Our human understanding of history dictates general timelines for what certain civilizations knew, and when they likely knew it. But that history is based on written and illustrated records, along with the things we've uncovered in archaeological discoveries. What if our timeline is off? What if those civilizations knew things before we thought they did? And what if we already have evidence of their genius and advanced technology sitting in our museums today? On this week's episode, we discuss o...
Jul 18, 2018•1 hr 1 min
There's too dang many alien abduction stories in this world for us to only dedicate one episode to it. That's why we're back to talk about martian communication and alien abduction again to tell the stories of folks who say they've been taken up into the skies. This week we tell the story of lumberjack Travis Walton, whose abduction was witnessed by five coworkers and disappeared into the Arizona wilderness. Five days later, he returned to tell an incredible story of alien abduction, examination...
Jul 10, 2018•1 hr 8 min
For decades, people have gone on record with a surprising level of consistency, telling stories of their experience being abducted by aliens. Bright lights, paralysis, transportation, experimentation, and a whole lot more. But we do avoid saying the phrase "anal probe," which we're pretty proud of. Well. Until now. Dammit. On this episode of The What If? Podcast, we discuss this lasting phenomenon, tell the story of Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker and their abduction from the shores of a river...
Jul 04, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Conspiracies abound from the past decade, swirling around a laboratory in Geneva that houses the world's largest machine - the Large Hadron Collider, brought to all of us by the folks at CERN. Are they summoning demons? Are they opening portals to another dimension? Are they creating black holes in their basement, and none of us can know? Are they just doing things so smart that we all get scared? Want more What If?? Get double the episodes every week by joining our Patreon . Want gear? Hit up o...
Jun 26, 2018•1 hr 8 min
In northeastern South America, rumors, myths, and legends of a city made of gold have survived for hundreds of years. Golden chickens, golden corn, golden roads, golden lakes—the vast catalog of stories of wild riches to be found all point back to El Dorado. On this week's episode of The What If? Podcast, we break down the stories, the hundreds of year's spent searching, and how real the legend of the lost city of El Dorado truly is. Leave us a voicemail: (612) 246-4614 Get an extra episode each...
Jun 20, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Look guys, cults are bad. HECK. We can all agree. But sometimes they do stuff that's just crazy for us to tell the story of anyway. In 1993, a Japanese cult that had spread throughout the world, may have just done something as crazy as nuking the Australian desert in an effort to bring about a new armageddon. Sound wild enough for y'all? It's wild enough for us - so strap into your seats, and hold onto your butts - it's another episode of The What If? Podcast . Want more? Get double the episodes...
Jun 13, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Dogmen, pup people, canine compadres, labrador lads, mutt mates... On today's episode, we're talking about the legend of the Dogman, a tall, mysterious creature said to have features of a dog, wolf, man, or bear. We share some stories of the Michigan Dogman, the Beast of Bray Road, and human/animal hybrids throughout history. Leave us a voicemail: (612) 246-4614 Get an extra episode each week: https://www.patreon.com/whatifpodcast Send us an email: hi@whatifpodcast.com Visit our website: http://...
Jun 06, 2018•1 hr
Things get even weirder in part two of our series on Mount Shasta. Lemurians are crossing land bridges and building beautiful crystal cities inside the mountain, Leprechauns are giving people coal, and Yaktavians are building giant bells to keep us away. Leave us a voicemail: (612) 246-4614 Get an extra episode each week: https://www.patreon.com/whatifpodcast Send us an email: hi@whatifpodcast.com Visit our website: http://whatifpodcast.com/ Shop our store: https://shop.whatifpodcast.com/...
May 29, 2018•1 hr 3 min
The fifth highest mountain peak in California has a history unlike any other mountain peak in the world. Dating back to the mid-1800s, residents, explorers, and visitors alike have wild stories that range from aliens and UFO sightings, to Bigfootses (Bigfeet? Bigfeetses? Nevermind...) lost civilizations, and a whole lot more. On this part one of a two-part episode, we explore the strange, scary, mysterious and maybe most of all goofy legends of Mount Shasta. Leave us a voicemail: (612) 246-4614 ...
May 23, 2018•1 hr 4 min
Since 2007, 14 (or 16, or 19 depending on who you ask) human feet have washed ashore along the Salish Sea. They're usually found inside a men's running shoe, sometimes with a leg bone attached. People have suggested serial killers, airplane crashes, tsunamis, and alien abductions, but authorities think there's a more prosaic explanation. Join us on Patreon and get an extra episode every week.
