30 Minute Expert

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Daylight Saving Time! We just endured the clock change here in the US this weekend and it was not fun. So we figured why not find out why we do this in the first place! And it's an interesting story that has way more to do with wars and way less to do with farmers than we thought. Daylight Saving (note saving, not savings) Time as we know it has only been around since basically 2007. What the heck?! AND who do we have thank for the specific dates chosen? The candy industry?? The answer is yes. Seriously, this one may sound dry, but it is far from it. We had lots of fun and hope you do too :) And now, an announcement: We are at episode 100!! Woo hoo! We couldn't have done it without all of you. And with that exciting achievement comes another announcement: we are taking a hiatus from the podcast! We are so incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for sticking with us and listening in... We started this as a fun idea to get us through the depths of lockdown COVID times in 2020, and here we are two years later still going strong. We didn't know how long we'd go with it, but we are pretty proud to have gotten to 100 episodes. Don't completely forget about us, because we may be back! But for now, we say so long and thank you so so so much.   Highlights Include: - How long it takes chickens to adjust to daylight saving time - Two states who have never done daylight saving time! - What does Benjamin Franklin have to do with daylight saving time?? Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Peanut Butter! It's a simple food, but it has an interesting and fun-filled history. Although peanut butter might make you think of George Washington Carver, he actually did not invent peanut butter! But he did come up with lots of other uses for peanuts. Peanut butter has its roots in Aztec and Incan civilizations, but became popular in America in the early 1900s. And now we can't get enough of the stuff! Highlights Include: - The number of peanuts in one jar of peanut butter - How peanut butter and jelly first met - How many PB&Js the average American kid eats Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Sound Baths! We live in LA, so we've heard about sound baths a lot, but never really knew what they were. And turns out, they are super cool! If you are a sound bath skeptic, take it up with ancient peoples from over 40,000 years ago (!) because that's how long sound therapy has been used by humans. From Australian aboriginals to ancient Greeks and Tibetans, ancient cultures knew what was up with the healing powers of sound. Sound Baths are relaxing, healing, and accessible basically to all - even if it means a simple YouTube search and laying on your own couch for a while. So zen out and let this episode be a sound bath of its own! Highlights Include: - The oldest topic yet! - Sound Bath etiquette - The healing powers of a cat's purr Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

Hey experts! This week Katie is taking the Bar exam and she needed to focus... So we're doing a little review for you too! Here's one of our favorite episodes on a topic we all could stand to know more about. Send good vibes to Katie and all Bar takers across the country this week while you learn about how our this weird aspect of our government works!

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Curling! Have you been watching the Olympics? Because we have, and naturally, we're very into curling. But we didn't understand the first thing about it! So we decided to learn. Curling, one of the world's oldest team sports, is pretty fascinating. There's some very complicated physics involved - research at your own risk - but other than that it's pretty accessible. From 16th century Scotland to 202's Beijing Olympic games, curling hs quite the history, Highlights Include: - Lots of fun and funny terms - Ugly but effective shoes - The Spirit of Curling Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Super Bowl Commercials! We decided to get in the spirit of the season before the Big Game on Sunday and learn about the freakin' racket that is Super Bowl Commercials. We talk 1984 Apple, the Budweiser frogs, Betty White in Snickers, and more. Mostly this is a lot of - can you believe how much a 30 second ad cost in that year?? - talk, but it is fun.  Highlights Include: - The great merger of the AFL and NFL - Ridley Scott directing an Apple commercial - Lots of tangents Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Jell-O! Jell-O is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts, for a reason we disclose at the end of the episode! And it did not disappoint. Gelatin-based foods may date back to the 10th century, but modern day Jell-O has all of its roots in dear old New York State. Jell-O has had its ups and downs over the years, including a very successful campaign with a famous comedian who shall not be named, but we find overall it's a big up. And do yourselves a favor and check out @jelloambassador on instagram. You will be very happy you did. Highlights Include: - New York State: The Jelly Belt? - Utah: Actually the Jell-O State! - Disgusting Jell-O "salads" Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Quicksand! We took a cue from our last episode and decided to clear up another great fear from childhood. Because who didn't see that scene in Princess Bride and decide that someday they too would step into a pit in a forest never to be seen again?! But here's the thing - according to expert Zack, a human being cannot sink fully into and die from quicksand! What a relief! understanding why entails some discussion of viscosity and density of torsos, but it's not too technical. Overall, this was a super fun conversation that included some real relief. Highlights Include: - Another trope! This time of 1960s cinema - How to escape quicksand if you're ever caught in it - An appeal to Fat Joe Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Spontaneous Human Combustion! We're back and we're back with a bang! If you're like us, you were very worried about spontaneously bursting into flames throughout most of your childhood, but haven't thought about it much since. What was up with that? Well we find out in this episode. The truth is, probably not much was up with it, and most instances of spontaneous human combustion can be explained by a combination of alcohol and smoking. But it's still a super weird phenomenon, and pretty gross when you look into it. Highlights Include: - Spontaneous Human Combustion: A 19th century literary trope - Lots of disembodied feet - Stereotyping the Irish Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

