Podcasts You Need #4: General Knowledge
Some podcasts to which I subscribe are simply in the category of general knowledge. They deal with history, language… well, just look at the list.
1. Great Speeches in History Podcast. This is just what it sounds like. Famous–and some not so famous–speeches from the past. My favorite part of this podcast is that there are many different types of speeches. So far, I have heard speeches from such varied men as Malcolm X, Harry Truman, and Babe Ruth. (Release: varies, but about every 3 weeks. Length: depends on speech)
2. How Stuff Works. The How Stuff Works website is a site dedicated to figuring out, um, how stuff works. It is a research site that reports its findings through articles published on the site. However, there are often podcasts of some of the findings on certain topics. Admittedly, the ones on the podcast are usually some of the more unusual topics (“Is There a Torture Manual” comes to mind), but the information is good and is grounded in research. A podcast that proves that learning can be fun. (Release: about once per week. Length: 5-10 minutes)
3. Fact or Fiction? Also from How Stuff Works, this podcast deals with certain urban myths or controversial historical topics and tries to get at the truth. Again, this podcast is lighthearted and fun. (Release: about once per week. Length: 5-10 minutes)
4. Podictionary. According to one source, this is one of the 20 most downloaded podcasts, and for good reason. If you like words, you will like this podcast. Each episode gives a very brief history of a word. While that might not sound like much fun, the history of some words is quite interesting and, often, humorous. There is also a longer version of Podictionary if you want to go more deeply into the history of a word, but that podcast is only every few days. (Release: 5 times per week–Monday-Friday. Length: 3-6 minutes)5. Useless Information. If you know me at all, you know that I love trivia. The more useless the fact, the more I like it. So, when I first saw this title, I knew I had to subscribe. It is a great podcast with a great amount of research into the trivial. (Release: about every two weeks. Length: 8-15 minutes)
