Fun Facts of The Day

Summary

The Rod Ryan Show: "Fun Facts of The Day"

Date: July 9, 2026
Host: Rod Ryan and team
Station: 94.5 The Buzz (KTBZ-FM), Houston

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Episode Overview

This lighthearted segment of The Rod Ryan Show brings listeners curious and surprising fun facts, intended to amuse and spark conversation. The episode blends listener-sourced trivia with the hosts' humorous banter, exploring topics from snakes’ odd mishaps to the invention of the ice cream cone and the legendary Headless Mike the chicken.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Venomous Mishaps: Snakes Biting Themselves

• Listener Contribution: A listener named Josh Tree emailed the show suggesting a fun snake fact for Alex.
• Fun Fact: Some snakes, including cobras and rattlesnakes, are not immune to their own venom and can accidentally bite themselves, sometimes fatally.
• Host Insight:
  • "Some snakes are not immune to their own venom and can accidentally bite themselves and die." – B [00:29]
  • The hosts discuss how this occurs: rattlesnakes often startle at their own tail's rattle, mistake it for an intruder, and bite themselves by accident.
  • "It actually happens a lot in the rattlesnake community. Their rattle shakes a little bit and they get startled, they're like, oh, no, who's that intruder? And then they bite themselves accidentally. They're done." – C [00:47]

2. The Birth of the Ice Cream Cone

• Historical Anecdote: Listener Tim sent in a story about the origins of the ice cream cone at a 1904 fair in Louisiana.
• Fun Fact: An ice cream vendor ran out of cups, prompting another vendor (Ernest) to roll up a thin waffle into a cone shape, creating the first ice cream cone.
• Host Banter:
  • "That is fun." – A [01:24]
  • Hosts express surprise at the Louisiana origin, expecting it would be from somewhere like New Jersey or Atlantic City:
    • "If you had picked—used to come in cups, I would have never picked Louisiana as where they came from." – C [01:28]
    • "Seems like something that would have been on, like, the Jersey Shore Fair." – B [01:36]

3. Headless Mike: The Chicken Who Lived

• Listener Tim's Bonus Fact: Tim sends another unusual story about "Mike the Headless Chicken."
• Fun Fact: In 1945, a chicken named Mike lived for 18 months after being decapitated, due to the ax missing his brain stem and jugular.
  • Feeding was done via eyedropper, and the chicken’s owners charged visitors to see him—earning a surprising amount.
  • Mike's run ended when he choked on a piece of corn.
• Host Reactions:
  • "The family charged 25 cents to see him. Mike was earning, on average $4,500 a month. Mike died while on vacation in Arizona. He choked on a piece of corn." – B [02:17]
  • "That's neat." – A [02:04]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Some snakes are not immune to their own venom and can accidentally bite themselves and die." – B [00:29]
• "Their rattle shakes a little bit and they get startled, they're like, oh, no, who's that intruder? And then they bite themselves accidentally. They're done." – C [00:47]
• "If you had picked—used to come in cups, I would have never picked Louisiana as where they came from." – C [01:28]
• "Mike was earning, on average $4,500 a month. Mike died while on vacation in Arizona. He choked on a piece of corn." – B [02:17]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–00:10 – Show intro, “It’s the fun fact of the day…”
• 00:26–00:59 – Snake venom mishap, rattlesnake behavior and death
• 01:06–01:32 – Invention of the ice cream cone at 1904 Louisiana fair
• 01:40–02:29 – Headless Mike the chicken’s 18-month post-decapitation story

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

The segment maintains a lively, casual, and comedic vibe, full of quirky facts meant to both educate and entertain. The conversational style between host and team highlights their chemistry and affection for weird, wonderful trivia—making even the most unbelievable stories seem plausible for just a moment.

"We make you look smart in front of your buddies. It's the fun fact of the day." – A [02:29]

Transcript

[A]

It's the fun fact of the day. We make you look smart in front of your buddies. It's the fun fact of the day.

[B]

Pretty cool of you guys to do my homework for me. Anybody heard of Josh Tree? I've heard of that place. Somebody by the name of Josh Tree sent me an email. He said, for my man Alex. How about a fun fact about snakes?

[A]

We know how much you love

[B]

snakes over there. Some snakes are not immune to their own venom and can accidentally bite themselves and die.

[C]

Snakes should not chase their own tails.

[B]

Yeah. Some cobras and some rattlesnakes. Yeah. I had to go. I. I double check. Not that I didn't.

[A]

We double check. It actually happens a lot

[C]

in the rattlesnake community. Double check. Their rattle shakes a little bit and they get startled. They're like, oh, no, who's that intruder? And then they bite themselves accidentally. They're done. Him and Josh Tree. Those are my. That's responsible for thousands of rattlesnake

[B]

des. They're my snake guys. In 1904 called Tim sent this to me.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

In 1904, at a fairgrounds in Louisiana, an ice cream vendor ran out of cups. Another vendor there named Ernest quickly rolled up one of his thin waffles into a cone and threw some ice cream in it. And this is how the ice cream cone took off.

[A]

That is fun.

[C]

If you had picked used to come in cups, I would have never picked Louisiana as where they came

[A]

from.

[C]

Really? Yeah.

[B]

It seems like something that would have been on, like, the Jersey Shore

[A]

Fair.

[B]

Seems like Atlantic City. And then I'm gonna stay with Tim. So please blame Tim. He even said, this one's pretty cool. Try me. In 1945, a chicken named Mike lived for 18 months without its head.

[A]

That's neat.

[B]

The ax missed most of brain stem, jugular vein, and left ear. So he was fed a mixture of milk and water through an eye dropper and small portions of corn. The family charged 25 cents to see him. Mike was earning, on average $4,500 a month. Mike died while on vacation in Arizona. He choked on a piece of corn.

[A]

It's the fun. Back to the day, Headless Mike. We make you look smart in front of your buddies. It's the fun fact of the day.