Lateral with Tom Scott 164: The unplayable record
21 snips
Nov 28, 2025 
Join Jay Foreman, a witty YouTuber and geography enthusiast, along with Mark Cooper-Jones, his collaborator in mapping humor, and physicist Mithuna Yoganathan, who dives into quantum mechanics. They explore fascinating topics like P.T. Barnum’s grand elephant parade, the quirks of retronyms, and the story behind the unplayable record of 'Gangsters.' Laugh along as they untangle the confusion of cool cash scratch cards and explain why East African motorcycle taxis are called boda bodas.
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Book On A Plinth With A Felt‑Pen Arrow
- Jay Foreman jokes about putting his book on a plinth behind him during the Zoom call and drawing an arrow with a felt-tip to make it funnier.
- He admits the book's placement looked obvious so he enhanced it for comedic effect.
Elephants Proved A Bridge Was Safe
- Tom Scott and guests recount P.T. Barnum parading animals across the Brooklyn Bridge to prove its safety after a panic.
- Barnum marched 21 elephants and 17 camels across the bridge in 1884 to restore public confidence after a collapse rumour.
Hot Cannonballs Became Obsolete By Iron Ships
- Fort Knox in Prospect, Maine had hot-shot furnaces to heat cannonballs so they would ignite wooden ships on impact.
- The technology became obsolete as warships moved from wood to iron in the 1860s, so the fort installed larger Rodman cannon instead.
