Or Something

What's in a name? Kristen and Karla learn that if you're a month in the calendar, apparently it's nothing. Join us for some ridiculous conversations, good laughs, and learn about Karla's ideal calendar (fun fact: she has an irrational hatred of October).

Get ready for the return of your ever-curious hosts, Kristen and Karla, and our most surprising origin stories and fun facts yet! In this episode we delve into the history of the Michelin star and how it became a coveted symbol in the restaurant world. Kristen dishes out the secrets and Karla tries to digest the most confusing fun fact yet!

Hi guys! We are taking a short break for the summer! We will be back soon to bring you more fun facts... or something! 

This week, Kristen digs up the evidence on the history of forensics! Maybe she can help Karla find a forensic audio expert to help her with technical issues? Only time will tell... or something. 

Technical issues don't stop our hosts from bringing you a flaming hot episode this week! Join us as we fan the flames of an old scientific debate: when did we learn how to make fire? Were our ancestors singing around the campfire millions of years ago? Did we learn how to make fire and never look back? And just how important is cooking to the story? We recommend you listen to this podcast when you are sitting by your campfire... or something.   We thank you in advance for following us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or emailing us at [email protected] 

Hi Guys! Get your travel hats on because this week we are covering the origin story of hotels. So check-in, order some room service, and enjoy!  Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or email us at [email protected]

It is our 40th episode! To celebrate we investigate the origin story of one of our all-time favorite television shows: Dateline NBC! For legal reasons, let's just say that this is an unauthorized patchwork of fun facts about a newsmagazine show and the people who make it so worth watching!  As always, if you like what you hear, please consider following us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or email us at [email protected]

Happy Canada Day, Listeners! Grab a Caesar and some poutine and join us for Part 2 of our episode dedicated to all things Canada! Your hosts reenact iconic commercials and lose their minds over some surprising Canadian inventions... or something! If you like what you hear, please follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or email us at [email protected]

O Canada... Let's get an early start on Canada Day celebrations! We have tons of fun facts and a healthy dose of soul-crushing reality in this episode dedicated to all things Canadian history! Stay tuned for Part 2 where we take a look at the lighter side of our home and native land.  Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or email us at [email protected]

Hi guys! If you want to generate high returns with little to no risk, invest with Kristen this week as she explains the art of the Ponzi scheme. Though it is named after Charles Ponzi, would it surprise you to know that he is not the first person to come up with this particular scam? Join us to get all the details.  Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or email us at [email protected]

Brace yourselves! We get to learn about the surprisingly specific origin of the picture frame! Ancient borders, gothic drama, and the richest dude in Florence - this origin story has it all... or something.  Rate, review, and subscribe if you would like to support two creatives who love exploring the origin stories of our world. Find the show on Instagram @podcast.or.something or write to us at [email protected]

Welcome back, friends! This week, you get a brimful of Kristen as she regales us with the origin story of birthdays! The topic is no coincidence as it coincides with her very own birthday! So put on your party hats, grab some cake, and get ready to sing "Good Morning to All"... or something!  Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or write to us at [email protected]

Get ready for summer by learning all about sunscreen! Ancient tar, skin cancer, army men, a mountain man, chemists, iconic marketing - the story of sun protection is interesting... or something. Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or send us an email at [email protected]

This week Kristen explores the origin of women's clothing sizes.  Have you ever felt that sizes are different depending on where you shop?  And wondered when size zero started becoming a thing?  Listen now and you'll find some answers to the crazy, inaccurate world of women's clothing sizes... or something. Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or write to us at [email protected]

In this week's episode Karla gives us a double origin story when she covers the origin of Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek! If you thought Star Trek was just for sci-fi nerds, think again. Do you like it when people stand up against racism? Or buck against the backwards societal norms of the time? Then you'll like learning about how and why Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek.  Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or send us an email at [email protected]

We have a lot of princesses to thank this week as Kristen enlightens us on the true origin of the fork! There are some mind-blowing fun facts in this episode so grab a snack, a fork, and enjoy... or something. Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or email us at [email protected]. Thanks!

Get some vodka shots prepared! You'll need them to get through this Karla-ful episode that goes from informative to international incident fast. Give us a shout on Instagram @podcast.or.something or email us at [email protected]. 

The hosts must be hungry because this week's topics are all about food! Kristen serves up the history of everyone's favorite pie: the pizza! Then Karla explores the world of food competitions which began much earlier than she thought. 

Get giddy with Karla this week as she covers the origin of beekeeping (fun fact: it starts way earlier than you think!)  And this week Kristen covers the extensive origin of one of her favorite snacks... pickles (or gherkins for those of you non-North Americans).  Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something or send us a message at [email protected].  

This week Kristen covers something neither one of us really relates to, but something we appreciate nonetheless, the origin of Cheerleading. Fun fact: she manages to involve US presidents, as per usual.  And Karla covers a topic that is near and dear most gamers hearts, the origin of The Sims.  Fun fact: both Kristen and Karla geek out hard on this topic, enjoy! Follow us on Instagram @podcast.or.something

This week Kristen and Karla are back to their regularly scheduled programming.  Karla covers a topic that we've touched on in a few different episodes: the vending machine!  And Kristen tackles the surprising origin of Chess and what it has in common with Yoga.   Remember to rate, review and subscribe!  Follow us on instagram @podcast.or.something

This week Kristen and Karla cover the same topic! Or, well, they try to cover it.  It turns out that the origin of dogs is somewhat of a mystery.  While there aren't any conclusive answers in this episode there are a lot of interesting facts.  So give it a listen... or something.

