend. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram -instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - fac...
May 16, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 66
Video games are big business, pulling in over $37 billion per year in domestic sales. So why can’t we make a good movie based on one? In the late 1600s, the town of Salem, Massachusetts, dissolved into total hysteria and violence during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. But what caused the panic in the first place? Acclaimed chef David Ruggerio had it all - published cookbooks, a show on the Food Network…and a sinister secret. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram -instagram....
May 09, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Prices are increasing at the fastest rate since the early 1980s. While we all feel it at the grocery store and the gas pumps, inflation is hitting another market sector, as well - the Tooth Fairy. We’ve heard of someone or something being blacklisted, right? An action has happened that brings with it a level of distrust and rejection. In 2005 a new type of blacklisting began, but this blacklist often ends with an award-winning green light. Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods. Tom Brady… and Joey Chestnu...
May 02, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Smoking or non-smoking? Until the late 1990’s, this was the question at restaurants, bowling alleys, and on airplanes. Why did the smoking option go away? And we examine one town in America actually trying to completely eliminate smoking. The Patterson-Gimlin film has been the definitive Big Foot documentation since 1967. It didn’t take long, though, for the two men to disagree on just what they saw. (+ Dave has a plan for he and Jay to join a Big Foot expedition.) For 7-8 hours per night we do ...
Apr 25, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 63
For over 80 years the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile has been one of the most recognizable vehicles on the road, but when’s the last time you passed one? Solitaire and Minesweeper were preloaded in almost every PC in the 90’s. So - why? And did Microsoft have ulterior motives? During prohibition, the US government tried to legislate away alcohol. While the ban was eventually lifted, some questionable turns were taken along the way. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram -instagram....
Apr 18, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 62
You find them in big cities and small towns, rural areas and urban subdivisions and, while cute to some, they’re a nuisance to many. Where do all the deer come from?! Being tall has its advantages, but its disadvantages can be daunting. The touching life of Robert Wadlow. For almost 15 years, Flo has been getting people to switch to Progressive Insurance at an amazing rate. But if not for five unscripted words, this iconic mascot might not even exist. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Comm...
Apr 11, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 61
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars last week. If you were watching live, you saw it but didn’t hear it. Let’s learn about the censoring work of our friends at the FCC. William Stewart Halsted is credited as much as anyone with developing modern medicine, including the medical residency program. And he was typically high on cocaine. During the Cold War and in the early days of the space race, the U.S. considered doing something amazing to showcase its technological dominance to the rest ...
Apr 04, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Saint Peter’s University Peacocks became the 2022 March Madness Cinderella team by beating squads they had no chance against on paper, gathering fans and viewers with each win. Does NCAA tournament success do anything for the school, itself? When you call a customer service number it almost always happens: you get put on hold. The music that greets you, though, is more complicated than you’d think. Samoas. Tagalongs. Thin Mints. We all have our favorite Girl Scout Cookie. Where did this national...
Mar 28, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 59
This week on the show: Metal detectors didn’t have a resurgence during the pandemic - they had a rebirth. A new generation of treasure hunters has emerged. Is this a good thing? Action Park was one of the most popular theme parks in America during the 1980s. Then the first person died. Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs in 2012. The fallout had an impact on Armstrong’s charity, Livestrong (remember the yellow wristbands??) Livestrong is still a...
Mar 21, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 58
What would you do for your favorite drink? What would you give? In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union wanted Pepsi so badly that it paid with the only thing it had - military equipment. It’s been over 100 years since we’ve had a nice presidential beard like Abe’s or mustache like Teddy’s. Why don’t U.S. Presidents grow facial hair anymore? And should Joe Biden consider a goatee? Becoming a professional clown is no laughing matter. Don’t buy it? The legendary Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bail...
Mar 14, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Have a weird talent? Always had dreams of securing eternal glory with a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records? Figuring out your talent is the easy part. Author Stephen King is renown for creepy classics like The Shining & IT. But what about the time he found himself in a real-life suspense story? G, PG, PG-13, R, and even NC-17. We know the movie rating system, but who decides? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram -instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @Podca...
Mar 07, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 56
User reviews are the first resource to help consumers discover how good a product or service is; what other buyers liked and disliked. What if most of those reviews were fake…? It’s a horror movie staple and it always works - the jump scare!! Can a film lead to an actual, measurable shift in culture and society? http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram -instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @PodcastCommute Facebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast *** Episode Sources/Go De...
Feb 28, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 55
One of the most prolific serial killers of his time, Diego Alves was executed 170 years ago, but that wasn’t the last time anyone saw Alves. In fact, you can still meet the killer face-to-face today, his head perfectly preserved in a jar! In many ways, Whittier, Alaska, is just like any town in America. It has schools, grocery stores, and a city government. When it differs, though, it really differs. For starters, almost everyone lives in the same building. As comedian John Mulaney put it, “I al...
Feb 21, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 54
When a baby is born, it needs more than love and affection - it needs a name! Can you name your new baby whatever you want? Eh, it’s complicated and, no, you can’t name it Santa Claus. Yes, you just watched the Super Bowl, but here’s what they didn’t tell you. Ten years ago, Jeremy Lin took the NBA by storm. Linsanity captured the attention of the world - and nearly ruined Jeremy’s life. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitter - @Podc...
