An Ounce - For Your Consideration

Jim Fugate
  • 5.0 (19)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

 Discover hidden stories from history—bite-sized, clever tales that challenge what you thought you knew. At An Ounce, we uncover the little moments that quietly changed everything, surprising truths, and fascinating facts you won’t hear elsewhere.I’m Jim Fugate—retired firefighter, lifelong learner, and an outside-the-box thinker who loves sharing history’s hidden gems. These quick, engaging stories don’t take themselves too seriously, won’t steal your precious time, and might just make you feel a little bit smarter.I hope you’ll join a community of curious minds who enjoy a fresh take on history—where conversation is always open and everyone’s invited. 

  1. 12/15/2025

    Why People Bought Pills to Survive a Comet — And Why We Still Fall for the Same Panic

    In 1910, people bought “Anti-Comet Pills” to survive Halley’s Comet. This weird history episode exposes why mass hysteria and fear still spreads faster than truth—and why we keep falling for the same panic-driven traps today. In 1910, a misunderstood scientific discovery triggered global panic, misinformation, and a wave of bizarre “comet cures.” Sound familiar? This episode connects a century-old frenzy to the modern panic cycles we still struggle to escape. You’ll learn how fear, misinformation, and confidence-in-the-wrong-places shape public behavior—and how to stay curious instead of getting swept up by the next viral scare. Tap subscribe so you don’t miss the next twist in history. Related Episodes / Playlists: The New Snake Oil: Outrage and Validation in the Digital World - https://youtu.be/Kd1KMd1GFPQ Reclaiming Your Mind in the Age of Outrage - https://youtu.be/Ma7PDZ5PFhM An Ounce Podcast Playlist – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvguDu9efxtrh6QOIZpApuBCHIfaZQmmP 📚 References: Halley’s Comet Overview – https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/halleys-comet/ 1910 Cyanogen Gas Panic – https://www.history.com/news/halleys-comet-1910-panic Contemporary Newspaper Archive Examples – https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ ʻOumuamua Scientific Summary – https://www.eso.org/public/usa/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/ Psychology of Mass Panic – https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/07/panic-misinformation Credits: Images: Public domain / NASA / Wikimedia Commons. Some images and Video are generated by AI, including background images. Hashtags: #History #AnOuncePodcast #HalleyComet #MassPanic #ScienceHistory ________________________________________ 🎯 Chapters (Timestamps) (You will refine once video is edited.) 00:00 – People Bought Pills for a Comet 00:41 – A Strange Visitor in the Sky 01:58– Logic Takes a Lunch Break  03:19 – The Cyanogen “Poison Cloud” 03:30 – The Comet Merch Table 04:20 – Comet Day Arrives 05:24 – The Real Story 06:51 – An Ounce  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    8 min

  2. 12/10/2025

    The Big Burn: The Forgotten Firestorm That Changed America

    The 1910 Big Burn wasn’t a wildfire — it was a firestorm that outran horses, erased towns in minutes, and nearly destroyed the entire U.S. Forest Service. In August 1910, a perfect storm of drought, wind, bad policy, and impossible conditions triggered one of the most devastating disasters in American history. This is the real story of the Big Burn—and why its lessons still matter. You’ll learn how disaster conditions align, why suppression shaped modern megafires, and how Ranger Ed Pulaski saved his men against impossible odds. Tap subscribe so you don’t miss the next twist in history. ________________________________________ Related Episodes / Playlists The Big Burn’s most relevant companion episodes: • Piper Alpha Disaster – https://youtu.be/eBoFtdwMr6E • Disaster Files Playlist – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvguDu9efxtos3CO6X-8E05p-gX1riBPz ________________________________________ 📚 References U.S. Forest Service Big Burn Overview – https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r1/learning/history-culture/?cid=stelprdb5279646 Pulaski Tunnel Trail Information – https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ipnf/recarea/?recid=6765 National Interagency Fire Center Historical Fires – https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/statistics/historical Smithsonian Magazine – The Big Burn of 1910 – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-big-burn-180952126/ Library of Congress Wildfire Archive – https://www.loc.gov/collections/wildfires/ Speed & Spread Documentation (re: “outrunning horses”) Forest History Society – The 1910 Fires – https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/fire-u-s-forest-service/famous-fires/the-1910-fires/ Historical summary describing hurricane-force winds, rapid spread, and escape attempts outrun by the firestorm. InterMountainHistories.org – “The Big Burn” – https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/623 Contains firsthand-style testimony: “Firefighters … reported that it was near impossible to outrun the heat because the inferno moved at the speed of a charging horse.” ________________________________________ Credits Music: YouTube Audio Library Images/Footage:  iStock and Getty, backdrops are generated by AI. ________________________________________ Hashtags #BigBurn #WildfireHistory #DisasterFiles #AnOuncePodcast ________________________________________ 🎯 Chapters (Timestamps) (Estimated based on final narrative pacing) 00:00 – Fire Outran Horses 00:20 – The Big Burn of 1910 01:37 – The Conditions for Disaster 03:08 – Crown Fire 05:05 – The 48-Hour Firestorm 06:00 – Inside the Pulaski Tunnel 07:57 – Aftermath & What Was Lost 09:50 – An Ounce ________________________________________  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    11 min

