Beggars Belief

BeggarsBeliefPodcast
  • 5.0 (2)
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Stories that are too good to be true, because someone is lying. A lighthearted review of real life tales of hoaxes, pranks, scams, shams, and charlatans.

  1. FEB 23

    Skyscrapers, Time Travelers, and Bathtubs

    In this episode, we tackle three ridiculous tales.  The origin of the building later called the "World's Tiniest Skyscraper".  An investor who took Wall Street by storm using the powers of time travel.  And the American invention of the bathtub. Of course, someone is lying in each of these tales.

    23 min

  2. 05/05/2025

    Dan DeQuille and His Travelling Stones

    This week we explore a prankster who made waves in the 1800s before fading into obscurity.  Mark Twain? Oh my god, they were roommates.  This story covers silver prospectors, rocks whose love language is touch, and the weirdness of the old west.

    23 min

  3. 03/10/2025

    The Mysterious Egg in Ong's Hat - The First ARG

    Ong's Hat is a real place.  But the stories about it aren't.  That didn't stop tales about a dimension hopping, scientific, transcendentalist, sadomasochistic cult from spreading across the early internet.  This is credited as the first ever ARG and boy, is it weird

    25 min

  4. 02/17/2025

    The Faux Mellow Yellow

    In this week's episode we take a bizarre dive.  In the 60s, an underground magazine started a hoax that you could smoke bananas.  The rumor spread like wildfire, fueled by pop music and an accidental association with a vibrator.  Years later, the same hoax hit a new audience, creating a whole new world for banana lovers..

    22 min

  5. 09/30/2024

    Stolen Socks and Counterfeit Cricket

    In this week's episode, we review some short but curious cases from around the world. First up from England, two people convinced pub goers to give up their socks for charity.  The story is so ridiculous, it leaves Chris speechless. Then we go to India, where a bunch of people faked an entire cricket league, and managed to profit. Music by Roger A Martinez

    21 min

  6. 09/16/2024

    How Lenin Became A Mushroom-A Soviet Prank

    Just before the fall of the Soviet Union, a musician and a journalist got together to pull an absurd and confusing prank--convincing people that Vladimir Lenin was a mushroom.  How did they get people to believe the former Bolshevik leader was actually fungus?  What role did world events play into this hoax being successful?  And most importantly, how many mushroom related puns can Chris fit into a half hour? Join us this week as we explore this weird hoax. Music by Roger Martinez.

    26 min

  7. 06/10/2024

    How To Buy a Hockey Team

    We all have our dreams.  For John Spano, that dream was to own a national hockey team.  And he wasn't going to let little facts like not having money get in the way of those dreams.  We discuss how he scammed his way into owning the New York Islanders, who at the time had an unfortunate redesign on their logo. Mellie and Chris aren't sports fans, but you don't have to be to be interested in this weird rabbit hole!

    30 min

  8. 05/27/2024

    Disney Hoaxes and Scams

    Today we turn our eyes to Disney, looking at how a Texan scammed investors by promising a brand new park, and how ghost videos played into viral marketing in the 2010s.  Meanwhile other stories, Chris's Goofy impersonation, and a review of Disneyland's opening day back in 1955.

    22 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Stories that are too good to be true, because someone is lying. A lighthearted review of real life tales of hoaxes, pranks, scams, shams, and charlatans.

Information

  • Creator
    BeggarsBeliefPodcast
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Beggars Belief