Friends, dear listeners, stranger who so kindly support us... we needed one more week! And let's be honest, you probably need to brush up on your knowledge of the Constitution anyway. So basically, you're welcome! Learn about the supreme law of the land in the United States! Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

Happy New Year! Seems like a lot of people were ready to say good riddance to 2021 and we are too. Yay 2022! For our final holiday best of episode, we are giving you a refresher on Watergate! The scandal that rocked America and ended Nixon's presidency. Scandals! Presidencies! Maybe a good topic for this time of year... Watergate has consistently been a top episode of ours, and we hope it's both entertaining and informing. Enjoy! And then, let's have the best year yet! Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

Next up in our Holiday Best Of line-up: Tarot Cards! This is another of our most downloaded (and most enjoyed!) episodes, and for good reason. Tarot Cards are fascinating, and often misunderstood, topic. And when better to brush up on your fortune-telling mechanisms than right before the new year. You can get a tarot reading to see what the new year has in store, or make a resolution to pick up a new hobby and learn to read tarot yourself! Either way, enjoy this fun exploration with us! And Happy New Year!   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

Happy Holidays Everyone! We are taking a vacation and decided to run three of our favorites for you while we are resting and relaxing. First up: Chess! We loved this topic when we first did it, and since then Katie has taken it upon herself to teach Zack how to play chess! And now we are addicted. Also, we recently (finally) watched The Queen's Gambit on Netflix - highly recommend! Do like we did - listen to this episode, then learn chess, then play it a lot, then binge the series. Spoiler alert - the "queen's gambit" is a chess opening! Surprisingly not some kind of conspiracy involving the royal family. Enjoy! 

