Hypnotic History
What was in the Whole Earth Catalog? How did a program called est give people inner peace while keeping them out of the bathroom? And why was everyone in the past putting gross stuff in Jell-O? Find out the answers to these questions and more as we explore 20th century American life.
Episodes
Is it okay to eat your Chia Pet?
Sources:
“About Chia.” Chia Pet, https://chia.com/pages/about-us.
Edwards, Owen. “Chia Pet.” Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/chia-pet-180308610/.
Fawcett, Kirstin. “9 Nostalgic Facts About Chia Pets.” Mental Floss, 13 February 2017, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/91683/9-nostalgic-facts-about-chia-pets.
Rasmussen, Patty, et al. “Ch-Ch-...
Which celebrity walked on broken glass?
Sources:
“Circus of the Stars.” Retro Video Inc., https://www.retrovideo.com/footage_library/circus-of-the-stars/.
O'Connor, John J. “TV: 'Circus of the Stars,' a One-Ring show on CBS.” The New York Times, 13 January 1977, p. 49, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/13/archives/tv-circus-of-the-stars-a-onering-show-on-cbs-tacky-bicentennial.html.
Rossen, Jake. “When Circus of t...
Who was the holdout who refused to do the show, and why?
Sources:
Gajewski, Ryan. “Hollywood Flashback: 'Battle of the Network Stars' Turned Celebs Into Gladiators.” The Hollywood Reporter, 25 August 2025, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/battle-of-the-network-stars-celebs-gladiators-1236348098/.
Harris, Will. “A Battle Royale Revisited: An Oral History of Battle of the Network Stars.” AV Club, 1...
It wasn’t meant to be a drink.
Sources:
Cooper, Meredith. “The Untold Truth Of Hawaiian Punch.” Mashed, 12 April 2022, https://www.mashed.com/314834/the-untold-truth-of-hawaiian-punch/.
Cox, Cami. “The Nostalgic Drink That Was Supposed To Be An Ice Cream Topping.” Food Republic, 31 October 2024, https://www.foodrepublic.com/1692226/what-drink-ice-cream-topping-hawaiian-punch/.
Hawaiian Punch, 10 January 2014, https:/...
Love, death, and stowaway beds
Sources:
Associated Press. “Man dies inside Murphy Bed.” Star News, 15 June 1982, https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19820615&id=_UdOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XBMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5293,3260935.
Caputo, Joseph. “Curator Finds Murphy Bed's Place in American History.” Smithsonian Magazine, 28 April 2009, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/curator-finds-murphy-beds...
We’re sorry to be the ones to tell you this, but you never had a chance.
Sources:
Hanbury, Mary. “How McDonald's Monopoly Game Was Rigged.” Business Insider, 31 July 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/how-mcdonalds-monopoly-game-was-rigged-2018-7.
“How the 'McMillions' scammers rigged McDonald's Monopoly game and stole $24 million.” CNBC, 9 February 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/07/how-mcmilli...
Do you remember the Shamrock Shake having a flavor other than mint, or is it all a Mandela Effect?
Sources:
“10 Fun Facts You Probably Didn't Know About the Shamrock Shake.” McDonald's Corporation, 16 March 2021, https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-stories/article/shamrock-10fun-facts.html.
“Drink Origins: The Shamrock Shake.” Flavorman, https://www.flavorman.com/media/drink-origins-the-shamrock-shake.
Raisins walked so M&Ms could run.
Sources:
Campbell, Adam. “The California Raisins: The Rise to Wrinkled Stardom.” Food & Wine, 22 June 2017, https://www.foodandwine.com/news/california-raisins-history.
“Our History.” SUN-MAID, https://www.sunmaid.com/about-us/our-history/.
“The Story of The California Raisins.” MJVibe, 28 January 2021, https://www.mjvibe.com/the-story-of-the-california-raisins/.
If the voice of Morris the Cat sounds familiar, you might be an 80s kid.
Sources:
Gunter, Melissa. “Morris the Cat: 12 Incredible Facts about the 9 Lives Mascot.” hepper blog, 29 April 2025, https://articles.hepper.com/morris-the-cat/.
Kurlander, David. “'Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Din-Din': Morris the Cat's Presidential Aspirations.” Cafe, 19 January 2023, https://cafe.com/article/life-liberty-and-the-pursu...
Garfield wasn’t always about a cat.
Sources:
Grant County Visitor’s Bureau. Garfield Trail. June 2018. Show Me Grant County, https://showmegrantcounty.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Garfield-brochure18_WEB.pdf.