  3. 11/28/2025

    Reclaiming Your Mind in the Age of Outrage: Escaping the Algorithm’s Fun House

    How much of what you see online is real—and how much is the algorithm’s illusion? Learn how to take back your attention, retrain your brain, and escape the digital funhouse. Your social-media feed isn’t random. It’s a reflection—warped by code, polished by profit, and powered by your own attention. In this An Ounce Special Edition, Jim Fugate steps into the Algorithm’s Funhouse to reveal how emotion drives engagement, why outrage sells, and how both the machine and the mind can be retrained. You’ll discover the real cost of doom-scrolling, how evil intent hides in plain sight, and practical ways to break the feedback loop. It’s a thoughtful, hopeful look at technology, humanity, and the quiet power of awareness. 👍 Remember: verify before you amplify — and reclaim your power to choose what wins. Watch next: The New Snake Oil: Outrage and Validation in the Digital World https://youtu.be/Kd1KMd1GFPQ #AnOunce #Algorithm #SocialMedia #DigitalWellness #CriticalThinking #AttentionEconomy #JimFugate #Mindfulness #OutrageCulture #TechnologyAndHumanity ________________________________________ 📚 References • Pew Research Center (2020): Automated accounts and link sharing. • Carnegie Mellon University (2020): Bot activity during major events. • American Psychological Association (2023): Attention span and doom-scrolling research. • Harvard Business Review (2022): The Economics of Outrage. ________________________________________ 🕒 Chapters / Timestamps (estimated) 00:00 Hook – The Invisible Hand on Your Feed 00:25 Meet the Machine 01:35 The Emotional Economy 02:05 The Feedback Loop 02:56 The Psychological Toll 03:37 Starve the Beast & Retrain the Machine 04:27 The Empowered User 05:48 An Ounce  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    7 min

  4. 11/28/2025

    The New Snake Oil: Outrage and Validation in the Digital World

    Social Media, So-called News, Bots, Algorithms, and digital snake-oil salesmen—this episode of An Ounce exposes how misinformation spreads, why outrage sells, and how your clicks keep it alive. Bots aren’t the villains—they’re the tools. The real players are the agenda-drivers who profit when we stop thinking. In this episode, Jim Fugate pulls back the curtain on the modern confidence game: how a single bot whisper becomes a viral foghorn of fake urgency. You’ll learn how emotional bait hooks us, how algorithms reward fear and anger, and how to spot digital “bull snot” before you share it. It’s witty, a little dark, and all too true. So grab a dose of skepticism—and a laugh—because the cure starts with awareness. 👍 Remember: verify before you amplify. Subscribe for weekly stories that prove truth can be stranger (and funnier) than fiction. Watch next:  Historical Facts? Myth vs Truth   https://youtu.be/GDqhQF3nHgc Discovering The Truth Behind Famous Historical Myths  https://youtu.be/JpHTMQV-XPQ #AnOunce #Misinformation #SocialMedia #Bots #CriticalThinking #DigitalAge ________________________________________ 📚 References • Facebook Transparency Reports (2024) – estimated 3–5 % fake accounts. • Pew Research Center (2020) – two-thirds of shared links from automated accounts. • Carnegie Mellon University (2020) – bot activity analysis during major events. • Independent analyses of Twitter/X bot prevalence (2017–2023). ________________________________________ 🕒 Chapters / Timestamps (estimated for YouTube) 00:00 Hook – The Digital Con 00:40 Meet the New Con Men 01:18 The Psychology of the Hook 02:11 The Recycling Plant of Lies 02:58 The Agenda Factory 04:33 The Scale of the Scam 06:20 How They Recruit the “Useful Idiot” 06:54 The Real-World Damage 08:38 Quick-Spotting Guide to Bull Snot 09:45 The Laughable Cure & Closing Reflection 10:22 An Ounce ________________________________________ Credits: Visual: An Ounce Studio, iStock, Getty Audio: Music This is Not IDM and This is not a Ballad by True Cukoo via YouTube  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    12 min

  5. 11/21/2025

    Queen’s Hidden Genius: The Rock Star Who Helped NASA Map Pluto

    Queen had two geniuses — and one helped NASA map Pluto. Everyone knows Freddie Mercury lit up the stage. Few know Brian May earned a PhD in astrophysics, built his own guitar from a fireplace mantle, and helped create NASA’s first 3-D images of Pluto. This episode of An Ounce tells how curiosity, music, and math collided to show us a whole new dimension of genius. 👍 Like, share, and subscribe to keep your curiosity in tune — there’s always another encore waiting out there. Related Episodes / Playlists 🎬 Bat-Men on the Moon – Another cosmic twist where science meets imagination  https://youtu.be/noVFLIh9Q84 🎬 Stories That Outsmart the Obvious Playlist  -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvguDu9efxtrh6QOIZpApuBCHIfaZQmmP 📚 References NASA – New Horizons Mission Overview https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/ Brian May Official – New Horizons Stereo Announcement https://brianmay.com/ Minor Planet Center – (52665) Brianmay https://minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=52665 Hashtags: #BrianMay #Queen #Pluto #NASA #AnOuncePodcast #Music #Science #History ________________________________________ ⏱ Chapters 00:00 – Two geniuses, one band 00:35 – The Rocker with a Telescope 01:31 – The Unfinished Thesis 02:30 – Return to the Stars 03:37 – The Silent World That Rocked Back 04:39 – The Reflection 05:20 – The Ounce & CTA ________________________________________ Images - As noted in video Music - Spirit of Fire by Jesse Gallagher via YouTube music  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    6 min

  6. 11/14/2025

    Absurdity Becomes Truth: The Crazy Ideas Science Laughed At—Until Proven True

    From sewer science to smart pills — how mocked “crazy” scientists changed the world when their absurd ideas turned out right. Some of history’s most ridiculous notions — handwashing, ulcers, even talking to machines — were once scientific punchlines. Discover how five people endured ridicule and rewrote reality. You’ll see how pride delays truth — and why curiosity always wins. Tap subscribe so you don’t miss the next twist in history. Related Episodes / Playlists The Eloquence Illusion – Why We Fall for Beautiful Nonsense https://youtu.be/pc43xdF1DDk Playlist – Hidden Genius & Missed Opportunities https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvguDu9efxtoRfoCHh3ZqVEXIJ1zBpwLW  📚 References • Harvard Health – “Gut Bacteria and Fecal Transplants in Modern Medicine” – https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-future-of-fecal-transplants • National Library of Medicine – “Ignaz Semmelweis and the Birth of Handwashing” – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28612231/ • USGS – “Alfred Wegener and Continental Drift” – https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/continental-drift-wegener • Nobel Prize Archives – “Barry Marshall and Robin Warren – H. pylori Discovery” – https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2005/summary/ • Nobel Prize Archives – “Stanley Prusiner and the Discovery of Prions” – https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1997/summary/ Credits Music: This is Not a Ballad by True Cuckoo, via YouTube Audio Library Images: Public Domain / Creative Commons (CC-BY) sources as cited Hashtags: #ScienceHistory #CrazyIdeas #AnOuncePodcast ________________________________________ 🎯 Chapters (Timestamps) 00:00 – Hook – The Sewer Plant Prophecy 01:06 – Setup – When Brilliance Wore a Clown Nose 02:05 – Ignaz Semmelweis – The Soap Heretic 02:51 – Alfred Wegener – The Man Who Moved the Earth 03:29 – Barry Marshall & Robin Warren – The Bacteria Betrayal 04:15 – John Yudkin – The Sugar Pariah 04:55 – Stan Prusiner – The Mad Protein Theory 05:48 – The Modern Echo – Microbes and Machines 07:26 – An Ounce ________________________________________ 🎯 Tags Base Tags: an ounce podcast, history podcast, forgotten history, weird history, untold history  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    8 min

  7. 11/07/2025

    The Eloquence Illusion: Truth in a Tuxedo

    Why do we trust people who sound smart—even when they’re not? Discover the psychology behind smooth talk and confident nonsense. This episode of An Ounce unpacks The Eloquence Illusion—how polished words and perfect delivery can disguise empty thinking. From corporate spin to “quantum detox,” we explore why we fall for what sounds right instead of what is right. Learn how to recognize verbal sleight-of-hand and keep your brain one step ahead of the charm. Like, subscribe, and share if this story surprised you. Related Episodes / Playlists: The Distasteful History of Toothpaste – how bad breath built a billion-dollar industry   https://youtu.be/wq_H-8_pKKI Why People Stopped Smiling in Photos – culture, cameras, and changing faces   https://youtu.be/l3xddLnkqME 📚 References: • Reber, R. et al. (1998). Processing Fluency and Aesthetic Pleasure: Is Beauty in the Perceiver’s Processing Experience? • Historical Advertising Archives: Camel & Lysol print ads (public domain). • Mayo Clinic & NIH resources on Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT). • Common English language paradoxes — “cargo/driveway” examples from folk linguistics. Credits: Music: Licensed via YouTube Audio Library Images: Wikimedia Commons, Picryl, Public Domain & Open Government sources Hashtags: #EloquenceIllusion #CriticalThinking #AnOuncePodcast ________________________________________ 🎯 Chapters (Timestamps) 00:00 – The Beautiful Sound of Nonsense 01:19 – Why Smooth Equals Smart 02:39 – The Museum of Beautiful Nonsense 04:39 – When Absurdity Becomes Truth 05:35 – An Ounce  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    7 min

