Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

Alfred Nobel made a fortune inventing things that go boom, earning the nickname “merchant of death.”
But with his own death approaching, he set out to salvage his legacy by creating a prize meant to celebrate peace, science, and human progress. The history of that prize, however, is anything but peaceful.
This week, Shane and Duncan explore the strange evolution of the Nobel Prize, from its explosive beginnings to secret refusals, scandalous recipients, and one prize Nobel never actually intended.
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

In the first full-episode MFFI livestream, Duncan opens the spellbook on the roots of witchcraft and the modern movements keeping the magic alive.
So grab your crystals (or your skepticism) and settle in for a tale of treacherous ale-wives, black cats, pointed hats, and centuries of persecution. From sacred symbols to sanitized stereotypes, this episode unpacks how witchcraft was vilified, commodified, and eventually rebranded.
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

In this chilling, thrilling, and revealing episode, MFFI explores the internet’s favorite collection of anonymous nightmares. From message boards to movie screens, the crowdsourced horror stories known as “creepypasta” have created legends, fueled obsessions, and, in one notorious case, inspired a real-life murder attempt. Follow along as Shane and Duncan unearth Slender Man, explore Candle Cove, and get lost in the Backrooms of the Internet.
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

Back by popular demand (and dark ritual), this Halloween classic rises once more from the archives. Join Shane and Duncan for a deep dive into the strange, spooky origins of everyone’s favorite night of costumes, candy, and cultural confusion. 
 
Lock the doors, light the jack-o’-lantern, and celebrate the season with this fan-favorite episode… now officially an annual tradition.
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

Some objects are built with purpose. Others are built with ego, ambition…and a total disregard for scale. In this gargantuan episode, Shane and Duncan dive deep into the most colossal creations humans have ever unleashed on land, sea, and sky.
Prepare to meet the Seawise Giant, a ship so long it could cast shade on a city block. Marvel at Bagger 293, the German earth-eater that looks like it escaped from a kaiju movie. And brace yourself for the Dongfang wind turbine, whose blades are longer than a football field. 
These are mega-monuments to human excess—massive, magnificent, and maybe just a little bit ridiculous.
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

It began with a shotgun, a missed shot, and a very nerdy debate.
In this record-breaking episode, Shane and Duncan track the origins of the Guinness Book of World Records, uncover the publishing quirks that made it a global phenomenon, and spotlight some of the most astonishing, hilarious, and downright unhinged feats ever committed to paper.
From competitive juggling to tattooed seniors and flaming jump rope enthusiasts, this is one for the record books.
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

Some people collect coins. Others collect vomit bags, ventriloquist dummies, and an unsettling number of preserved penises.
In this bizarrely specific episode, Shane and Duncan dig into some of the strangest collections ever assembled, from thousands of bras to a lifelong bunny obsession. Follow along as the guys attempt to answer the age-old question: at what point does a hobby become a cry for help?
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

What do a disgraced pizza mogul, a Hollywood predator, a fugitive auto exec, and a guy who accidentally triggered a PR meltdown from a Coldplay Jumbotron have in common? Each one became the face of a very public corporate scandal.
 
This episode unpacks the downfall of John Schnatter, whose meltdown tanked Papa John’s; Harvey Weinstein, whose decades of abuse shook Hollywood to its core; Carlos Ghosn, the Nissan exec who escaped prosecution in a box; and Andy Byron, whose brief Jumbotron cameo set off a viral firestorm his company hasn't recovered from. Add in wage theft lawsuits, illegal marketing schemes, and some jaw-droppingly bad decision-making, and it’s a crash course in how not to run a company.
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM

Every culture has traditions. Some honor the dead. Some feed the local monkey population. Some involve grown men in devil costumes leaping over rows of live infants.
 
In this episode, Shane and Duncan dive into the world’s weirdest festivals, from tomato-throwing mayhem to camel wrestling to an underwater concert.
 
Bring goggles. And maybe a helmet.
 
~Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content.~Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD~Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com~Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word.~Follow us on INSTAGRAM