McIntyre, Gina. “Garfield: The Story Behind the Coolest of the Cats.” LIFE, https://www.life.com/arts-entertainment/garfield-the-story-behind-the-coolest-cat/.
Rossen, Jake. “When ‘Garfield Minus Garfield’ Sub...
“Put us all on sticks! We’re the puppets here! We’re the puppets!”
Sources:
Rossen, Jake. “Out of This World: An Oral History of ALF.” Mental Floss, 22 September 2016, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/86458/out-world-oral-history-alf.
Ward, Cassidy. “What Was Alf? The Adorable Fuzzy Alien Explained.” SYFY, 8 November 2023, https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/what-was-alf-the-adorable-fuzzy-alien-explained
Would you trust a computer to find your perfect match … in 1965?
Sources:
Chen, Alicia M. “Operation Match.” Harvard Crimson, 16 February 2018, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2018/2/16/operation-match/.
Graham, Nicholas. “Operation Match: Computer Dating at UNC in the 1960s – History on the Hill.” UNC Libraries Blogs, 25 May 2016, https://blogs.lib.unc.edu/hill/2016/05/25/operation-match-computer-dating-at-unc-in-th...
Sit back with a tall glass of groundhog punch and find out if groundhogs are more accurate than meteorologists.
Sources:
Andrew, Scottie. “The bizarre history of Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil.” CNN, 1 February 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/us/groundhog-day-weird-history-punxsutawney-phil-cec.
“Groundhog Day.” Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, https://www.groundhog.org/groundhog-day/.
The women who traveled alone through the Appalachian Mountains to deliver books.
Sources:
Brooks, Laken. “Ellen Woodward and the Women Who Brought Literacy to Southern Families.” National Trust for Historic Preservation, 12 January 2021, https://savingplaces.org/stories/ellen-woodward-and-the-women-who-brought-literacy-to-southern-families.
McGraw, Eliza. “Horse-Riding Librarians Were the Great Depression's Bookmobiles.” S...
We’ll tell you whether the original flea markets really had fleas and what million-dollar finds some lucky buyers have found!
Sources:
“A Brief Guide to the History of Flea Markets.” Town Farmers Market, https://www.cowtownfarmersmarket.com/a-brief-guide-to-the-history-of-flea-markets/.
“The Fascinating History of Flea Markets.” The Free Tourist Shop, 25 February 2025, https://www.thefreetourshop.com/blog/origins-of-...
The first credit card accounts were approved on vibes and word of mouth!
Sources:
Frankel, Robin Saks, et al. “History of Credit Cards: When Were Credit Cards Invented? – Forbes Advisor.” Forbes, 5 March 2025, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/history-of-credit-cards/.
Luthi, Ben. “The History of Credit Cards.” Experian, 9 March 2024, https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/the-history-of-credit-cards/.
Musin...
We have railroads to thank for our modern New Year’s celebrations.
Sources:
“A Brief History of New Year's Eve Celebrations in the US - Rock Hill Coca-Cola.” Rock Hill Coca-Cola Bottling Company, 26 December 2023, https://rockhillcoke.com/history/a-brief-history-of-new-years-eve-celebrations-in-the-us/.
“Five things you didn't know about American New Year's celebrations.” Southern Methodist University, 15 De...
Your Tamagotchi didn’t really go back to its home planet. Don’t listen unless you think you can handle the truth!
Sources:
Delgado, Michelle. “A Brief History of Tamagotchi.” Smithsonian Magazine, 22 December 2021, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/keeping-tamagotchi-alive-180979264/.
“History | Official Tamagotchi Site.” Tamagotchi, https://tamagotchi-official.com/gb/history/.
Rossen, Jake. “A Brief History of th...
Because kids adore playing with bags of corn syrup.
Sources:
Buenz, Will. “What Ever Happened to 'Stretch Armstrong'? New 'Stretchs' in the Works.” Remind Magazine, 23 May 2023, https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/2793/what-ever-happened-to-stretch-armstrong/.
Coopee, Todd. “Stretch Armstrong: The Next Chapter – Global Toy News.” Global Toy News, 22 April 2023, https://globaltoynews.com/2023/04/22/...
What don’t they do? There’s one thing in particular.
Sources:
Coopee, Todd. “Weebles from Hasbro/Romper Room (1971).” Toy Tales, 25 April 2022, https://toytales.ca/weebles-from-hasbro-romper-room-1971/.
Gurley, R. J. “Weebles Wobble But They Don't...” Medium, 9 July 2023, https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/weebles-wobble-but-they-dont-2c16ca031df8.
Hall, Sara. “Strongin Made Fun His Business - Newport Beach N...
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