May 16, 2018•57 min
For this week's episode, we took a field trip to Green Mountain Falls, Colorado for the Mile High Mystery Conference. Dan Whalen and Chance York join us to recap presentations from David Paulides and Linda Moulton Howe. Join us on Patreon and get an extra episode every week . Music by Big Cats .
May 09, 2018•59 min
We've always been big proponents of things in this world being a bit stranger than they appear. On this episode of The What If? Podcast, things are no different. Vegetables might not just make you smart. They might actually *be* smart. Today, we're talking about Cleve Backster and his crazy plant polygraphs, Monica Gagliano and her plant roller coasters, fungal neural networks with more worms in them, and a whole lot more. Leave us a voicemail: (612) 246-4614 Get an extra episode each week: http...
May 02, 2018•1 hr 8 min
In 1966 on a hill in Rio De Janeiro, two men wearing lead masks were found dead under a whole big bucket of mysterious circumstances. Ingestible capsules, UFO sightings over the hill they were discovered on, strange written instructions, wet towels, and a whole lot more. On this episode of The What If? Podcast, we tell the story of the lead masks of Vintem Hill, and the men who were responsible for their very own disappearance. In one of our deeper mysteries so far, we investigate allegations of...
Apr 25, 2018•1 hr 14 min
We wish a strange and beautiful and peaceful rest, to the legend Art Bell. The beloved host of Coast to Coast, Dreamland, and Midnight in the Desert passed away this past week. As a man who blazed the trail for weird audio folks like us, it's only right that we remember the man who brought aliens, ghosts, philosophy, the strange, and the paranormal, to the radio waves better than anyone, for the very first time. We discuss Art Bell's history in radio including his classic bits, like Mel's Hole, ...
Apr 18, 2018•1 hr 26 min
Big, old, often carved, piles of rocks - or as they're more professionally known: Lincoln Logs. Just kidding. They're megaliths. And they're pretty dang wild when you dig into 'em. On today's episode of The What If? Podcast we travel the globe and through time as we uncover the ongoing struggle of human beings to leave something behind. From neolithic skull cults in Turkey, to massive tomb facades in Saudi Arabia, to ancestral humanoid stones on Easter Island, we're talking megaliths of history....
Apr 11, 2018•1 hr 38 min
We took a trip to Area 51 over the weekend, and things got a little weird. We drove up to the front gate, saw some strange contrails and a white bus with blacked out windows, and heard an unidentified hum. Join us on patreon and get an extra episode every week. Have an idea for an episode? Share it with us here.
Apr 04, 2018•50 min
Ryan finally bought his ticket to Denver, and Dan's here to celebrate! Dan shares his ghost story, Ryan and Spencer haunt people in their dreams, and we try to figure out what's up with lake monsters. Join us on Patreon and get an extra episode every week. Music by Big Cats
Mar 27, 2018•1 hr 8 min
Lydia Liza 's here to talk about creepy internet mysteries. First we cover the bizarre voicemail that @strayedaway received , warning of a dangerous, non-human presence. Then, we get into the Dear David saga , in which cartoonist Adam Ellis was (maybe) haunted by ghost boy. Join us on Patreon and get an extra episode every week. Music by Big Cats....
Mar 21, 2018•1 hr 8 min
On today's episode, we review the new "go fast" video released by Tom DeLonge's To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science. We then get into the Broad Haven UFO sighting and the Welsh Triangle UFO flap of the late 1970s. Finally, Ryan walks us through the Belgian Wave UFO sightings of 1989-90. Join us on Patreon and get an extra episode every week. Music by Big Cats....
Mar 13, 2018•1 hr 22 min
This week, we recount the legend of a video game, allegedly created by the government, that controlled minds, caused seizures, and maybe even killed people. We know - it’s gonna get weird. But when do we not, eh? Hold onto your butts, gang. We’re talking 80’s Atari games, barfing from Berzerk, the Mile High Mystery Conference, and a whole lot more - this week, on The What If? Podcast. Hot Topics: Polybius, Sinneslöschen, Coinop.org, Kurt Koller, Bigfoot Conferences, Peer Pressure, and a whole lo...
