Did a 15-year-old really invent the snowmobile? What was the original use for a Kleenex? How come Eddie Bauer gets zero credit for his genius idea? And what's so special about Greenwood Champion Ear Protectors, anyway? Will and Mango spend a cold winter's day digging into some spectacular seasonal inventions.

This episode originally aired on January 24, 2019.

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Photo by Diana Polekhina via Unsplash. Thanks, Diana!

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Tis the season for commerce, and Gabe and Mary are standing by with answers to all the questions you didn’t know you had. Like: What was the Tickle Me Elmo of ancient Rome? Why was Black Friday almost called Big Friday? And what happened when FDR messed with Thanksgiving in order to give people more time to shop? (Chaos, that’s what happened.) Plus: Helpful suggestions for anyone struggling to find the perfect gift.

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Photo of a Macy’s holiday window display via Wikimedia Commons. 

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Is Florida the birthplace of ostrich racing? Why do male Emperor penguins get an extra stomach flap? And why should you be extra wary of a loose cassowary? Today Mango and Gabe run through some of the world's biggest questions about the world’s biggest birds.

This episode originally aired on July 20, 2018.

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Ostrich photo by Catherine Merlin via Unsplash. Thanks, Catherine!

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Tom Freston’s resume is real, but reads like fiction: he served cocktails in the Caribbean, created a fashion brand in India, co-founded MTV, became CEO of Viacom… and after he was unceremoniously fired, he helped launch a TV network in Afghanistan and became an advocate for global health initiatives. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s written an extraordinary memoir, Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu. So today Tom sits down with Mango to talk about some of those adventures, including the time he ended up in a sauna with David Bowie and Paul McCartney, how The Real World came to be, and why he believes TV can change the world.

Buy Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu, or request it at your local bookstore or library!

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Want to know what the Chanel No. 5 of Ancient Egypt smelled like? Or how the interior of Queen Elizabeth's royal car smelled? Or maybe you'd like to experience the fragrance of extinct Hawaiian flowers? In this episode, Will and Mango get nosy about how scientists have been working hard to build a scent library of disappearing smells. 

This episode originally aired on July 11, 2024.

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Photo of Cleopatra street mural in Barcelona by r2hox via Wikimedia Commons. Thanks, r2hox!

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What a treat! It’s a fact-packed food science trivia game, created in collaboration with our good pals at Science Friday. Mango and SciFri’s Flora Lichtman put one lucky listener to the test with questions about peppers, panda diets, and more, with special prizes on the line. 

Check out Science Friday, and subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow them on Instagram @scifri and Bluesky @scifri.bsky.social.

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Pepper photo by Hari Krishnan via Unsplash. Thanks, Hari!

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Everything Will and Mango read about New Zealand made them want to visit! From how Hokey Pokey became the country's favorite ice cream flavor, to why the nation is giving away free gym memberships... to birds, to the reason the coffin clubs are taking off, Will and Mango dig deep into the country's history to discover why New Zealand is so much better than the Old one. 

This episode originally aired on December 5, 2019.

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Photo of Lake Pukaki by Casey Horner via Unsplash. Thanks, Casey!

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Whether you love fusilli or spaghetti (actually, turns out many of you don’t love spaghetti), today’s episode will whet your appetite… for pasta facts. Join Will and Mango as they discover the rarest noodles on earth, a daring macaroni-powered prison break, and the visionary chef who paved the way for red sauce. Plus: Listeners weigh in on the best pasta shapes of all time.

Want an official, numbered, limited edition Part-Time Genius membership card? Of course you do. Get in touch and share a fun fact, your name, and your mailing address and we’ll send you one for free. Email [email protected], DM us on our socials, or leave a message at (302) 405-5925. 

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Photo by Mae Mu via Unsplash. Thanks, Mae!

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Today Mango sits down with Erin McCarthy, editor-in-chief of Mental Floss, to talk about our 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt… from whether he really climbed a mountain out of spite, to how a seal inspired his fossil collection, to what made him so darn productive (hint: it helps to drink coffee from a mug the size of a bathtub). Plus, we get into just how high-pitched TR’s voice was, and why Dr. Seuss was so scared of him.

This episode originally aired on February 19, 2020.

Want an official, numbered, limited edition Part-Time Genius membership card? Of course you do. Get in touch and share a fun fact, your name, and your mailing address and we’ll send you one for free. Email [email protected], DM us on our socials, or leave a message at (302) 405-5925. (We may share your fact on an upcoming episode, but don’t worry, your contact info is private.) 

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Photo (actually, it's a photomechanical print) via the Library of Congress.

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From the super strange reason Burt Reynolds grew a mustache to why you need to invest in a mustache spoon, Will and Mango chat all things facial topiaries with their good pals Yves and Alex.

Special thanks to @doodlynoted on Instagram, whose amazing sketchnotes of this episode made us want to listen to it again!

This episode originally aired on November 2, 2017.

Want an official, numbered, limited edition Part-Time Genius membership card? Of course you do. Get in touch and share a fun fact, your name, and your mailing address and we’ll send you one for free. Email [email protected], DM us on our socials, or leave a message at (302) 405-5925. (We may share your fact on an upcoming episode, but don’t worry, your contact info is private.) 

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Photo by Alan Hardman via Unsplash. Thanks, Alan!

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What if aliens came to earth… and helped us unlock the mysteries of the universe? That’s the premise of our pal Daniel Whiteson’s new book, Do Aliens Speak Physics?, and today on the show he tells us how thinking through this wacky scenario can tell us a lot about ourselves, our science, and the boundaries of knowledge. Plus: Why sci-fi is just as important as sci-non-fi.

• Buy Do Aliens Speak Physics or request it at your local bookstore or library!
• Check out Daniel’s podcast, Daniel & Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe!
• Learn more about Daniel’s research and other work!

Want an official, numbered, limited edition Part-Time Genius membership card? Of course you do. Get in touch and share a fun fact, your name, and your mailing address and we’ll send you one for free. Email [email protected], DM us on our socials, or leave a message at (302) 405-5925. (We may share your fact on an upcoming episode, but don’t worry, your contact info is private.) 

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