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... The North Pole! We figured this was a fun seasonal topic. We broke it into three parts for your listening pleasure: the science, the history, and the Santa. So sit back, relax, and prop your feet up in front of the fire while learning about what the north pole really is (geographic vs. magnetic), who really discovered it (Peary? Or no!), and why Santa chose to live there (and how we know about it).  Highlights Include: - Historical drama!! Who was the first to reach the North pole? - A wobbling axis - Why Santa Lives at the North Pole! Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Who Really Wrote Shakespeare's Plays! William Shakespeare, that is! The man, the myth, the legend! Emphasis on myth here, because we dove into whether Shakespeare actually wrote all of the writing attributed to him! Zack dove into three big Shakespiracies -the Oxfordian theory, the Baconian theory, and the Marlovian theory. As much as we generally poo poo-ed these ideas, you have to respect how intense and powerful the names sound. Whether Shakespeare's plays were actually written by Edward de Vere, Sir Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, or William Shakespeare himself, this was a really fun ride and an interesting conspiracy the ponder! Highlights Include: - A faked death?! - Lost years (due to twins) - A Mark Twain cameo Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Oak Island! Wow this turned out to be our longest episode yet, because it's filled with PASSION! We love this topic, as you can tell from the fact that Zack (who did not do any research) chimes in throughout and is just about as knowledgeable as Katie (the professed expert). Just in case you don't know,Oak Island is a tiny island in Canada off the coast of Nova Scotia that may have the greatest treasure in human history buried on it!! Okay, got excited there again. But really, the mystery of Oak Island is fascinating, if you will just give it a chance. We pretty much poo-poo the curse idea (that 7 must die before the treasure can be found), but other than that we are on board. And with ll of amazing finds Rick and Marty Lagina have across across in the past several years, how could you not be?? This episode is basically an hour-long advertisement for the History Channel show, so if you like this at all, please go watch that. All new episodes this fall! Highlights Include: - The Curse of Oak Island - Blackbeard hiding treasure from Satan - The 90-foot-stone used for leather beating Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... SPAM! It's What's for Dinner! It is what's for dinner here tonight because, let me tell you, you can't learn all about SPAM and then not eat it for dinner that night. It's a fascinating tale! And SPAM is not the chemical-based processed meat byproduct that many of us think it is. SPAM fed countless soldiers all over the world in World War II, and even fed the civilians who were at home with less than complete supply chains. Lots of cultures have made SPAM a household item, and you can even find beautifully packaged gift boxes of SPAM for your loved ones in South Korea. Get on the SPAM train and fry it up with us! Highlights Include: - Austin, (wait for it) Minnesota! - the Waikiki SPAM Jam - Pumpkin Spice SPAM Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Maple Syrup! Starting with some fun Native American legends! Maybe a chief threw an axe at a tree, maybe some youths copied a squirrel, or maybe a god was mad at all the laziness he saw - whatever it was, thank goodness they discovered it. Although the process has changed significantly over the years, the method remains the same - get some sap, boil it down, and end up with some of the most delicious stuff you've ever tasted. Next time, go for the good stuff and treat yourself to some real maple syrup. Highlights Include: - Squirrels snacking  - Boiling sap with hot stones - 40 gallons of sap for one gallon of syrup Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Marathons! We watched the LA Marathon run essentially past our front door the morning we recorded, so it was a natural topic. not to mention there were several other major marathons that day across the country! So how did marathons start and why are they 26.2 miles? We had to find out. As usual, it was an interesting run through history, making stops in Greece, England, and Boston along the way. Some good old fashioned sexism in there as well - women couldn't run the marathon in the Olympics for 88 years! But all in all, marathon runners are super impressive no matter what their finish time. Next time there's a marathon near you, go out there with some extra knowledge from this podcast and cheer! Or even better, run it yourself! Highlights Include: - English royals getting their way (as usual) - Lots of questionable pronunciations - The oldest American marathon Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Vampires! We recorded on Halloween, so we had to get one more spooky topic in. And this turned out to be a great one! Some history, some lore, and some gore - what more could we ask for? From real-life figures in history, like Mercy Brown, to larger than life characters like Count Dracula, vampires are an interesting and diverse bunch. More terrifying than interesting was real-life 15th century Romanian ruler Vlad Dracul, aka Vlad the Impaler, whose nickname was rather on the nose. Some of this is gross! But we provide warnings. Maybe the legend of vampires is due to one too many rabid humans running around in medieval Europe. Or, maybe vampires are real. Regardless, we can all agree that we love Edward from Twilight. Or Jacob. I forget which one is which. Highlights Include: - Vlad the Impaler's dinner customs  - Diseases that mimic vampirism - A 19th century American vampire Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Halloween! While it may feel like pandering to the audience, really, when would you more want to learn about Halloween more than right now? And it turns out, it's a really fun and interesting topic to learn about! Get ready for some Celt history, how to pronounce Samhain, and the very disturbing origin of the word "bonfire." Samhain is a fascinating ancient festival celebrating the ed of summer, the harvest, and the thinning of the veil between the living and the dead. We learned about soul cakes, turnip lanterns, eras of vandalism and so much more. Why not get a little primer on where Halloween comes from before putting on your costume, marching in your town's parade and gorging on candy this year? It's sure to be a spoooooky time! Highlights Include: - Half a billion spent on pet costumes! - The origins of the word Halloween - The legend of Stingy Jack and his legacy of Jack-O-Lanterns! Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Oktoberfest! The world's biggest festival! This was a really fun one. Just full of joy and celebration and food and drink - exactly what you want to kick off the fall. Sometimes, when you have a really successful royal wedding, it turns into a 200-year long celebration that only gets better as the years pass. And turns out that most of the people who attend Oktoberfest are Germans - specifically, Bavarians. So if the locals go there, you know it's good. After hearing about the parade, and the games, and the 1.5 second pours of beer, we are dying to attend.  Highlights Include: - 6 million attendees! - 7.3 million liters of beer! - Tents that fit 10 thousand people! Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... The Tour de France! We knew the Tour de France was a bike race, and we knew it was in France, but boy, we did not know much else! Did you know the course changes every year? That participants have to be excellent at biking on flat, hilly, AND mountain terrain?? That they have to bike over 2,000 miles in like 20 days??? It was exhausting to learn about, and probably even more exhausting to do. But it was really interesting and, like most things, had some really fun origins and facts to delve into. For instance, did you know the Tour de France was started as a way to increase newspaper circulation for a paper called L'Auto?? Of course you didn't! That kind of gem and more in this episode. Just don't expect Lance Armstrong content! Because Katie did not research him, the whole doping scandal was more info than this episode could contain, and he is generally expunged. But ride on and listen to learn about the Tour de France!!! Highlights Include: - Lots of cheating - Millions of Spectators! - An un-investigated google search about poop   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Henna aka Mehndi! This was a Katie personal pick because of a recent experience, and maybe we need to do more like that because it was so fun! Henna, aka Mehndi, was so fun to get done, and then just as fun to learn about. Rarely do you come across cultural practices that are so old, and run through so many varied cultures. And rarely does one word have so many meanings! Henna can be a plant, a dye, or a temporary tattoo on your skin, but it is always interesting.  Highlights Include: - The difference between Henna and Mehndi - Cleopatra wore henna! - A big lie about cow poop   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Gummy Bears! Okay, so this was a tough week and Katie totally copped out and let Zack ick his own topic, so naturally we landed on... gummy bears. But as with most things in life, if you take a close look at them, they turn out to be interesting! As was the case with gummy bears. Some World War II in there, some circus bears of the early 1900s, this tale has got it all. And we promise to find some vegan gummy bears for all you vegans out there, so look out for that! This is just a nice relaxing one, guys. Enjoy. Highlights Include: - Predecessors to gummy bears, including wine gums - Zack names all the Haribo flavors from memory - Gummy Bears wrapping around the world ten times   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Hip-Hop! Yup, I said a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie, to the hip hip-hop, and you don't stop the rock it to the bang-bang, boogie say "up jump" the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat. Thanks, The Sugar Hill Gang for that fabulous intro. Hip-Hop is more than just a music genre, it's a culture and a movement. And it all started at one party in the South Bronx in the early 70s with an innovative young man called DJ Kool Herc. We thought this was a really fun topic and a pumpkin' episode. Hopefully it will inspire you to listen to some old school hip-hop, as well as more modern rap, adn think about the people and events that came before. Highlights Include: - A party that changed the future of music! - The Four Pillars of Hip-Hop - A tangent on the Happy Birthday song   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Bungee Jumping! This was a wild one! Get ready to search youtube for videos of vine jumping on Pentecost Island. It's always fun when a modern fad is based in an established culture, and that's what we found here. Why do they vine jump? Is it to thank the gods for an abundance of yams? Or to make sure that abused wives can never get away again? We're sticking with the first one. As for modern bungee jumping, we can all thank AJ Hackett  - a New Zealander who still holds the record for longest ever bungee jump. We thought this was a really fun, daring episode. Come bounce along with us! Highlights Include: - Recap of the movie Mulan - Little kids vine jumping (so brave!) - RIP Trevor   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... The Empire State Building! As you'll hear in the intro, the construction story is pretty interesting. Turns out this interesting story ended up being a lot of pettiness on the part of grown-men builders as they strove to out-do each other and claim the tallest building on earth. Spoiler alert: they did! Well, the Empire State Building guys did. Not so much for Mr. Chrysler or the dudes at 40 Wall Street. This episode is full of mind-blowing facts about the building and its construction. They don't do it like this anymore!  Highlights Include: - 20 extra floors! - A forty-floor elevator drop - Zack and Katie ragging on construction in their building     Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... The La Brea Tar Pits! If you live in LA, you've probably seen or at least smelled the La Brea Tar pits at some point. For those who don't know - these are pits of tar, right smack in the middle of Los Angeles. Like, there's a Walgreens and an IHOP and then Boom! Tar Pits! Outta nowhere. What you might not realize is that these random pits of smelly black goo house an incredible wealth of historic artifacts. Scientists have found tons of remnants of long-extinct plants, animals, and insects in this area. This was a really cool topic to learn about. Next time you are headed to the Grove, maybe swing by the Tar Pits on your way and learn about some ancient California history! Highlights Include: - Tar is actually asphalt?!? - The meaning of "La Brea" - Ancient dust stuck in tar   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Yetis! AKA, Abominable Snowmen! We figured, it's pretty hot, so let's talk about some cold snow-beasts. And it did the trick! We are both cooled off and a little scared actually... Because now we believe in Yetis! Maybe not really, but you gotta listen to the sherpas on mount Everest, don't you? And when the sherpas tell tales of Yetis, and a guy in 1951 takes a picture of a Yeti footprint, and Zack has a recovered memory of FOOTAGE OF YETIS... you believe. All jokes aside, this was really interesting folklore to learn about. And who knows! Maybe there are some Yetis out there. I hope they subscribe to 30 Minute Expert. Highlights Include: - Translation Error = Filthy Snowman - Real Yeti Footprints! - Bigfoot footage narrated   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Surfing! First of all, thanks for the break! Hope you guys enjoyed those couple of throwbacks -they were two of our favorites. Now school is back in session (for Katie, at least), and we are back to our regularly scheduled programming! But we still wanted to keep the summer feel going, so we learned all about surfing. As Zack mentions, he focused on the history and cultural roots of surfing, and it was a good choice. We learned all about surfing's roots, from ancient Peru to less ancient Hawaii. Of course, there were some dark spots in this story, including colonization bringing disease and a really top-notch racist dude named Alexander Hume. But outside of that, it was a fun and wild ride. Come ride the waves with us and learn about a really radical aspect of native Hawaiian culture! Highlights Include: - 20-foot-long solid wood surfboards - Surfing at the Olympics - Lots of digs at people named William Anderson!   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