Mar 07, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Do people live, die, and then live again? We’re talking reincarnation on this episode of The What If? Podcast. We tell stories of children who claim to have past lives, American women who believe they were previously Irish citizens, and professors who spent their careers interviewing people who thought they were a person once before. Get down as we leave the planet, and try to come back again, on this week’s episode. Hot Topics: Ghost Catapults, Goat Simulators, 4 Year Old Dads, Housewives, It’s...
Feb 28, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Weird stuff is happening in Australia dudes. We're talking about the disappearance of Frederick Valentich, an Australian pilot who was probably abducted by a UFO, and the Kaz II, a yacht whose whole crew disappeared without a trace. Ghost Yachts!
Feb 21, 2018•1 hr 11 min
In August of 2016, a family of five left their home in a rush, leaving behind their credit cards, identification, and cell phones. They claimed they were being stalked by someone who wanted to rob and kill them. Over the next six days, the family experienced a series of misadventures, including car theft and multiple hospitalizations, before returning home and resuming their normal lives. On today's episode, we try and figure out why they left and what happened during those six days....
Feb 14, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Today, we're sharing four stories of humans who defy medical explanation. Tarrare ate live cats, snakes, lizards and puppies, and swallowed an eel whole without chewing. Wim Hof climbed Mount Everest wearing only goggles and a pair of shorts. Oliver Sacks spent years studying and treating people suffering from Encephalitis Lethargica . An obese gentleman went 382 days without eating . Yep, it gets weird today folks, so hold onto your butts. Get a second, exclusive episode of The What If? Podcast...
Feb 07, 2018•1 hr 7 min
We're talking about mysterious sounds, including the hum, sky trumpets, the bloop, and the world's loneliest whale. We also debut a new way to open the show, plan a podcast field trip, and pitch a new kids show. Support us on Patreon and get an extra episode every week. Support the show by getting a poster, hoodie, t-shirt, hat, or coffee mug at our online store . Visit The What If? Podcast online....
Jan 31, 2018•1 hr 12 min
So guys, turns out they do. Hold onto your butts. No seriously, hold onto your butts, 'cause they comin' for that cow bum. Cattle mutilations are a strange phenomenon that's been happening since the 1970's, where mostly cows, but animals of all kinds, end up with missing body parts, organs, and blood. We know. It's weird. But that's what you're here for, eh? Spencer tells us what heifers are through a cold, Ryan's officially freaked out for the first time in a long time, and of course we make so...
Jan 24, 2018•1 hr 11 min
On today's episode, we're talking about the third man factor. Some people, when faced with life-threatening situations, sense the presence of another person. This presence offers words of encouragement, support, and guidance, and has led some people to overcome seemingly impossible odds. We share stories of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition, Ron DiFrancesco's escape from the World Trade Center, Jerry Linenger's experience on the Muir space station, and James Sevigny's miraculous avalanche...
Jan 17, 2018•1 hr 27 min
We're talking about space junk and the Kessler Effect , which suggests that space debris might create more space debris through a series of collisions. Don Kessler, for whom the Kessler effect is named, suggested that there might eventually be enough space debris to prevent us from launching new objects into orbit. We also wonder if Keanue Reeves might be the greatest action hero of our generation, we introduce some new sounders, and Spencer tells a story about The Power Team . Support us on Pat...
Jan 10, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Contacting 2109 - ? Sims is here and we're talking about Ken Webster's book The Vertical Plane . In 1984, Ken Webster came into contact with a man named Lukas from the 1500s, and an extremely cryptic, possibly from the future, possibly extraterrestrial group called 2109. They used the word processor on a BBC Micro computer to communicate with each other across space and time. We also discuss time portals underneath London , fatbergs , and college students who can see into the future. Support us ...
Jan 03, 2018•1 hr 3 min
It's that time of the year where we play the What In The F&%K Was That? Wikipedia game. Spencer asks some questions about unusual topics and Ryan tries to think of the word "Omakase". Hot Topics: Your Podcast Sucks I'd Rather Set My Ears On Fire, Middle School Linkedin, Jesus Nut, ManhattanHenge, Products Inspired By The Simpsons, Bird People, Bigfoot Traps, and much more. Support us on Patreon and get an extra episode every week. Support the show by getting a poster, hoodie, t-shirt, hat, o...
Dec 27, 2017•1 hr 2 min
