It’s day 2 of our week-long countdown, 25 People Who Changed the World… for Better, for Worse, and for Sillier! Today: How one man (okay, several men) saved us from stabbing cans with chisels, the real genius behind Ikea’s kids’ furniture section, and the surprisingly delightful story of those inflatable tube men you see dancing along the highway.

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Did you hear? PTG is ending on Dec. 29. If you want to tell us a fun fact for the road, let us know what the show meant to you, or just say goodbye, call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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It’s day 1 of our new week-long countdown, 25 People Who Changed the World… for Better, for Worse, and for Sillier. Today we unpack the confusing lingo behind duct tape, meet a young woman who put innovation in paper bags, and engage with a mysterious organization dedicated to collecting and cataloguing bread clips. Plus: David Nagler is back with a Dolly Parton-inspired ode to internet phone calls.

• Visit HORG.com to learn more than you thought possible about occlupanids.
• Check out David Nagler’s website and his band, As For the Future.
• Listen to The Builders with Walter Isaacson, available now wherever you get podcasts.
• Subscribe to Mango’s newsletter!

Did you hear? PTG is ending on Dec. 29. If you want to tell us a fun fact for the road, let us know what the show meant to you, or just say goodbye, call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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If you’re looking for the bad boys of plant life, look no further! Will and Mango discover squirting cucumbers, dynamite trees, and orchids that have ruined more than one wasp's marriage. Plus, we’ll tackle the origins of the guerrilla gardening movement, learn the surprising truth about some common edible plants, and chat with Trevor Jones, head gardener of The Poison Garden.

This episode originally aired on August 23, 2017.

Did you hear? PTG is ending on Dec. 29. If you want to tell us a fun fact for the road, let us know what the show meant to you, or just say goodbye, call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

Photo of some not-so-innocent rhubarb by Rob Wicks via Unsplash. Thanks, Rob!

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From the lone guard who prevented deadly riots at the Berlin Wall, to a stubborn scientist who singlehandedly fended off a medical catastrophe, to an unusually resourceful group of flight attendants faced with a kitchen crisis, Gabe and Mary bring you nine incredible stories of disasters that didn’t happen. (But almost did.) Plus: Get in the rice cooker mindset!

• In a hilariously appropriate-for-this-episode coincidence, James Blunt’s new album is called Airplane Mode.
• Read more about Karen Arcos’s work on memory and blindness.

Did you hear? PTG is ending on Dec. 29. If you want to tell us a fun fact for the road, let us know what the show meant to you, or just say goodbye, call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

Nuclear test photo by the U.S. Department of Energy via Wikimedia Commons.

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Hey there, podcast listeners. Please check out this brief message from Mango with an important announcement about the future of Part-Time Genius. We really appreciate it (and you).

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Will and Mango dive deep on the unicorn of the sea, aka the narwhal! Find out how to tell a real narwhal tusk from a fake, why one university chose these majestic beasts as their mascot, and why everyone's on the lookout for a baby narluga (that's the hot new beluga/narwhal hybrid).

This episode originally aired on August 29, 2024.

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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Fanciful (and not very scientific) illustration of a "sea unicorn" by Conrad Gessner, ca. 1558, via Wikimedia Commons.

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From the strange reason people used to call funeral home directors after an accident, to the incredible train robbery that was stopped using a makeshift phone, to the heartbreaking ways that emergency operators learn to cope on the job, this week we're dialing into the surprising story of emergency hotlines. 

This episode originally aired on May 16, 2024.

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our (non-emergency) hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

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It's time to get real about raw fish! Will and Mango have their chopsticks ready and way too many questions on hand: Is bluefin really a delicacy? How do sushi chefs apply their soy sauce? And how California is the California roll? From the dish's Chinese origins to why Japanese foodies are intrigued by American rolls, today we're going all in on sushi. Featuring The Story of Sushi author Trevor Corson.

Buy The Story of Sushi or look for it in your local library!

This episode originally aired on December 6, 2017.

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

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Photo by Tamas Pap via Unsplash. Thanks, Tamas!

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How rude! After author Danny Wallace got the world's worst customer service (and possibly the world's worst hot dog), he decided to search for the root causes of rudeness. Danny joins Will and Mango to talk about snarky celebrity judges, why surgeons are in dire need of a rudeness vaccine (it's for our own safety!), and how one politician effectively fought rudeness... with mimes!

This episode originally aired on February 23, 2018.

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social!

Photo by Walid Hamadeh via Unsplash. Thanks, Walid!

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Spoiler: No. But crystals are still pretty magical! Producer Mary visits the American Museum of Natural History’s Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals to find out how crystals are formed, what makes them so colorful, and why you should never leave your collection in a department store window. Meanwhile, Mango’s got plenty of research about ancient crystal beliefs and the modern healing crystal movement—plus, the surprisingly dark side of crystal sourcing.

• Learn more about the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals and their incredible collections!
• Visit Rockhounding.org.
• Get a DIY education in minerals at Mindat.org.

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social!

Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella via Unsplash. Thanks, Franco!

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What do Smokey the Bear and the Beatles have in common? How did Mr. Peanut influence Canadian politics? Whatever happened to Tony the Tiger's mom? And why on earth does a tire company represent itself with a guy who looks like a pile of marshmallows? Today Will and Gabe dive into the bizarre world of corporate mascots!

This episode originally aired on June 28, 2018.

Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social!

Photo via WIkimedia Commons.

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