Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

Shane Rogers
  • 4.8 (141)
  • COMEDY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast of fascinating facts! What do extraterrestrial radio signals and a mushroom from Texas have in common? What is a “number station“ and why is it so spine-tinglingly creepy? Join comedians Shane Rogers and Duncan MacEwan for an entertaining and hilarious deep-dive into obscure facts from science, history and pop culture.

  1. More Box Office Bombs

    6D AGO

    More Box Office Bombs

    They say lightning never strikes twice, but Hollywood keeps proving otherwise. In this budget-busting pair of episodes, Shane and Duncan return to the cinematic graveyard for a fresh look at some of Hollywood’s most spectacular recent failures: the tangled mess of Megalopolis, the glossy fizzle of Tron: Ares, and a few other high-budget disasters that left studios scrambling. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at big swings, bigger misses, and the brutal math of modern moviemaking. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    1h 11m
  2. Stone, Storm and Shadow: The Solar System, Part 2

    JAN 29

    Stone, Storm and Shadow: The Solar System, Part 2

    In part two of their irreverent jaunt through the solar system, Shane and Duncan venture beyond the inner planets into the vast outer reaches, where storms rage for centuries and icy moons hide oceans beneath their crusts. From Saturn’s sweeping rings to Neptune’s frigid winds, it’s a dramatic  tour through the awe-inspiring outer reaches of our celestial neighborhood. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    57 min
  3. Fire, Acid, and Ice: The Solar System, Part 1

    JAN 15

    Fire, Acid, and Ice: The Solar System, Part 1

    The Sun is an unrelenting nuclear inferno. Mercury is a dense little rock with zero atmosphere and the worst sunburn in the system. Venus is a cautionary tale wrapped in sulfuric acid clouds, spinning in the wrong direction just to be difficult. And Mars is a frozen desert haunted by the ghost of ancient oceans. In this episode, Shane and Duncan dig into the bizarre and extreme nature of the inner planets, unpacking strange rotations, impossible temperatures, missing magnetic fields, and Martian cliffs that make the Grand Canyon look like a pothole. Nothing in the inner solar system is normal, and it only gets weirder from here. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    53 min
  4. Midnight Mind Benders: Famous Paradoxes and Thought Experiments

    JAN 1

    Midnight Mind Benders: Famous Paradoxes and Thought Experiments

    This week, plunge with Shane and Duncan into the most maddening mental puzzles ever devised, from ancient identity crises and time travel nightmares to philosophical traps that refuse to be solved. If you replace every part of a ship, is it still technically the same boat? Should you always switch doors and trust the guy in the blazer with the game show smile, or trust your own instincts? And what happens when a donkey can’t make up its damn mind? Welcome to a crash course in logic traps, ethical nightmares, and timeless brain knots. BYO aspirin. ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    47 min
  5. The Pagan Origins of Christmas (Annual Re-release)

    12/19/2025

    The Pagan Origins of Christmas (Annual Re-release)

    -Merry Christmas, insomniacs! Here's a blast from the past. We hope you're having an amazing holiday season- How is Santa Claus connected to cannibalism? Which Christmastide holiday commemorates the slaughter of children? How should you decode the cryptic numerology message 20+C+M+B+22? And what's with all of those airborne reindeer? Welcome to Ghosts of Christmases Past, in which Shane and Duncan explore how tree-worship and animal sacrifice evolved into the bizarre, festive, highly commercialized holiday we know today. So whether you're feeling the Christmas spirit or just feeling jaded and grinchy, grab a cup of heavily-spiked eggnog, get cozy by the yule-log, and join the boys as they unpack the fascinating pagan history of Christmas. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Join the MFFI community and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ In this episode:   Christmastide Christmas Eve The Feast of Saint Stephen, Protomartyr Childermas, The Feast of the Holy Innocents Herod the Great The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, Octave of the Nativity, Solemnity of Mary The Feast of the Holy Family 12th Night, Epiphany Eve Chalking the Door Saturnalia The Holiday of Yule Yule Boar, Yule Goat, Yule Log Anglican Revelers vs. Puritan Grinches The Story of the Nativity December 25th Becomes the Arbitrary DOB Christenmas, Christ Mass, and Xmas Christmas Trees Saint Nicholas of Myra, aka Saint Nick, aka Nicholas the Wonderworker Sinterklaas  Christmases Around the World Reindeer Thomas Nast Haddon Sundblom and Coca-Cola   ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    46 min
  6. Full Livestream Episode: The Story of MFFI (Plus the History of Podcasting!)

    12/04/2025

    Full Livestream Episode: The Story of MFFI (Plus the History of Podcasting!)

    In this special live-streamed double-retrospective, Shane and Duncan trace the evolution of podcasting from its humble beginnings in the shadow of radio and RSS feeds to its rise as a billion-dollar media juggernaut. Along the way, they peel back the curtain on the origin of Midnight Facts for Insomniacs, from the first chaotic and unpolished episodes recorded in a parked car to the latest chaotic and unpolished episodes consumed by a devoted community of night owls, knowledge junkies, and insomniac misfits. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just tuning in, this is the origin story you didn’t know you needed. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    1h 22m
  7. The Explosive Origins of the Nobel Prize

    11/20/2025

    The Explosive Origins of the Nobel Prize

    Alfred Nobel made a fortune inventing things that go boom, earning the nickname “merchant of death.” But with his own death approaching, he set out to salvage his legacy by creating a prize meant to celebrate peace, science, and human progress. The history of that prize, however, is anything but peaceful. This week, Shane and Duncan explore the strange evolution of the Nobel Prize, from its explosive beginnings to secret refusals, scandalous recipients, and one prize Nobel never actually intended. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    59 min
  8. Host Swap: Witchcraft!

    11/06/2025

    Host Swap: Witchcraft!

    In the first full-episode MFFI livestream, Duncan opens the spellbook on the roots of witchcraft and the modern movements keeping the magic alive. So grab your crystals (or your skepticism) and settle in for a tale of treacherous ale-wives, black cats, pointed hats, and centuries of persecution. From sacred symbols to sanitized stereotypes, this episode unpacks how witchcraft was vilified, commodified, and eventually rebranded. ~ Support the show by becoming a Midnight Minion, Menace, or Maniac, and unlock exclusive bonus content over at PATREON ~ Chat with fellow insomniacs and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Join the Midnight Masses! Become an Insomniac by dropping a review, adding us on social media, and contacting us with episode ideas.  And we now have Midnight Merch! Show your Insomniac pride and pick up a tee shirt or coffee mug to spread the word!  Midnight Merch ~  Instagram ~ Podcast Website

    48 min
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4.8
out of 5
141 Ratings

About

A podcast of fascinating facts! What do extraterrestrial radio signals and a mushroom from Texas have in common? What is a “number station“ and why is it so spine-tinglingly creepy? Join comedians Shane Rogers and Duncan MacEwan for an entertaining and hilarious deep-dive into obscure facts from science, history and pop culture.

Information

  • Creator
    Shane Rogers
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    208
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019 Shane Rogers Media. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

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