This episode we are giving ourselves a little summer break and throwing it back to one of our favorites, Banksy! Happy Summer Everyone! In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Banksy! Who is Banksy? Okay, we didn't actually figure out Banksy's true identity in this episode, but we did learn a whole lot about the anonymous street artist. In today's world, it's pretty rare to maintain true anonymity in spite of worldwide fame, but somehow Banksy has managed it. This is a really visual episode for obvious reasons, so definitely check out our instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast to see all of the cool works of art Zack so eloquently describes. Including: A teddy bear throwing a molotov cocktail! Princess Diana on English currency! Steve Jobs as a Syrian migrant! And more! Banksy has a lot to say, and a really creative way of saying it. Whether he's Mr. Brainwash, Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack, Jamie Hewlett of the Gorillaz, or random man Robin Gunnigham, he's an impressive and always surprising fellow. Fight the power along with him (and us) and listen! Highlights include: - A Spontaneously Shredded $1.37 Million-Dollar Work of Art - Original Banksys on sale for $60 at a hot dog stand - Banksy's TRUE IDENTITY (just kidding)   Donate to the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/donate-to-aclu-multistep Donate to the NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1 Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod   Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com   And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Intro and Outro music by Jake Radvansky

This episode we are giving ourselves a little summer break and throwing it back to one of our favorites, Kintsugi! Happy Summer Everyone! Have fun and appreciate your flaws :) In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an expert on... Kintsugi! What is kintsugi, you may ask? Zack did too! Join Zack and Katie in learning about the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold, and maybe learn to appreciate your own flaws along the way. Self-love. Kintsugi style.

