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Pushing daisies. Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. Six feet under. Crossed over. Passed away. Shuffled off this mortal coil. It is said that the more important - or taboo - a concept is to a society, the more euphemisms that society will have for it, and death is no exception. Death is central to the human experience, with every culture on earth having developed elaborate rituals to mourn the deceased and help them go gentle into that good night. But…what is death, anyway? How is it actually defined? Author: Gilles Messier Host/Editor: Daven Hiskey Producer: Samuel Avila Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William Wallace was one of those to lead Scotland’s battle for freedom from England after King Edward I of England declared himself Lord Paramount of Scotland in the late 13th century. Wallace was finally caught on August 5, 1305, and brought to London for trial and execution. From the 15th century minstrel “Blind Harry” to modern times with the blockbuster film “Braveheart” (both accounts being wildly inaccurate), William Wallace’s acts to try to free Scotland have captivated people for centuries. Born in Scotland around 1270, Wallace was from a family of minor Scottish nobility. During his formative and early adult years, Scotland was ruled by King Alexander III and the country enjoyed an era of peace and stability. However, the King died suddenly in 1286, leaving a four-year-old granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway, as heir to the throne. (She would ultimately be engaged to King Edward I of England’s son.) However... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder what the difference between dynamite and TNT is or how they were invented? Well, wonder no more! Despite what the likes of AC/DC and Wile E. Coyote might have you believe, dynamite and TNT are very different substances with distinct properties. So what’s the difference between TNT and Dynamite? And just who invented them? Well, let’s find out as we dive into the fascinating and destructive history of these high explosives, and along the way in the Bonus Facts we’re also going to look at the truth about why there is no Nobel Prize for mathematics, which is likely to be different from what seemingly every mathematics professor the world over will tell you because, well, they are mathematicians, not historians. But to begin with, for much of modern human history, the only practical explosive available was black gunpowder, a mixture of charcoal, sulphur, and potassium nitrate AKA saltpetre. As covered in our previous video Who Invented Gunpowder, this mixture was likely discovered in China around the 9th Century C.E, making its way west across the Middle East to Europe by the 13th. Initially used in fireworks, it did not take long for gunpowder to find military uses, leading to the development of artillery and handheld firearms. It was also packed into various closed casings to produce explosive charges such as hand grenades, buried mines for breaching the walls and doors of fortifications, ‘torpedoes’ for defending harbours against ships, and shells and bombs for cannons and mortars. But while gunpowder completely changed the face of warfare, quickly rendering - for example - castles and plate armour obsolete, it also suffered from several serious drawbacks. For example, burning gunpowder produced large quantities of thick, white smoke... Author: Gilles Messier Host/Editor: Daven Hiskey Producer: Samuel Avila Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at what exactly grog is, where it came from, and the origin of the name. Moving on to the main content today we’re looking at the woman who was arguably the most successful pirate of all time, dominating both land and sea in the vast region she controlled, which all ultimately saw her have one of the most impressive exits to piracy in history as well. We follow all this up with looking at the origins of a variety of sailor/pirate slang terms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the episode today, we are looking at whether professional wine connoisseurs can tell really not tell the difference between expensive and cheap wines. How Alcohol “Proof” is Determined. Do Drunk People Really Survive Car Crashes More? Why Would You Add Antifreeze to Wine? Do Wine Makers Really Walk Over Grapes With Their Feet? Does Canadian Beer Really Contain More Alcohol Than Beer Made in the United States? How Did Oktoberfest Start? Why Isn’t Beer Sold in Plastic Bottles? Who Invented Tequila and What about the Worm? A Brief History of Beer. The interesting story behind Welch’s Grape Juice, and what Eggnog is Made Of 0:00 Can Professional Wine Connoisseurs Really Not Tell the Difference Between Expensive and Cheap Wines? 17:26 How Alcohol “Proof” is Determined 21:00 Do Drunk People Really Survive Car Crashes More? 32:10 Why Would You Add Antifreeze to Wine? 46:15 Do Wine Makers Really Walk Over Grapes With Their Feet? 51:10 Does Canadian Beer Really Contain More Alcohol Than Beer Made in the United States? 55:12 How Did Oktoberfest Start? 1:03:55 Why Isn’t Beer Sold in Plastic Bottles? 1:08:30 Who Invented Tequila and What about the Worm? 1:13:30 What is Eggnog Made Of? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thermonuclear weapons are messy. Capable of wiping out millions of humans in one go if detonated in a large city, but unfortunately they also destroy the city the people dwell in, making it a poor choice for a weapon for the up and coming conqueror who wishes the humans gone, but infrastructure still intact. This all brings us to the topic of today, so called enhanced radiation weapons, a special type of atomic bomb which releases a large portion of its energy in the form of neutron radiation. If pop culture is to be believed, this is one of the most insidious weapons ever developed by mankind, capable of killing all the people in a city while leaving all the buildings and other infrastructure untouched. Indeed, the weapon’s purported preference for property over human lives has led commentators in communist countries to pithily describe it as the “capitalist bomb.” But are neutron bombs actually a real thing as often depicted in entertainment - and, if so, are they really as “clean” and “surgical” as everyone seems to believe? Well, grab your welding goggles, lead underwear, don your cowboy hat and prepare to yee-haw, as we dive into the curious science and history of one of the world's most controversial weapons. Author: Gilles Messier Host/Editor: Daven Hiskey Producer: Caden Nielsen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why did Al Gore lose despite winning more votes? Discover the complex and controversial role of the U.S. Electoral College and how it determines the nation's president in this deep dive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we start by looking at what literal battleships had to do with the creation of the Slinky. Next up, we jump into the main part of the show looking at what is largely considered the greatest of the so-called Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and then look at the guy who burned it down just so history would remember him, as well as what steps the ancients took to try to stop him from achieving that goal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the episode today, we're looking at Does Hand and Foot Size Really Correlate with Penile Length? Why Can’t You Mix Blood Types? Is It True Women Retain the DNA of Every Man They’ve Ever Slept With in Their Bodies? Do Beards Really Grow Faster in the Winter? The Mad Aussie Who Stung Himself and His 9 Year Old Son With a Deadly Creature FOR SCIENCE!!! Can You Really Make Yourself Immune to Poison by Taking Tiny Doses Over Time? Why Do Steroids Make Balls Smaller and Does the Same Thing Happen to Women’s Ovaries? Do People Really Have Repressed Memories or Is It Just Things They’ve Forgotten Are Viruses Actually Alive? and Is It Actually Possible to Be Allergic to Exercise? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices