

Citation Needed
Citation Needed Media
The podcast where we choose a subject, read a single Wikipedia article about it, and pretend we’re experts. Because this is the internet, and that’s how it works now.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 15, 2025 • 40min
Bike Batman
In this engaging conversation, get to know Bike Batman, a Seattle cyclist who's made it his mission to recover stolen bicycles. He shares the origin of his vigilante efforts, which started with a suspicious Craigslist listing. From confronting sellers to collaborating with police, Bike Batman recounts daring rescues and the risks he faces. We hear heartwarming stories of reunited bikes and the adrenaline-fueled motivations behind his work. With humor and relatability, he reveals the man behind the mask, highlighting both the challenges and triumphs of his unique quest.

Oct 8, 2025 • 38min
Broadcast signal intrusion
Dive into the fascinating world of broadcast signal intrusions, where unauthorized hijackers take center stage! Discover how satellite hobbyists once snagged premium channels and the scramble that followed. Hear the outrageous tale of Captain Midnight, who interrupted HBO to protest its pricing, and learn how authorities tracked him down. Explore the bizarre Ashtar Galactic Command broadcast and the infamous Max Headroom incident in Chicago, filled with quirky antics and cultural references. A wild ride through media mayhem awaits!

Oct 1, 2025 • 33min
"Rube" Waddell
George Edward "Rube" Waddell (October 13, 1876 – April 1, 1914) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-hander, he played for 13 years, with the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Orphans in the National League, as well as the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League. Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and raised in Prospect, Pennsylvania, Waddell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. Waddell is best remembered for his highly eccentric behavior, and for being a remarkably dominant strikeout pitcher in an era when batters were expert at making contact. He had an excellent fastball, a sharp-breaking curveball, a screwball, and superb control; his strikeout-to-walk ratio was almost 3-to-1, and he led the major leagues in strikeouts for six consecutive years.

Sep 24, 2025 • 40min
History's Most Expensive Party
The 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire,[1] officially known as the 2,500-year celebration of the Empire of Iran (Persian: جشنهای ۲۵۰۰ ساله شاهنشاهی ایران, romanized: Jašn-hây-e 2500 sale’ šâhanšâhi Irân), was hosted by the Pahlavi dynasty in the Imperial State of Iran in October 1971. Concentrated at Persepolis, it consisted of an elaborate set of grand festivities that sought to honour the legacy of the Achaemenid Empire, which was founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC.[2][3] The event was aimed at highlighting ancient Iranian history and also showcasing the country's contemporary advances under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had been reigning as the Shah of Iran since 1941.[4][5] The site brought sixty members of royalty and heads of state from abroad.[6]

Sep 17, 2025 • 48min
ChatGPT convinced a guy that he's a superhero
Over 21 days of talking with ChatGPT, an otherwise perfectly sane man became convinced that he was a real-life superhero. We analyzed the conversation. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/technology/ai-chatbots-delusions-chatgpt.html

Sep 10, 2025 • 31min
Victorian Mummy Mania and Sundry Weirdness
Mummia, mumia, or originally mummy referred to several different preparations in the history of medicine, from "mineral pitch" to "powdered human mummies". It originated from Arabic mūmiyā "a type of resinous bitumen found in Western Asia and used curatively" in traditional Islamic medicine, which was translated as pissasphaltus (from "pitch" and "asphalt") in ancient Greek medicine. In medieval European medicine, mūmiyā "bitumen" was transliterated into Latin as mumia meaning both "a bituminous medicine from Persia" and "mummy". Merchants in apothecaries dispensed expensive mummia bitumen, which was thought to be an effective cure-all for many ailments. It was also used as an aphrodisiac.

Sep 3, 2025 • 40min
The Vasa
Vasa (previously Wasa) (Swedish pronunciation: [²vɑːsa] ⓘ) is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship sank after sailing roughly 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. She fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannons were salvaged in the 17th century, until she was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping area in Stockholm harbor. The ship was salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961. She was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet ("The Vasa Shipyard") until 1988 and then moved permanently to the Vasa Museum in the Royal National City Park in Stockholm. Between her recovery in 1961 and the beginning of 2025, Vasa has been seen by over 45 million visitors.[2]

Aug 27, 2025 • 40min
Exxon Valdez
The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a major environmental disaster that occurred in Alaska's Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. The spill occurred when Exxon Valdez, an oil supertanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company, bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef, 6 mi (9.7 km) west of Tatitlek, Alaska at 12:04 a.m. The tanker spilled more than 10 million US gallons (240,000 bbl) (or 37,000 tonnes)[1] of crude oil over the next few days.[2]

Aug 20, 2025 • 59min
How I Survived a Wedding in a Jungle That Tried to Eat Me Alive
https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/essays/jungle-wedding/

Aug 13, 2025 • 34min
Olestra / Olean
Explore the wild world of Olestra, a fat substitute that promised guilt-free snacks but delivered digestive chaos. The hosts dive into its controversial history and the absurdity of fad diets, sharing hilarious anecdotes that critique past dietary trends. A mock focus group for 'Poison' chips brings out even more outrageous tales of digestive disasters. With a blend of humor and insightful commentary, the discussion highlights the challenges of food regulation and consumer safety, all while keeping the laughs coming.