Podcast Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Ripley's Believe It Or Not - 1 Minute Episodes xx-xx-xx (292) Small Fish
Date: September 10, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode Overview

This brief, one-minute episode delivers two striking "Believe It Or Not" facts in the classic radio style. The focus is on the surprising reality behind a famous historical myth and an astonishing true story from the animal kingdom. The segment showcases the show's signature blend of bizarre facts and dramatic delivery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debunking the Nero Myth

• Myth Confronted: The famous story that Roman Emperor Nero "fiddled while Rome burned."
• Fact Revealed:
  • The fiddle did not exist at the time of the Rome fire.
  • Nero was not even in Rome but was 50 miles away in Antium and only returned after Rome was already burnt.
  • Quote (00:06):

    "Nero did not fiddle while Rome burned. You see, the fiddle had not been invented yet. And Nero was 50 miles away in Antium during the fire and did not return until Rome was in ashes. Believe it or not."

2. The Deadly Small Fish of South America

• Remarkable Animal Fact:

  • A tiny fish, less than a foot long, can kill a shark.

  • Specifically, the "urchin fish" of South America, which is armed with spiny, porcupine-like points.

  • When swallowed by a shark, it curls into a ball and slowly bores its way out of the predator's body, killing it in the process.

  • Quote (00:28):

    "A fish less than a foot long can kill a shark. The little urchin fish of South America frequently destroys savage monsters 25 times its size. In a most unusual manner."

  • Quote (00:42):

    "When swallowed by a shark, it rolls into a ball and calmly eats and bores its way out completely through the sides of the shark, thus killing it. Believe it or not."

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On History's Surprises (00:00):

  "Truth is stranger than fiction, and this is the proof." — Host

• On the Shark-Killing Fish (00:42):

  "It rolls into a ball and calmly eats and bores its way out completely through the sides of the shark, thus killing it. Believe it or not."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–00:18 — Debunking the Nero-and-the-fiddle myth
• 00:18–00:29 — Introduction to the small fish that kills sharks
• 00:29–00:55 — Detailed explanation of how the urchin fish destroys sharks

Tone

The episode maintains the iconic, dramatic style of classic Ripley's segments—presenting bizarre truths in a captivating, straightforward manner. The language is succinct, factual, and delivered with a sense of wonder designed to both inform and astonish listeners.

Summary

In this short episode, listeners are offered a quick trip into the unbelievable—first, by revising what we think we know about Nero and the burning of Rome, and then by telling the astonishing tale of a deadly little fish. The show stays true to Ripley's tradition: presenting facts that seem too strange to be real, but are nonetheless true.