The History of Fun

The History of Fun

The History of Fun explores the hidden backstories behind the things you enjoy. This season, we’re diving into the amazing origins of your favorite holiday traditions. Join Polygon’s Russ Frushtick, Allegra Frank, and Chris Plante each week as they embark on a new quest to uncover these common-yet-mysterious customs. Produced by Polygon and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Episodes

The War on Christmas: A Brief History (Season Finale)

December 24, 2018 • 55 mins
There is a war. It's been going on for hundreds of years. And there's only one victim: CHRISTMAS. Chris Plante dives deep into The War on Christmas. Where it started, why it started, and out frickin' ridiculous it is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Dreidel and Hannukah: A Brief History

December 17, 2018 • 53 mins
Join us for another episode of The History of Fun! This week we're looking into the fascinating origins of the dreidel of Hannukah.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

The Yule Lads & Yule Cat of Iceland: A Brief History

December 10, 2018 • 40 mins
A brief history of The Yule Lads and The Yule Cat of Iceland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Black Friday: A Brief History

December 3, 2018 • 47 mins
A brief history of Black Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Krampus, the Anti-Santa: A Brief History

November 26, 2018 • 40 mins
A brief history of Krampus, the anti-Santa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Presidential Turkey Pardon: A Brief History

November 19, 2018 • 32 mins
A brief history of the Presidential Turkey Pardon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: A Brief History

November 12, 2018 • 54 mins
A brief history of The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Trick or Treating: A Brief History

November 5, 2018 • 47 mins
Chris Plante dives deep into the fascinating origins of Trick or Treating. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Mischief Night before Halloween: A Brief History

October 29, 2018 • 31 mins
A brief history of Mischief Night, the night before Halloween Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Coming soon: Holiday Traditions

September 25, 2018 • 1 min
We're excited to announce that we're doing an extra special second season of The History of Fun, all about the origins of our favorite holiday traditions. Trick or treating! Krampus! The Icelandic Yule Cat! Season 2 of The History of Fun will kick off on Monday, October 29. See you then! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

The Sharper Image: A Brief History

August 27, 2018 • 37 mins
While this episode is focused on both Brookstone and The Sharper Image, we all know which one sold full-sized replicas of The Predator, so we're just gonna go ahead and call this The Sharper Image episode. This also happens to be the very last episode of the first season of The History of Fun. But worry not! We'll be back in the Fall with a brand new season of fun stuff, probably involving surprisingly grim stories from Allegra. L...
Mark as Played

Karaoke: A Brief History

August 20, 2018 • 50 mins
This week on The History of Fun, Allegra regales us with the origins of Karaoke and the man that made it all happen. Pro-tip: Make sure you're really good if you ever try to sing "My Way." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

SNICK: A Brief History

August 13, 2018 • 51 mins
Alright, it's a Saturday night, it's 1995. What are you gonna do? Well, you're probably going to leave the lights on because you're watching ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? and other SNICK classics. This week, Chris Plante joins us to talk about Nickelodeon's classic programming rock block of All That, SpongeBob and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Water Parks: A Brief History

August 6, 2018 • 51 mins
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the water parks. Today Allegra Frank brings you the twisted history of waterparks and where they came from. She also decides to focus on some pretty grim stuff, so if you're a little squeamish about injury or death, you may want to, uh, come back next week? Anyway, FUN! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Manga: A Brief History

July 30, 2018 • 44 mins
This week on The History of Fun, Allegra Frank fills us all in on the origins of MANGA and its biggest franchise: Shonen Jump. Yes, if you've always been perplexed about the world of manga, this is the episode for you. And if you're already a fan of manga, there's a fair chance that we mispronounce at least one thing in this episode. Not Allegra, though. She's a pro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...
Mark as Played

Mission Impossible: A Brief History

July 20, 2018 • 69 mins
This week we welcome special guest Matt Patches to discuss the history of Mission Impossible, from its origins as a Cold War-era TV show to the every-4-years film franchise we've come to know and love. We thought we'd look back given that the sixth (and final? who knows!) movie, Mission Impossible: Fallout, comes out on Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

TI-83 Gaming: A Brief History

July 16, 2018 • 33 mins
Whether it's Drug Wars or that weird penguin platforming game, the TI-83 calculator had something for everyone! On this episode we welcome special guest, Jon Bois of SBNation, to talk about the magic and wonder of gaming on a calculator, while also occasionally using it for schoolwork. Fair to say that Texas Instruments has a pretty good scheme going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

The FIFA World Cup: A Brief History

July 9, 2018 • 40 mins
With Chris Plante on vacation we welcome none other than Colin Campbell, resident soccer expert (so much so that he calls it football!), to talk about the origins and some of the wacky moments from the history of the FIFA World Cup. Let's all take a moment to celebrate a dog named Pickles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

The 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest: A Brief History

July 2, 2018 • 43 mins
On this, the week of America's independence, we celebrate the ability for humans to consume low-grade meat at extremely fast rates. Chris Plante digs into the surprisingly-fraught history of the world famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest, as well as its most famous (and controversial) competitor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark as Played

Early Roller Coasters: A Brief History

June 25, 2018 • 44 mins
This week on The History of Fun, we're diving into the origins of the roller coaster. We're not talking about your grand pappy's roller coaster! Well, actually we kinda are. And maybe your great great grandpappy's. Suffice it to say, hella old roller coasters. Join Russ Frushtick as he LEAPS THOSE DIPS! Special thanks to Foo Obsessed for the great Reader Only Memories theme song! Soundcloud link here: https://soundcloud.com/foo_ob...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Stuff You Should Know

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.