Half as Interesting — Season 2023

1Why Building Ski Lifts Is Incredibly Hard
04 Jan 2023 · 7 min
2The Massively Complicated Task of Buying Insurance for a Satellite
11 Jan 2023 · 6 min
3Why Canada’s Teachers Run an Investment Firm in Singapore
18 Jan 2023
4The Navy’s Obscure, Super-Efficient Swim Stroke
20 Jan 2023 · 6 min
5The Weirdly Complex Science of Snow Removal
21 Jan 2023 · 6 min
6Why the IRS Taxes Illegal Income
30 Jan 2023 · 5 min
7The Corporate Conspiracy Behind California’s Smallest Town
02 Feb 2023 · 6 min
8How Amish People Get Around Not Using Electricity
05 Feb 2023 · 6 min
9Why Soda Cans are Shaped Differently in Hawaii
13 Feb 2023 · 5 min
10Why the US Gov Reshapes the Mississippi River
16 Feb 2023 · 6 min
11The Genius $250 Toll Road from Minnesota to Minnesota
22 Feb 2023 · 5 min
12How Science Made You Finally Like Brussels Sprouts
24 Feb 2023 · 6 min
13Why Every Baseball Stadium Has Different Rules
01 Mar 2023 · 6 min
14Why It’s Impossible to Build a Crochet Machine
06 Mar 2023 · 6 min
15Why American Lawns All Look The Same
09 Mar 2023 · 6 min
16The NY Subway's Weirdly Successful Lost and Found System
16 Mar 2023 · 6 min
17North Korea’s Bizarre New Propaganda Program
18 Mar 2023 · 7 min
18How Witness Protection Manages to Keep a 100% Success Rate
23 Mar 2023 · 6 min
19How Amazon Broke the US Patent Office
28 Mar 2023 · 7 min
20The Continent-Sized Algae Blob That’s Coming for Florida
31 Mar 2023 · 6 min
21How To Spot a Really Good Art Forgery
07 Apr 2023 · 7 min
22The Court That Settles Wikipedia Editor Drama
12 Apr 2023 · 7 min
23The Material So Classified We Forgot How to Make It
15 Apr 2023 · 6 min
24This Diabetes Drug Causes Weight Loss (and Chaos)
24 Apr 2023 · 6 min
25Why You Can Legally Steal From a Sinking Ship
28 Apr 2023 · 7 min
26The Giant Propaganda Show That’s In Almost Every City
01 May 2023 · 7 min
27How the White House Reads Every Letter it Gets
07 May 2023 · 6 min
28How Much Happiness Can Money Buy?
09 May 2023 · 7 min
29The Super Obvious Ways to Get Around Campaign Finance Laws
12 May 2023 · 6 min
30Why We're Reaching the Theoretical Limit of Computer Power
20 May 2023 · 7 min
31Why It Took 13 Years to Engineer The Taco Bell Crunchwrap
23 May 2023 · 6 min
32The Website Where You Can Order The Bubonic Plague
26 May 2023 · 7 min
33Dyson’s Disinformation War with Big Paper Towel
05 Jun 2023 · 7 min
34How Planes Forecast Turbulence
08 Jun 2023 · 6 min
35Why Tape Storage is Making a Sneaky Comeback
12 Jun 2023 · 6 min
36How the Fake Meat Industry Saved Dippin’ Dots
16 Jun 2023 · 6 min
37How the World’s 4 Cryogenics Companies Actually Work
22 Jun 2023 · 6 min
38The Intense Logistics of Truffles
26 Jun 2023 · 6 min
39Why the US and China Are Squabbling Over This One Wire
30 Jun 2023 · 7 min
40How Argentina Accidentally Gave Germans 40% Off Everything
04 Jul 2023 · 7 min
41We've Made 400 Videos for the Internet. Here are the Worst Ones.
12 Jul 2023 · 6 min
42Why The US Navy Really Needs This One Forest in Indiana
15 Jul 2023 · 7 min
43Why This Airline Only Has One Commercial Flight Per Month
18 Jul 2023 · 6 min
44Trains’ Weirdly Massive Problem with Leaves
21 Jul 2023 · 6 min
45How Porsche Owns Volkswagen and Volkswagen Owns Porsche
31 Jul 2023 · 6 min
46Why the US Government Has No Idea How Many Buildings It Owns
04 Aug 2023 · 6 min
47The Weirdly Lucrative Business of Searching for Old Jeans
08 Aug 2023 · 7 min
48Chicago’s $10 Billion Street Parking Mistake
10 Aug 2023 · 6 min
49Why Only 24 Pilots Are Allowed to Land at This Airport
16 Aug 2023 · 6 min
50The Remote Town Where 13.2% of People are Millionaires
22 Aug 2023 · 6 min
51How The Pentagon Became The World’s Most Secure Building
29 Aug 2023 · 6 min
52The Surprisingly Complex Logistics of Product Returns
30 Aug 2023
53Every Mistake We’ve Ever Made VI: Return of the Jed-lie
31 Aug 2023 · 6 min
54The 3100-Mile Longest Official Running Race in the World
12 Sep 2023 · 7 min
55Why It Takes 7+ Years to Shut Down a Nuclear Plant
19 Sep 2023 · 7 min
56The Only River That Flows Into Both the Atlantic and the Pacific
21 Sep 2023 · 6 min
57How to Fail a Kitchen Inspection
28 Sep 2023 · 7 min
58How The President’s Official Vacation Home Works
29 Sep 2023 · 8 min
59Why Venice’s New €8 Billion Flood Barrier Only Kinda Works
30 Sep 2023 · 7 min
60The Design Flaw That Made Hyundais Absurdly Easy to Steal
06 Oct 2023
61Australia’s Huge Mistake of Selling All Their Water
12 Oct 2023 · 7 min
62How Submarines Survive at 36,201 Feet Below
20 Oct 2023 · 7 min
63Why China Built an Antenna Bigger Than NYC
25 Oct 2023
64Why Qatar Airways Flies An Almost-Empty Flight to Adelaide
26 Oct 2023
65How 70% of Britain’s Cash Went Missing
28 Oct 2023
66How This Utah Hotel Legally Became a Town
06 Nov 2023 · 7 min
67Why The US is in 42 Different National Emergencies
15 Nov 2023 · 7 min
68The 128 Airlines So Dangerous They’re Banned in the EU
17 Nov 2023 · 7 min
69Why the US Gov Pays $10 Million a Year for This Yacht
21 Nov 2023
70The Arctic Vault That Protects Data from the Apocalypse
27 Nov 2023
71NASA’s Year-Long, Totally Fake Mission to Mars
30 Nov 2023
72The Vault That Holds 5% of the World’s Gold
07 Dec 2023
73The Controversial Machine That’s Ruining Bowling
12 Dec 2023 · 8 min
74What Exactly Happens When You Check a Bag
19 Dec 2023
75The Super-Secure Delivery Service That Only Diplomats Can Use
26 Dec 2023
76Why China Took the US’ Pandas
28 Dec 2023 · 8 min