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... The Butterfly Effect! This is a complicated one, but ultimately satisfying. If you've ever wondered whether a tiny decision in your life led to massive changes and unforetold differences, this episode will NOT clear that up for you, but it will certainly try. A math mistake in a weather simulation in the 1960s made Edward Norton Lorenz ask, does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? And everyone RAN with it. However, pretty sure they ran with the opposite of what he meant. He more wanted us to think about how random and unpredictable nature is, not to question whether or not you should have asked your crush to prom. What he was going for is the basis of Chaos Theory. Chaos Theory: Not just a Ryan Reynolds movie. Speaking of movies, lots of movie references in this one. There's a movie called the Butterfly Effect, with Ashton Kutcher, and a butterfly-effect-y movie called Sliding Doors, which may or may not star Gwenyth Paltrow. As we always say, do your own research! Highlights Include: - Hypo that Zack and Katie are future monarchs  - Fractals! Chaos Theory!  - A pronunciation-fest of the word "meteorological"   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Publisher's Clearing House! What a random topic, but it turned out super fun. In fact, Zack puts it in his top three episodes of ALL TIME. So I wouldn't skip it. If you aren't American, or are like 12, you may not know what this is. But rest assured, you will know by the end of this episode! Direct Sales! Sweepstakes! Giant Checks! Ed McMahon? It's all here. Except Ed McMahon, who is a figment of the Mandela Effect (shoutout a couple weeks ago). A little bit predatory, a little bit fun, PCH is a truly American brand. Highlights Include: - Deep dive into asteroid strikes - Evel Knievel-style business strategies - Katie's fear of attics Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Taxidermy! If you are grossed out right now, then you know how she felt! But it ended up being a lot more interesting, historical, and environmentally-inclined of a topic than we anticipated. Taxidermy has its roots in Ancient Egypt, as well as in the practices of ancient Europeans as well as Native Americans through today. We did a brief run through how it actually works (nothing too upsetting, we promise), but focused on the history of taxidermy and its impact on society.  Highlights Include: - A mummified hippo! - A Croc hanging from the ceiling of a cathedral! - A very false take on modern Minneapolis taxidermy-ing women Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Fireworks! How did we come up with this idea? Oh, maybe because they've been going off non-stop for the past week! As we learned, fireworks have been a part of celebrating our country's independence since the first anniversary of the singing of the Declaration of Independence, which is pretty cool. Makes those 2am explosions have some significance, you know? If you've ever wondered how on earth fireworks work, this one's for you. We learned where the colors come from, where the shapes come from, how they get up there in the sky in the first place, etc. Now, we are truly experts. And, we got a nice history lesson along with it. Travel to ancient China with us, learn about the beginning of gunpowder and the beautiful pyrotechnic displays that have come from it.  Highlights Include: - Exploding Bamboo! - "Cross-section" of a firework - Biggest ever Fireworks show? Philippines, 2016 Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Roller-coasters! Hang on to your hats, kids! Literally, if you are on a roller-coaster, and figuratively if you are listening to this episode because it is one wild ride. Roller-coasters have such a fun history, and continue to be fun today. We went to 16th-century Russia to ride some ice-slides with Catherine the Great, Coney Island to see the creations of the father of the roller-coaster himself, La Marcus Thompson, and ended up on the tallest of all - Kingda Ka in none other than Jackson, New Jersey. Roller-coasters prove that you can have a total blast just using the simple laws of physics. Just consult your retina doctor before you whip around on all those twists and turns! Highlights Include: - From 1 to 149 in under 5 seconds - Roller-coaster riding mules - A demand from Walt Disney Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Stonehenge! This may be the oldest topic we've ever covered here on #0 Minute Expert, because man, that thing is old! Stonehenge is still very much a mystery, but very smart scientists and archaeologists are pretty sure (and convinced us) that Stonehenge dates to as early as 4,200 B.C. WOW! Also, it was likely built in stages over 1,500 years - talk about contractors taking a long time to get the job done! Unfortunately Zack could not solve the mystery, but we did explore options including: temple? burial ground? place for human sacrifice? As well as the strong possibilities that it was built by and for Merlin the wizard and/or aliens. Next year, let's all meet at Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice and see what all the fuss is about. Highlights Include: - 50,000 pound 30 foot stones - Druids! - Good old fashioned "maybe aliens did it" Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... The Rosetta Stone! Not the software that teaches you Spanish, we covered that in the intro. But the real Rosetta Stone! The ancient granite slab that finally allowed modern humans to understand what was written in ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Who knew there was another ancient Egyptian system of writing called "Demotic"? Probably some smart people and definitely lots of archaeologists, but not us. We were floored. It took two men over 20 years to finally crack the code of the Rosetta Stone - only to learn that it's just a love fest for some dude named Ptolemy. Just kidding, Ptolemy seems pretty cool, but that just might be me falling for the propaganda that is the message of the Rosetta Stone. But all in all, pretty cool that we can finally read hieroglyphics and learn more about the incredible civilizations of the ancient Egyptians. PS - to the British Museum -- give the Rosetta Stone back!!! Highlights Include: - 1100 to 1600 lbs?? - A hieroglyphic - emoji comparison - Ranting at the British Museum! Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Nudism! Or, as we learned it should be referred to, Naturalism! If you've ever wondered what it might be like to spend all your days sans clothes, this is the one for you. We learned about the intention/philosophy/mentality behind nudism, and you know what? It's pretty peaceful. Lots of retirees embracing themselves and the simplicity of life. You can purchase a one-day pass to a bunch of nudist spas across the country, so maybe go check it out. If you are feelin' breezy. Highlights Include: - The American League of Physical Culture - Single women price: $30. Single man price? $175 - "Clothing Optional" (Obvs) Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky  

