September 1, 2025 • 7 mins
This episode of IDKMYDE tells how In 1994, the US Air Force spent millions exploring bizarre "non-lethal" weapons--from stink bombs to sunburn rays and even a so-called "gay bomb" designed to make enemy soldiers attracted to each other. It never made it past the lab, but the fact that it was real might be the wildest part.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I what's having to know it alls? Welcome back to
another episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.
Your favorite podcast host it by yours Truly B Dot
mister Alumna twenty twenty five for Winston Salem State University.
And if you've already seen the title of today's episode,
you are not gonna believe the foolishness I have to
(00:21):
share with you today. But if you're new to the show,
a few ground rules. Once you listen to five episodes
or more of I didn't know, maybe you didn't either,
you become a know it all. That's our family, just
a bunch of know it alls who really don't know nothing,
but we like learning stuff so that we can know
it all. Second, make sure you check out our YouTube
channel that has previous episodes. We Folk seasons in Folks
(00:44):
and we got tons of visuals. Just search IDK myde
in the search bar on YouTube. We come right up.
Make sure you subscribe and make sure you like all
the videos. I sound like my thirteen year old daughter.
Make sure you subscribe, like, share, comment, and yes, I'm
holding up the peace. On Third, make sure you're following
(01:05):
us on Instagram. That's why we're real intimate converse back
to you, send us DMS. Send us topics like Tiffany
sent me to one for today. Couldn't believe it. If
you're on Instagram, just search IDK myde It's got to
underscore before it and behind it, and last, but not least,
before we jump into the topic of today's episode. I
(01:28):
always have to give you three of the most useless facts.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
You'll never need, never, not a day in life.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Your first useless fact, did you know that elephants can
actually recognize themselves in the mirror? And there are one
of very few land mammals that can't jump. Elephants can't jump,
Hippopotamuses can't jump, rhinoceroses can't jump. Your second useless fact.
Chocolate chip cookies invented in nineteen thirty eight by Ruth
(01:58):
Graves Wakefield. But she sold the recipe to Neslie for
one dollar and a lifetime supply of chocolate. I mean
this was a leon Lett fumble. She deliberately made the
cookie at the toll house End in Whitman, Massachusetts. Yeah,
that's how I say it, Massachusets.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Keep up.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
And not only did she sell the recipe to the
chocolate chip cookies to Nesleie. She also gave them the
rights to the name Toll House. All of that for
a dollar and a lifetime supply of Neslei chocolate, and
some accounts say she ain't even get the dollar payment
and the toll House in At that time it was
a popular restaurant known for the home cooking. And your
(02:40):
third and final useless fact, Elvis Presley. You know, some
folks called him the king of rock and roll. I
called him a thief of rock and roll. Nevertheless, did
you know he was a natural blonde. They say he
started to de his hair black in high school, then
slid on his blue swede shoes.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Those have been your three useless facts.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Elephants can actually recognize themselves in the mirror, and they're
one of very few land mammals that can't jump, So
don't beat the DJ at an elephant party planning. No.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Chris Cross.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Chocolate chip cookies were invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield, and
she sold the recipe to Neslie for a one dollar
and a lifetime supply of chocolate. And Elvis Presley was
a natural blond, started dying his hair black in high
school and Now for today's episode, I have to ask
you know it all. Did you know that in the
nineties the government was planning to create bombs that turn
(03:36):
the enemies gay? Because I didn't I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You didn't know.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I
didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I didn't know. All.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Right, to set the scene is nineteen ninety four, your
boy beat Dowt as a freshman in high school. Sister Sister,
New York undercovers on TV Regulate by Warren g Juicy
by Biggie, and Players Ball by Outcast. That's all on
the radio. Now, the US Air Force they got a
lab in Dayton, Ohio. It's called Right Laboratory Wright and
(04:15):
they had been given an assignment. They were assigned to
come up with non lethal weapons that could throw enemy
soldiers off their game a little bit, but not kill them,
just dis Orientum you did. They had a seven point
five million dollar budget spread out over six years to
brainstorm ideas. And I don't know what in the smoky
Chicken coop these foods were smoking in nineteen ninety four,
(04:38):
but these ideas was crazy, Like they had a bad
breath bomb. Yeah, a bad breath bomb that would get
an enemy halatosis. Like, it would make their breaths think
so bad that they wouldn't want to work with each other.
What now, I ain't gonna cap that's what work, because
don't nobody want to work beside nobody with halatosis? I
get upset with people breaths think all the time because
how you don't how you don't taste that. Another idea
(05:00):
they had the insect attracted. Yeah, it's a bomb they
would drop off that would draw stinging bugs right into
the enemy troops. They thought of a chemical that would
turn the enemies into vampires, but not really vampires, but
it would make their skin super sensitive to sunlight. But
the strangest proposal I've ever seen, and the one that
(05:20):
got the most attention years later, was something that got
nicknamed the gay bomb. Now, the concept a chemical weapon
that would cause the enemy soldiers to become sexually attracted
to each other. This is all written up in document form.
Their thinking was if they were distracted with each other,
(05:41):
they wouldn't be focused on fighting, they'd be focused on
fornicating man.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
What now, let me be clear, this weapon was never built.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
But this ain't just some internet room or I saw man,
it was a real proposal. They had some freedom of
information at requests in the early two thousands, and all
these these documents was released and uncovered, and sure enough
there was the Air Force that actually submitted the idea
for the gay bomb.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And I'm not talking about just a submission.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
They received funding to research whether it could be possible enough.
I mean, Air Force, what chemical do you drop to
turn someone homosexual? The pure ignorance of it all. See,
this is what my kids say, I was born in
the nineteen hundreds because that type logic scene so medieval.
I mean, of course, the science has never made it happen,
(06:31):
and the whole thing was eventually abandoned.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
But when the.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Story dropped, I mean, folks was like, yo, y'all had
millions of taxpayer dollars and this is what y'all came
up with. So yeah, in between the stealth bombers and
the high tech drones, the Pentagon also once considered stink bombs,
sunburn rays, and a gay bomb.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I guess it shows how far military imagination goes when
they're trying to win wars, and just how ridiculous stuff
can get when stereotypes get mixed into science.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Stupid.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So we're grateful that the gay bomb never exploded, but
the idea definitely blew my damn mind because I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Maybe you didn't either,
I what's having to know it alls? Welcome back to
another episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.
Your favorite podcast host it by yours Truly B Dot
mister Alumna twenty twenty five for Winston Salem State University.
And if you've already seen the title of today's episode,
you are not gonna believe the foolishness I have to
(00:21):
share with you today. But if you're new to the show,
a few ground rules. Once you listen to five episodes
or more of I didn't know, maybe you didn't either,
you become a know it all. That's our family, just
a bunch of know it alls who really don't know nothing,
but we like learning stuff so that we can know
it all. Second, make sure you check out our YouTube
channel that has previous episodes. We Folk seasons in Folks
(00:44):
and we got tons of visuals. Just search IDK myde
in the search bar on YouTube. We come right up.
Make sure you subscribe and make sure you like all
the videos. I sound like my thirteen year old daughter.
Make sure you subscribe, like, share, comment, and yes, I'm
holding up the peace. On Third, make sure you're following
(01:05):
us on Instagram. That's why we're real intimate converse back
to you, send us DMS. Send us topics like Tiffany
sent me to one for today. Couldn't believe it. If
you're on Instagram, just search IDK myde It's got to
underscore before it and behind it, and last, but not least,
before we jump into the topic of today's episode. I
(01:28):
always have to give you three of the most useless facts.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
You'll never need, never, not a day in life.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Your first useless fact, did you know that elephants can
actually recognize themselves in the mirror? And there are one
of very few land mammals that can't jump. Elephants can't jump,
Hippopotamuses can't jump, rhinoceroses can't jump. Your second useless fact.
