Episodes

  • Always Wondered - How America Made it to 250 Years Old.
    Jun 26 2026

    This week on Always Wondered, America is turning 250 years old. So we’re celebrating two-and-a-half centuries of American ingenuity, accidental success, and just enough chaos to make it all work! Meet some Founding Fathers who were absolute geniuses…and a wee bit eccentric. Also - learn about Revolutionary War battles that we had no business winning, but somehow managed to pull off! Plus, as the nation expanded, the ideas grew bolder and even weirder! Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

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    13 mins
  • Always Wondered - Episode 65 Preview
    Jun 24 2026

    Coming up on Always Wondered, America is turning 250 years old. So we’re celebrating two-and-a-half centuries of American ingenuity, accidental success, and just enough chaos to make it all work! Meet some Founding Fathers who were absolute geniuses…and a wee bit eccentric. Also - learn about Revolutionary War battles that we had no business winning, but somehow managed to pull off! Plus, as the nation expanded, the ideas grew bolder and even weirder! Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

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    2 mins
  • Always Wondered - Why Do Our Stomachs Growl When We Get Hungry?
    Jun 19 2026

    This week on Always Wondered, why do our stomachs growl when we get hungry? Is it science - or is your body just trying to embarrass you in public? Also, we explore how famous movie quotes escaped the theater, took over our brains, and somehow replaced standard human conversation! Plus - hear the unusual origin of the frozen dinner. Discover how we invented a meal in a cardboard box so that we never have to look each other in the eye at dinner again! Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

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    12 mins
  • Always Wondered - Episode 64 Preview
    Jun 17 2026

    This week on Always Wondered, why do our stomachs growl when we get hungry? Is it science - or is your body just trying to embarrass you in public? Also, we explore how famous movie quotes escaped the theater, took over our brains, and somehow replaced standard human conversation! Plus - hear the unusual origin of the frozen dinner. Discover how we invented a meal in a cardboard box so that we never have to look each other in the eye at dinner again! Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

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    2 mins
  • Always Wondered - Why Do Our Fingers Get All Wrinkly In Water?
    Jun 12 2026

    In this episode of Always Wondered, we tackle the question: why do our fingers get all wrinkly when exposed to water? You may be surprised to learn that evolution had a good reason for those prune-like fingertips. Also, there was a time when we could receive almost anything by mail order. And we’ll tell you about some of the strangest items! Plus - learn the origin of the phrase “someone has a chip on their shoulder.” (Spoiler alert: Cool Ranch Doritos were not involved.) Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

    DORITOS® and COOL RANCH® are registered trademarks of Frito-Lay North America, Inc. (and its subsidiary Recot, Inc.) Hear past episodes of Always Wondered on ThePodcastPlayground.com/Always-Wondered

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    12 mins
  • Always Wondered - Episode 63 Preview
    Jun 10 2026

    In this upcoming episode of Always Wondered, we tackle the question: why do our fingers get all wrinkly when exposed to water? You may be surprised to learn that evolution had a good reason for those prune-like fingertips. Also, there was a time when we could receive almost anything by mail order. And we’ll tell you about some of the strangest items! Plus - learn the origin of the phrase “someone has a chip on their shoulder.” (Spoiler alert: Cool Ranch Doritos were not involved.) Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

    DORITOS® and COOL RANCH® are registered trademarks of Frito-Lay North America, Inc. (and its subsidiary Recot, Inc.) Hear past episodes of Always Wondered on ThePodcastPlayground.com/Always-Wondered

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    2 mins
  • Always Wondered - Why Are We Ticklish?
    Jun 5 2026

    This week on Always Wondered, why are we ticklish? Is it a beautiful bonding experience, or a biological form of total betrayal? We’ll try to make sense of it all. Also, we live in an era of creative baby names. But which ones are actually illegal? We’ll explore the ultimate dos and don'ts of naming. Plus - what’s the origin of the phrase “giving someone the cold shoulder”? Learn how the act of ignoring someone has less to do with a bad attitude and more to do with meat! Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

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    12 mins
  • Always Wondered - Episode 62 Preview
    Jun 3 2026

    This week on Always Wondered, why are we ticklish? Is it a beautiful bonding experience, or a biological form of total betrayal? We’ll try to make sense of it all. Also, we live in an era of creative baby names. But which ones are actually illegal? We’ll explore the ultimate naming do’s and don'ts. Plus - what’s the origin of the phrase “giving someone the cold shoulder”? Learn how the act of ignoring someone has less to do with a bad attitude and more to do with meat! Join host Rick Peterson as he answers more of the questions you’ve Always Wondered about.

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    2 mins