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... H.P. Lovecraft! Okay, "expert" is always a stretch, but it's a big one here. It's hard to learn about a person's whole life in 30 minutes, especially when that person wrote over 70 stories, over 100,000 letters, and inspired countless metal bands, games, and works of literature. Lovecraft even has a whole subgenre of horror named after him. "Lovecraftian" works are likely to be horrific, full of monsters and fear of the unknown, and to leave you feeling full of terror and despair - nice! Really this man was not a ray of sunshine by any means. Katie describes him as a "creepy racist vampire that wrote freaky-deaky stuff" at the end of the episode and that's pretty spot on. This dude was traumatized by a childhood full of death and nervous breakdowns, and then turned that trauma into some of the most world-class racism we'd ever heard of. This guy hated everybody! So when you consume Lovecraft, keep in mind that the man himself had some pretty horrifying beliefs, that could very well explain why he was so scared of the world and saw enemies and monsters everywhere.  Highlights Include: - Lots of long winded quotes - Lots of mispronunciations of "Cthulhu" - Lots of poor explanations of separating the "artist from the art" Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Earthquakes! Fun fact - Zack is taking Geography this semester, so he was already a bit of an exert on the subject before his 30 minutes study period! But he became even more of an expert for us and for that, we are grateful. So let's shake, rattle and roll our way to tectonic brilliance. Zack schools us on the three different types of tectonic plate movement and explains why the kind that the San Andreas fault is is the most dangerous and potentially devastating (of course). But knowledge is power. We learned about the richter scale and how wild its valuation is, and confirmed that we experienced a 7.1 back in July of 2019! Wow. Crazy times. This might not be the happiest episode ever, since earthquakes can be incredibly devastating, but it was interesting. Stay safe out there, kids. Protect your heads! Highlights Include: - Tsunamis - The biggest earthquake ever - Katie's tips on how to protect yourself during an earthquake Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky  

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... The Mandela Effect! First of all, guess what?! This is 30 Minute Expert's One Year Anniversary! That's right, we've been at it for one whole year. Very proud to have made it this far - thank you so much to everyone who has listened and supported us. We did it! Back to scheduled programming: The Mandela Effect! If you thought the Berenstain Bears were the Berenstein Bears, or that Darth Vader said "Luke, I am your father," or that Tom Cruise wore sunglasses in that underwear scene in Risky Business, then you know what this is. It's when a group of people all share the same false memory, and really really believe it is true. The phenomenon is coined after a collectively shared false memory that Nelson Mandela died while in prison in the 1980s. This is completely untrue, yet thousands of people online all have the same memory of it happening. Why?! There are plenty of brain/memory related scientific explanations for it, including priming, post-event influences, and just the creation of false memories in general (look up Ronald Cotton's story!). But the explanation also could be a multiverse issue, time travellers messing things up, or plain out Satanic action. Pick what pleases you and stay for all the examples at the end. We love you! Keep listening! Highlights Include: - Somehow got to String Theory - Purple giraffes tap dancing - Mayer, Froot, SHAZAM! Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Vanilla! The plant, the spice, the flavor, we cover it all. And, at the risk/certainty of making a very embarrassing and overdone joke, there is nothing "vanilla" about vanilla. Vanilla is the second-most expensive spice in the world (after saffron). It has to be hand-pollinated using a method discovered by a 12-year-old boy enslaved on an island off Madagascar. And the flower blooms for one day before it dies, a la Dennis the Menace, so if you miss that one day, you're out of luck - hence, the second-most expensive spice ever. It all starts with a fascinating legend from the Totonac people, which involves a princess and murder. Come along to Tahiti, Madagascar, and Indonesia! And stick around 'til the end for Thomas Jefferson's recipe for french vanilla ice cream brought directly from France!  Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... The Panama Canal! The Suez Canal got a lot of press earlier this year, so we thought the Panama Canal deserved some attention. Building the Panama Canal was a ten-year endeavor, and was extremely complicated, but (from our humble perspective) appears to have been worth it. Thousands of container ships use this shortcut now every year - a shortcut that cuts 8,000 miles off of a trip from the east to west coast of the United States. We can thank Teddy Roosevelt and the Panamanian rebels for the possibility of the canal, which the Colombians were not so hot on. The land and operation of the Panama Canal is back in the hands of Panama now, since 2000. Does it cost one million dollars to cross it or six thousand? We don't know. Hard to say. As will all internet research, the answers vary, but the overall gist is that this was a huge undertaking and remains an impressive feat today. Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Did England Send Convicts to Australia? Answer: Yes it did! This was a fascinating look into a really dark part of history. England only sent convicts to Australia because it couldn't send them to the Americas anymore, because duh, the Revolutionary War. We don't want your tea or your convicts anymore! And the hulks - the ships-turned-prisons floating in harbors in England - were full (plus everyone on them was dying of typhoid and cholera). Man, this was a rough one! Between 70-year-old ladies being shipped across the world and sentenced to 7 years in prison for stealing a wheel of cheese, to hundreds of thousands of indigenous Australians being decimated by smallpox and colonization, not a lot to smile about in this one. But it's good to learn about history. Why? So we don't repeat it, of course! Highlights Include: - 160,000 convicts sent to Australia from England - 1 in 5 Australians are descended from convicts - The oldest indigenous population in the world outside of Africa   Donate to the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/donate-to-aclu-multistep Donate to the NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Catnip! That sprinkly stuff that makes the cats go wild! We figured, if there's something you regularly give your pets, why not understand it a little better? This was a fun one - simple to understand, and fun to picture all of those kitties having fun. Listen to hear Katie try and pronounce "nepetalactone" and to hear Zack get real uncomfortable with the more mature aspects of catnip's effects. You can grow catnip yourself - and even make some tea for you if your cat happens to be one of the 20-40% of cats who aren't into catnip. So chill out, relax, and dive into some catnip with us!  Highlights Include: - Even big cats - aka lions, tigers, etc. - also love catnip! - Catnip alternatives: Silver Vine and Valerian Root - A Cat Tony Montana   Donate to the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/donate-to-aclu-multistep Donate to the NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvanksy Music by Jake Radvanksy  