Feb 14, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Every kid's favorite way to waste their parent's quarters - the claw machine! So, what are your chances of actually winning? 50 million people start their day with a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle. Can these daily word games teach us about how we form new memories? And why do crossword puzzles end up entangled in culture wars? Peloton, the in-home exercise equipment company, was the hottest ticket in town with soaring stock prices and commercials on major outlets. Then the company announce...
Feb 07, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Since 1887, we’ve celebrated the best weird holiday - Groundhogs Day. Every February 2nd Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his hole to determine how close we are to spring. How did such an idea get started? And how reliable is ol’ Phil? We share pictures of our children online without a second thought. Could they sue us for that one day?? In the early 2000s, Major League Baseball star Barry Bonds was the best player in the league. At the height of his popularity Bonds made the controversial decisio...
Jan 31, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 51
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy remains a favorite topic of conspiracy theorists six decades after the event. It probably doesn’t help that we don’t know where his brain is… The murder of Amber Hagerman has saved more than 1,000 kids. It changed the way child abductions are handled. Why does her own case remain unsolved? Yo Dawg! In the mid-2000s, MTV was full of music videos and reality shows like Cribs and Pimp My Ride. Pimp My Ride took an old, end-of-life car and “pimped” it o...
Jan 24, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Deep in a German jungle is a species of ant that at first glance seems to be normal, but while other ants die quickly, as ants typically do, this specific type of ant doesn’t. The secret of long life, however, comes with a cost. In the 1990s, the clothing brand AND1 with unique shirts full of insults, (“Go to church - and pray you don’t guard me.”) was a serious competitor in the athletic wear sector. Then it was gone … or was it? Is AND1 primed for a comeback? Can you ever completely erase your...
Jan 17, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 49
For more than three decades Dollar Tree has advertised “everything’s a $1” - household items, toys, kitchenware - everything. That’s been the company’s brand identity for 35-years, until now. Why is Dollar Tree turning into Dollar & a Quarter Tree? In 1999, Doug Lindsay developed symptoms consistent with a rare disease that had also afflicted his mother, a condition that had baffled doctors for decades. Confined to a bed for 22 hours a day, he was left with two choices: wait to die or save h...
Jan 10, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 48
** Episode 25 Replay** In the 1970s, a boyband was dubbed the next Beatles because of the fan fervor they generated. You’ve probably never heard of them today. Did the heightened public reaction actually hurt their career? The table game Dungeons & Dragons has been popular among a small subculture of people for decades. In recent years gameplay has soared, even increasing 30% during the pandemic. What is so attractive about this game? We bring in an expert to help us make sense of it all. On...
Jan 03, 2022•23 min
In November 1968, the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets played one of the greatest endings to a televised football game in NFL history…and no viewers actually saw it. Lose weight. Save money. Stop drinking caffeine. It’s that time of year to make New Year's resolutions. Every year we do them, and every year we mostly fail. Why? In the winter months, we go out just a little earlier than usual to start the car. It’s more comfortable for us and better for the vehicle, right? http://www.commutet...
Dec 27, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 47
It’s a special holiday episode of Commute!! You can almost taste it, can’t you? The holiday dinner table set with mashed potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls, green beans and … KFC? You know how the Grinch tried to stop Christmas from coming to Whoville but, today, Grinch bots don’t want to stop Christmas. They just want you to pay more for it. Christmas songs are unique. For two months they follow us from car to shopping mall to doctor's office. How does a Christmas song become a classic that joins th...
Dec 20, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 46
By most accounts, ten-year-old Ryan Kaji is just like any other normal kid - he likes cartoons, playing with toys, and making silly videos. Where Ryan starts to differ from your kid, though, is that he made $30 million last year. Internet black markets are wild and unregulated places (don’t look it up - it’s not for the faint of the heart), but you can always find help there for people in need. What if you needed to score some breast milk? Anything’s possible, at the right price. The holidays be...
Dec 13, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Taylor Swift is the dominant musical artist of her generation. She consistently releases well-reviewed, original and popular music. Why is she going back to release new versions of her first six albums that sound exactly like the originals? Internet personality Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, started a restaurant chain in 2020, but MrBeast Burger has no physical locations and doesn’t spend any money on advertising. And there’s probably one in your hometown. The beloved 1990s Christmas movie Home A...
Dec 06, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 44
It was recently announced that crypto.com spent a record $700 million to rename the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It sounds crazy, but companies do it. Does it really make sense? Billionaires in Silicon Valley are spending amazing money on technology to extend lifespans. But will this only extend lifespans of the rich? We just passed Thanksgiving, which means one thing - time for the Hallmark Christmas movie marathon!! Hallmark will air a full slate of original Christmas movies for the next mon...
Nov 29, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 43
“Want to make some extra money on the side? Be your own boss?” Pyramid schemes - sorry, I mean, multilevel marketing companies - continue to flourish and recruit new members despite volumes of evidence suggesting that only a select few make money. Why, why, why?? What moments define you? Both good and bad but, far too often, it’s hard to let go of the bad. And what if one of your worst days ended up on posters in dorm rooms and sports bars? The lasting legacy of “the dunk of death.” Do you like ...
Nov 22, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 42
We read it in the movie review: “this film stinks despite incredible A-list talent.” But is the A-list an actual list? For the last two decades albums have been coming out of recent Billboard Top 20 songs with kids singing bizarrely squeaky clean lyrics. We explore. It’s a nightmare that you hope you never experience: lost, alone at sea. Wouldn’t it be nice to know how to survive? We’ll tell you. http://www.commutethepodcast.com Follow Commute: Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/ Twitte...
Nov 15, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 41