1Why Building Ski Lifts Is Incredibly Hard

2The Massively Complicated Task of Buying Insurance for a Satellite

3Why Canada’s Teachers Run an Investment Firm in Singapore

4The Navy’s Obscure, Super-Efficient Swim Stroke

5The Weirdly Complex Science of Snow Removal

6Why the IRS Taxes Illegal Income

7The Corporate Conspiracy Behind California’s Smallest Town

8How Amish People Get Around Not Using Electricity

9Why Soda Cans are Shaped Differently in Hawaii

10Why the US Gov Reshapes the Mississippi River

11The Genius $250 Toll Road from Minnesota to Minnesota

12How Science Made You Finally Like Brussels Sprouts

13Why Every Baseball Stadium Has Different Rules

14Why It’s Impossible to Build a Crochet Machine

15Why American Lawns All Look The Same

16The NY Subway's Weirdly Successful Lost and Found System

17North Korea’s Bizarre New Propaganda Program

18How Witness Protection Manages to Keep a 100% Success Rate

19How Amazon Broke the US Patent Office

20The Continent-Sized Algae Blob That’s Coming for Florida

21How To Spot a Really Good Art Forgery

22The Court That Settles Wikipedia Editor Drama

23The Material So Classified We Forgot How to Make It

24This Diabetes Drug Causes Weight Loss (and Chaos)

25Why You Can Legally Steal From a Sinking Ship

26The Giant Propaganda Show That’s In Almost Every City

27How the White House Reads Every Letter it Gets

28How Much Happiness Can Money Buy?

29The Super Obvious Ways to Get Around Campaign Finance Laws

30Why We're Reaching the Theoretical Limit of Computer Power

31Why It Took 13 Years to Engineer The Taco Bell Crunchwrap

32The Website Where You Can Order The Bubonic Plague

33Dyson’s Disinformation War with Big Paper Towel

34How Planes Forecast Turbulence

35Why Tape Storage is Making a Sneaky Comeback

36How the Fake Meat Industry Saved Dippin’ Dots

37How the World’s 4 Cryogenics Companies Actually Work

38The Intense Logistics of Truffles

39Why the US and China Are Squabbling Over This One Wire

40How Argentina Accidentally Gave Germans 40% Off Everything

41We've Made 400 Videos for the Internet. Here are the Worst Ones.

42Why The US Navy Really Needs This One Forest in Indiana

43Why This Airline Only Has One Commercial Flight Per Month

44Trains’ Weirdly Massive Problem with Leaves

45How Porsche Owns Volkswagen and Volkswagen Owns Porsche

46Why the US Government Has No Idea How Many Buildings It Owns

47The Weirdly Lucrative Business of Searching for Old Jeans

48Chicago’s $10 Billion Street Parking Mistake

49Why Only 24 Pilots Are Allowed to Land at This Airport

50The Remote Town Where 13.2% of People are Millionaires

51How The Pentagon Became The World’s Most Secure Building

52The Surprisingly Complex Logistics of Product Returns

53Every Mistake We’ve Ever Made VI: Return of the Jed-lie

54The 3100-Mile Longest Official Running Race in the World

55Why It Takes 7+ Years to Shut Down a Nuclear Plant

56The Only River That Flows Into Both the Atlantic and the Pacific

57How to Fail a Kitchen Inspection

58How The President’s Official Vacation Home Works

59Why Venice’s New €8 Billion Flood Barrier Only Kinda Works

60The Design Flaw That Made Hyundais Absurdly Easy to Steal

61Australia’s Huge Mistake of Selling All Their Water

62How Submarines Survive at 36,201 Feet Below

63Why China Built an Antenna Bigger Than NYC

64Why Qatar Airways Flies An Almost-Empty Flight to Adelaide

65How 70% of Britain’s Cash Went Missing

66How This Utah Hotel Legally Became a Town

67Why The US is in 42 Different National Emergencies

68The 128 Airlines So Dangerous They’re Banned in the EU

69Why the US Gov Pays $10 Million a Year for This Yacht

70The Arctic Vault That Protects Data from the Apocalypse

71NASA’s Year-Long, Totally Fake Mission to Mars

72The Vault That Holds 5% of the World’s Gold

73The Controversial Machine That’s Ruining Bowling

74What Exactly Happens When You Check a Bag

75The Super-Secure Delivery Service That Only Diplomats Can Use

76Why China Took the US’ Pandas