Chocolate chip cookies invented in nineteen thirty eight by Ruth
(01:58):
Graves Wakefield. But she sold the recipe to Neslie for
one dollar and a lifetime supply of chocolate. I mean
this was a leon Lett fumble. She deliberately made the
cookie at the toll house End in Whitman, Massachusetts. Yeah,
that's how I say it, Massachusets.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Keep up.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
And not only did she sell the recipe to the
chocolate chip cookies to Nesleie. She also gave them the
rights to the name Toll House. All of that for
a dollar and a lifetime supply of Neslei chocolate, and
some accounts say she ain't even get the dollar payment
and the toll House in At that time it was
a popular restaurant known for the home cooking. And your
(02:40):
third and final useless fact, Elvis Presley. You know, some
folks called him the king of rock and roll. I
called him a thief of rock and roll. Nevertheless, did
you know he was a natural blonde. They say he
started to de his hair black in high school, then
slid on his blue swede shoes.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Those have been your three useless facts.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Elephants can actually recognize themselves in the mirror, and they're
one of very few land mammals that can't jump, So
don't beat the DJ at an elephant party planning. No.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Chris Cross.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Chocolate chip cookies were invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield, and
she sold the recipe to Neslie for a one dollar
and a lifetime supply of chocolate. And Elvis Presley was
a natural blond, started dying his hair black in high
school and Now for today's episode, I have to ask
you know it all. Did you know that in the
nineties the government was planning to create bombs that turn
(03:36):
the enemies gay? Because I didn't I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
You didn't know.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I
didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I didn't know. All.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Right, to set the scene is nineteen ninety four, your
boy beat Dowt as a freshman in high school. Sister Sister,
New York undercovers on TV Regulate by Warren g Juicy
by Biggie, and Players Ball by Outcast. That's all on
the radio. Now, the US Air Force they got a
lab in Dayton, Ohio. It's called Right Laboratory Wright and
(04:15):
they had been given an assignment. They were assigned to
come up with non lethal weapons that could throw enemy
soldiers off their game a little bit, but not kill them,
just dis Orientum you did. They had a seven point
five million dollar budget spread out over six years to
brainstorm ideas. And I don't know what in the smoky
Chicken coop these foods were smoking in nineteen ninety four,
(04:38):
but these ideas was crazy, Like they had a bad
breath bomb. Yeah, a bad breath bomb that would get
an enemy halatosis. Like, it would make their breaths think
so bad that they wouldn't want to work with each other.
What now, I ain't gonna cap that's what work, because
don't nobody want to work beside nobody with halatosis? I
get upset with people breaths think all the time because
how you don't how you don't taste that. Another idea
(05:00):
they had the insect attracted. Yeah, it's a bomb they
would drop off that would draw stinging bugs right into
the enemy troops. They thought of a chemical that would
turn the enemies into vampires, but not really vampires, but
it would make their skin super sensitive to sunlight. But
the strangest proposal I've ever seen, and the one that
(05:20):
got the most attention years later, was something that got
nicknamed the gay bomb. Now, the concept a chemical weapon
that would cause the enemy soldiers to become sexually attracted
to each other. This is all written up in document form.
Their thinking was if they were distracted with each other,
(05:41):
they wouldn't be focused on fighting, they'd be focused on
fornicating man.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
What now, let me be clear, this weapon was never built.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
But this ain't just some internet room or I saw man,
it was a real proposal. They had some freedom of
information at requests in the early two thousands, and all
these these documents was released and uncovered, and sure enough
there was the Air Force that actually submitted the idea
for the gay bomb.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And I'm not talking about just a submission.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
They received funding to research whether it could be possible enough.
I mean, Air Force, what chemical do you drop to
turn someone homosexual? The pure ignorance of it all. See,
this is what my kids say, I was born in
the nineteen hundreds because that type logic scene so medieval.
I mean, of course, the science has never made it happen,
(06:31):
and the whole thing was eventually abandoned.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
But when the.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Story dropped, I mean, folks was like, yo, y'all had
millions of taxpayer dollars and this is what y'all came
up with. So yeah, in between the stealth bombers and
the high tech drones, the Pentagon also once considered stink bombs,
sunburn rays, and a gay bomb.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
I guess it shows how far military imagination goes when
they're trying to win wars, and just how ridiculous stuff
can get when stereotypes get mixed into science.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Stupid.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So we're grateful that the gay bomb never exploded, but
the idea definitely blew my damn mind because I didn't know.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Maybe you didn't either,
Host
Brian "B Daht" McLaughlin
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