In the late 80s, the world 🌎 began turning to our screens 🖥️ as a way to communicate. But we quickly learned 💡 that a lot of meaning is lost 🤔 when your messages 💬 aren't said 🗣️ or received in person 🧍

So we created our own, new language.

Today, we're talking all about the origin of those cute yellow faces: Emoji! 😊

All pictures from the episode can be found HERE 📷

Sources 📖

"Emoji: The Complete History" by Arielle Pardes - WIRED

"Egyptian Hieroglyphs" - Wikipedia

Original Bboard Thread transcripts from Scott Fahlman

"Shigetaka Kurita. Emoji." - MoMA

"The Origin Of The Word 'Emoji'" by Johanna Mayer - Science Friday

"A Very, Very Expensive Emoji" by Lora Kelley - The Atlantic

🍔🍟 This fast food beacon can be found along highways, cities, and on every continent on the globe, minus Antarctica! Today, we're talking about the man ... or men ... behind the TRUE story of the founding of McDonald's.

Good news! Our ice cream machine is NOT down and our fries are FRESH! I hope you're hungry 😋

All pictures from today's episode can be found HERE!

Sources:

Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc

"The Tragic Real-Life Story..." by Joel Stice - Mashed

"About Us" - McDonald's

"The Unstoppable Rise of McDonald's..." by Joel Libava

"From Movies to Hamburgers" - Los Angeles Almanac

"Multimixer History" - Sterling Multi Products

"Ray Croc" - Biography.com

Somehow, the international phrase, "A Dingo Ate my Baby" plagued middle school playgrounds in the early 2000s. Paired with a butchered Australian accent, we clearly didn't know what it meant. And that's because actually, we weren't even saying the correct quote to begin with.

Today, we're learning the TRUE quote and the story behind it, when we discuss the disappearance of baby Azaria.

Watch out for wombats, wallabies, and of course, dingoes because we're headed to the Australian Outback! 🦘

All pictures from today's episode and movie can be found HERE!

Sources:

"Through My Eyes" autobiography by Lindy Chamberlain

"Uluru" - Wikipedia

"Azaria Chamberlain inquest" - National Museum Australia

"The Story" - LindyChamberlain.com

"The Australian mother wrongly..." by Myles Burke - BBC

"Dingo" by Sue Burrell & Dr Mark Eldridge - Australian Museum

"Almost half of Australia untouched..." - Reuters

"Outback" - Encyclopedia Britannica

A pickaxe ⛏️ some rope 🪢 the cover of night 🌃 and a whole lot of stealth 🤫 These are the things required to escape prison ... right? What if you could just walk out? This is the story of Stephen Russell, the man who did just that: walked right out of prison again and again ... and again ... and again ...

Whether you're a lawyer, or an AIDS clinic researcher, or even a CFO of a major medical company, you're going to love this episode.

Don't forget all pictures can be found here!

Sources:

"Con King Steven Russell: He Still Loves Phillip Morris" NPR Interview by Pat Dowell

"The Life of an Escape Artist" by Stephen Russell - Solitary Watch

"Jim Carrey Made A Movie About Me..." by Stephen Russell - HuffPost

"Russell v. State" - FindLaw

"Fugitive 'king' of scams is captured..." by Jonathan King - Sun-Sentinel

"To Hollywood and Back" by Steve McVicker - Fort Worth Weekly

"Prisoner of Love" by Arnold Wayne Jones - Dallas Voice

It's not superpowers or a religious miracle. It's not magic and it's definitely not a radioactive spider bite. It's the megasavant mind of Kim Peek 🧠 And this the true story of the REAL Rain Man.

His list of incredible skills will actually break your brain from how astounding he is. Buckle up and buckle in for this epic display of the brilliance of the human mind. Don't forget, you can find all pictures from today's episode HERE!

Sources:

"The Life and Message of the Real Rain Man" by Fran Peek

"The savant syndrome: an extraordinary condition" by Darold A. Treffert - National Library of Medicine

"5 Amazing People with Savant Syndrome" - Aruma

"Kim Peek" - Wikipedia

"The Astounding Life of Kim Peek..." - All That's Interesting

🏔️ Mount Everest may be the tallest point on Earth, but is it also the deadliest? 11,996 people have climbed Mount Everest since 1953, with just 6,664 of those people successfully reaching the summit.

Today, we're talking about the deadly 1996 Everest Disaster.

And for the last time, tightly secure your crampons before exiting your tent ⛺ (it's not what you think)

Don't forget, all pictures from today's episode can be found HERE!

Sources:

Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers and Stephen Michaud

"Lukla: The World's Most Dangerous Airport" by David Nikel - Forbes

"Nepal to move Everest base camp..." by Navin Singh Khadka - BBC

"The Hour-By-Hour Unfolding Disaster" - PBS

First, there's the blinding lights. Then, the red laser dots flashing across the wall. An intruder dressed head-to-toe in a rubber wetsuit. There's a live-streaming camera connected to a black market company of professional thieves? It's a story so bizarre that it has to come from the Hollywood screen ... right?

We're covering the TRUE story of Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn this week. And all pictures from today's episode can be found HERE!

Sources:

American Nightmare - Netflix docuseries by Bernadette Higgins and Felicity Morris

"Denise Huskins Case..." by Alex Muegge - ABC10

"Man Charged with Kidnapping..." - FBI Sacramento

"The Traumatic Kidnapping..." by Megan McCluskey - TIME

"What to know about the true..." by Victoria Bisset - The Washington Post

"Full Vallejo PD press release" - SFGate

"Man Pleads Guilty to..." by Merrit Kennedy - NPR

♟️ Chess, it's a game of tactics and observation. Over 10,000 hours of play are required to reach the ultimate title of Grand Master. So when a group of underdog teens gain traction in the competitive high school chess world, people are stunned. This is the TRUE story of the 1998 Miami Jackson High School chess team.

Checkmate! It's time to face off head-to-head as we learn all about "the great equalizer," Mario Martinez, and his team of critical thinkers! Don't forget, all pictures from today's episode can be found HERE!

Sources:

"The Ultimate Underdog Story" by stevis5 - Chess.com

"School's Chess Prodigy..." by Geoffrey Tomb - The Miami Herald

"Marcel Martinez: A Rising Chess Star" - OFC Chess

"Cuban-American Chess Masters..." by Eric Weiner - NPR

"History of the US National High School Chess Championship" - Chess Center