The Internet Says it’s True

In this episode we explore how Jean-Baptiste Lully, the towering figure of French Baroque music, met an unexpectedly grim fate: while fiercely conducting his own Te Deum, he stabbed his foot with his staff, refused surgery and died of gangrene. Along the way we follow his rise from Italian miller’s son to court composer of Louis XIV, survey the evolving tools of conducting, and reflect on how a moment of hubris and misstep changed ...

In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about the etymology of the word "Sheriff."

Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit http://theinternetsaysits...

Originally released February 6, 2023.

In sideshow exhibits around the world, George and Willie Muse were known as "Eko and Iko, the Ambassadors from Mars." The truth was they were African American Albino brothers who were essentially tricked into slavery until their incredible brave mother found and rescued them. In this episode, we tell the amazing tale of George and Willie Muse and then chat with Comedian Lisa Berry!

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In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how there's a basketball court in the Supreme Court Building.

Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit ...

In this episode we explore a truly unexpected heritage-risk story: the Poison Book Project, where conservators discovered that beautiful emerald-green book cloths from the 19th century were hiding arsenic-based pigments. We trace how a routine conservation observation at Winterthur led to global cataloguing, how the chemistry works, how libraries are responding—and what this means for the next time you pick up a vintage book. If yo...

In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how wearing headphones for just one hour can increase the bacteria in your ears by 700%. Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and li...

Originally released March 7, 2022. The Marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics was SUPER WEIRD. One man was chased off course by wild dogs. One man was intentionally poisoned. Another ate bad fruit and fell asleep. Several were severely dehydrated. The apparent winner was disqualified. And all of this happened because Russia started a war. In this episode, we talk about the 1904 Saint Louis Summer Olympics and then play the quick quiz...

In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how you can't burp in space without throwing up. Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit http://theint...

Originally released July 7, 2024. A little known battle during WWII didn't occur between the Axis and Allies; rather it occurred between Black and White members of the U.S. Army. In this episode, we tell the story of what happened in the small village of Bamber Bridge in England during a time of extreme racial tension. 

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Bonus epis...

In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how high penguins can jump. Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit http://theinternetsaysitstrue.com/...

Long before YouTube, before Twitch, before livestreams were everywhere, the first webcam pointed at something we'd consider boring by today's standards: a coffee pot. In this episode, Michael tells the story of how a small convenience in a Cambridge lab changed the internet forever. Then we chat with Comedian Dan Wilbur! Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

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In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how the Earth's moon has moonquakes. Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit http://theinternetsaysits...

Originally released November 29, 2021. In 1976, a skirmish at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea led to the brutal murders of two Americans. The skirmish began over the trimming of a tree. The result was the most expensive tree-trimming in history. America and South Korea returned to the tree with all of their military might in a show of force. In this episode, I'll tell you a story about the DMZ that you may have...

In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how on Venus, a day is longer than a year. Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit http://theinternets...

In this episode we journey through the strange terrain of persistent déjà vu—the case of a 23-year-old British man whose life was overtaken by the feeling that every moment had already happened. From his early anxieties, through the medical investigations that turned up nothing though his suffering was very real, to the theories that may explain why déjà vu generally—and why his became an endless loop. What is memory, what is ident...

In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how the United States Flag was designed by a 17-year-old. Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit http...

In this episode we explore the remarkable life of Mehran Karimi Nasseri — born in Iran, studying in England, losing critical documents, and spending 18 years living in Charles de Gaulle Airport. We track how he carved out a life on red plastic benches, declined legal offers, clung to identity, and inspired films like Lost in Transit and The Terminal. What parts of his life became legend, and what remains painful truth? Stay with us...

In this week's Mid-Week Mini Episode, we talk about how lobsters taste with their feet. Did you know The Internet Says It's True is now a book? Get it here: https://amzn.to/4miqLNy

Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589

Bonus episodes and content available at http://Patreon.com/MichaelKent

For special discounts and links to our sponsors, visit http://theinternetsaysitst...

During the Civil War, hundreds of people assigned female at birth served in male disguise. Some did it out of patriotism, some for love, and for others, it was about living as the gender they knew themselves to be. In this episode, we uncover the stories of Albert D.J. Cashier, Lyons Wakeman, Frank Thompson, Samuel Blalock, Mollie “Melvin” Bean, and Mary “John” Burns — individuals who challenged 19th-century gender norms and risked...