  8. 10/31/2025

    Piper Alpha: The Night the North Sea Burned | How 167 Lives Were Lost in Minutes

    The Piper Alpha oil platform explosion killed 167 men and changed offshore safety forever. This is how a chain of ignored warnings turned the North Sea into a firestorm. And how another disaster, Deep Water Horizon, was foreshadowed by Piper. On July 6th, 1988, the North Sea lit up like a second sun. The Piper Alpha disaster wasn’t just an accident—it was engineered by complacency, cost-cutting, and a system built to fail. This An Ounce episode dives into the chain of decisions that made disaster inevitable: missing paperwork, disabled safety systems, and production pressure that drowned out caution. From the first spark to the last survivor, this is the story of a night that reshaped offshore drilling worldwide. If you’ve ever wondered how safety rules are written in blood, this is it. 👉 Watch more Disaster Files on An Ounce, where we uncover how small oversights become historic catastrophes. 📺 Related episode: “The Ghost Train That Destroyed a Town” — the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster that echoes the same lessons of system failure.   https://youtu.be/8r4543HXmms Like, subscribe, and share to support stories that outsmart the obvious. #PiperAlpha #DisasterFiles #AnOuncePodcast #NorthSeaOil #deepwaterhorizon #SafetyLessons #IndustrialDisasters #FireInvestigation #EnergyHistory ________________________________________ ⏱️ 3. Chapters  00:00 — The Night the North Sea Burned 00:50 — The Chain of Failure 03:35 — Event Progression and Response 05:22 — Outcomes and Recovery 06:20 — Comparison, Context, and Lessons 07:59 — An Ounce ________________________________________ 🌐 4. References (Plain-Text URLs) • Cullen Inquiry Final Report (1990): https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20090805144911/http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/osd/piperalpha.pdf • UK HSE – Piper Alpha Inquiry Site (Open Government License v3.0): https://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/piperalpha.htm • BBC Archive – Piper Alpha Disaster Overview: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-44749392 • Energy Institute – Lessons from Piper Alpha: https://publishing.energyinst.org/topics/major-accident-prevention/piper-alpha • Survivor Steve Rae Interview (Energy Voice): https://www.energyvoice.com/oilandgas/north-sea/243942/steve-rae-piper-alpha-survivor ________________________________________ 🏷️ 5. Tags (Comma-Separated) Piper Alpha, Piper Alpha Disaster, North Sea Explosion, North Sea Oil, Offshore Disaster, Oil Rig Explosion, Occidental Petroleum, Cullen Inquiry, Offshore Safety, Disaster Files, An Ounce Podcast, Jim Fugate, Industrial Safety, Fire Investigation, Deepwater Horizon Comparison, 1988 Explosion, Energy History, Safety Culture, Preventable Disasters, Piper Alpha Documentary, Piper Alpha Explained, Piper Alpha Investigation. Credits: Image and Video: By subscription through Getty and iStock, and: Sources & Licenses Images and reference materials from the Piper Alpha Disaster Inquiry (1988 – 1990) are reproduced with permission under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL). © Crown copyright, UK Health and Safety Executive. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 – https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Some images have been cropped, color-graded, or composited for clarity. No endorsement by the HSE or the UK Government is implied. For the full Inquiry and reports, visit: https://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/piper-alpha-disaster-public-inquiry.htm Music: Ebb by Density and Time via YouTube Audio Library  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube

    9 min
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5
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

 Discover hidden stories from history—bite-sized, clever tales that challenge what you thought you knew. At An Ounce, we uncover the little moments that quietly changed everything, surprising truths, and fascinating facts you won’t hear elsewhere.I’m Jim Fugate—retired firefighter, lifelong learner, and an outside-the-box thinker who loves sharing history’s hidden gems. These quick, engaging stories don’t take themselves too seriously, won’t steal your precious time, and might just make you feel a little bit smarter.I hope you’ll join a community of curious minds who enjoy a fresh take on history—where conversation is always open and everyone’s invited. 

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