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Dutch Tulip Mania! First of all, what is "Dutch," amirite? If you've ever wondered what the difference is between Holland, Amsterdam, and The Netherlands, this episode will clear all of that up for you. Great. Now that that's out of the way, what does tulip mania have to do with them? Turns out that tulips were at the center of the first financial "bubble" ever! Caveat - maybe. There's a lot of myth hyping up this story, but the story itself is pretty interesting nonetheless. Dutch people back in the day needed to latch on to a fad to show off how cool and rich they were, and tulips were just the thing. Think: housing market, dot com, and beanie babies, and you've got it. Was tulip mania as insane and devastating as the lore likes to make it out to be? Maybe not. But it's still a super interesting story, and a good lesson for all of us to learn. Should have read about this before I spent all my savings on pogs in the 90s.  Highlights Include: - A Gordon Gekko Reference - An explanation of what "the Netherlands" is - $3,000 tulips!   Donate to the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/donate-to-aclu-multistep Donate to the NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvansky Music by Jake Radvansky

In today's episode, Katie has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Matches! Uh huh, those little cardboard or wooden sticks you use to light things on fire. Hopefully not a lot of things, but candles, maybe! Zack thought he knew that matches were invented after lighters, and he was right! For being such a handy little gadget, matches did not come around until late in the game of humanity. Probably because there are some seriously dangerous chemicals involved, and we were not ready to handle them. Ancient China (I'm talking 5th century A.D.) had little sticks soaked in sulfur, but it wasn't until the 1820s that we had anything resembling the self-lighting matches that we know today. of course, there's a dark side -  hence the highlighted "phossy jaw" below, which, please, don't say we didn't warn you not to image search. But overall, matches are an exciting little topic that really sparked our imagination!  Highlights Include: - Dr. Teutonicus and his putrefied pee - Another happy accident invention! - Phossy jaw... don't google it   Donate to the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/donate-to-aclu-multistep Donate to the NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvanksy Music by Jake Radvanksy

In today's episode, Zack has 30 minutes to become an "expert" on... Pheromones! Okay, you know you want to listen to this one. It's a highway to scoring a hot date in the post-pandemic world, right? Well, pump the brakes for a minute, because we've got good news and bad news. The good news is pheromones are totally real, and are present in most of the animal world (for sure moths and goldfish, the gold standard of animal traits). It's almost certain that humans have pheromones as well - however, we haven't isolated the molecule that constitutes them yet. So next time you see an instagram ad pop up telling you to buy this bottle of pheromones to ensure that you're crawling with hunnies in no time, pride yourself in the fact that you know better. Unless you're trying to make friends with a pig because, you might be successful there. Highlights Include: - German man named Adolf does something good! - A truly offensive experiment on some Pennsylvania women - Greek Dogs and Ancient Bees   Donate to the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/donate-to-aclu-multistep Donate to the NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1   Follow on instagram @30minuteexpertpodcast and twitter @30minexpertpod Send us your expertise at 30minuteexpertpodcast@gmail.com And please rate and review! Podcast artwork by Rick Radvanksy Music by Jake Radvanksy