In this mini-episode, Kristen and Karla discover the ultimate fun fact! Nothing but the best for our listeners!

Well, well, well. What do we have here? It's another episode of Or Something brought to you by your favorite slightly unhinged hosts. This week, both Kristen and Karla find out some disappointing truths about two iconic places. Up first is everything you could want to know about the Hollywood sign! Next up is the origin story of IKEA. So put on your most glamorous shades, grab an Allen wrench, and enjoy... or something. 

It's mini-episode time! Karla tries to avoid the gruesome truth about an old saying involving cats, while Kristen dives right into the darkness of clowns! You've been warned. 

The show goes into silly territory this week! Karla shares some odd precursors to the household hairdryer, while Kristen uncovers the fascinating origin of clowns. This episode is bursting at the seams with some incredible facts!

For this week's fun facts episode, Kristen delves into the life of wonderfully defiant Sarah Bernhardt, while Karla continues her descent into pandemic madness during a conversation about holodecks. Enjoy!

This week, Kristen makes some surprising discoveries about the origin of lipstick, while Karla uncovers a scandal in the record of paperback books. 

Hi guys! It's mini-episode time! With the Olympics now over, Karla struggles to focus on new things (namely her nonsensical research notes). Kristen is on it as usual and enlightens us on the origin of anniversary gifts. Get ready to buy some diamonds, rubies, wood, or tin foil... or something. 

This week, Karla gets into the everlasting history of gum while Kristen discovers when marriages turned into love matches. Enjoy!

This week, Kristen takes us way back to uncover the origin of tattoos, while Karla celebrates Black History Month with a surprise topic! 

Whether you care about the Olympics or not, you will not want to miss our medal-worthy fun facts this week! Enjoy!

Nerd alert! This week, Karla thumbs through the stacks to figure out when we common folk started borrowing books from libraries. After that, Kristen presents our first listener-suggested topic: the origin of jigsaw puzzles! The answer is very much not a puzzle at all. Enjoy!

This mini-episode, Kristen is armed with plenty of follow-up research and fun facts! Our hosts chat about gender in Olympic sports, the sneaky advantage shared by left-handed athletes, and the key to life...or something. 

This week, Kristen takes on a listener request and explores left-handed and right-handed traffic. Meanwhile, Karla loses her patience with sausages.

Hi guys! Welcome to our first fun facts episode! In these mini episodes we will cover everything from: topics that are too short to cover in the main show, follow-up conversations about previous episodes, comments or questions from listeners, and just general fun facts that didn't quite make it into the previous show. This week, Karla is surrounded by rhino references and Kristen answers our question of where the term horse power originated. Enjoy!

This week, Kristen and Karla tackle treadmills and unicorns. Unicorns are fine, but you do not want to miss the gruesome, weird, and hilarious history of the treadmill. It might be the strangest origin story our hosts have encountered yet. 

It's the first episode back after the holidays and it's a long one folks. So we've got a lot to say, what of it?!  In this episode Kristen describes the super weird origin of Kellogg's Cornflakes (spoiler alert: the words eugenics and masturbation are said a few times). Meanwhile, Karla delves into the fascinating history of the Sherpa which will blow your mind.   And, as always, there's a lot of laughs.  We'd love to hear what you think of this episode on Instagram @podcast.or.something

Happy New Year, Listeners! This may be the season finale but your hosts are ready to ring in the new year with more questionable history and plenty of laughs! Kristen starts the festivities with a pop by regaling us with the origin story of champagne. Karla keeps the party going by dancing us into the history of discotheques. Your hosts send well wishes and a huge thank you for all of your support and for giving this little podcast a chance! Until next season... or something. 

Have a holly, jolly, great time with your two favorite idiots as they gift each other with some shocking origin stories! Both poinsettias and good old St. Nick are not what they seem! I have somehow made this description more spooky than festive but it is what it is. Happy Holidays! 

This week on the podcast, Kristen learns some terrible news about pigeons as she listens to the history of the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, Karla is full of gingerbread and glee as she learns about the iconic Rubik's cube! And as a special bonus that no one asked for: listen to the very end for a behind-the-scenes clip of our hosts being exactly as impossible as you imagine. Not even 1200km of distance between them can put a stop to their shenanigans. Return next week for our holiday episode!

This week, Karla is ever closer to losing her mind as she investigates the origin of the QWERTY keyboard layout, and Kristen soothes us with nursery rhymes... or does she? Note: the hosts forgot to share the name of Kristen's other podcast 'How to be Me Again'. It is available on all the usual platforms. Give it a listen! 

This week we encounter unidentifiable figures in history. We cover John Doe and The Muffin (Tin) Man but which topic leaves us scratching our heads? Listen to find out!

This week Karla paints the town ochre while Kristen colors inside the lines. Join us for a very colorful episode about the origin of pigment and wax crayons. The hosts did not plan to coordinate their topics but did not have time to go home and change. 

In this episode we explore the long wait for speedy emergency numbers and the origin of what some say is the original fruit: the apple. We also singlehandedly solve international diplomacy issues. It's just what we do! Feel free to drop us a line on Instagram @podcast.or.something 

In this week's episode Karla blows Kristen's mind by explaining the somewhat perverse and controversial origin of Barbie.  Kristen covers the origin of national flags and does a terrible rendition of an Eddie Izzard joke.  And then they both make fun of Tim Biebs (you'll have to listen to figure out what that even means).  Follow us on instagram @podcast.or.something

In this episode we get real vague about why the number 13 became so superstitious and the origin of ice hockey as we know it today.  As always it is full of laughs and lots of antics.  Give it a listen, we dare you!  Follow us on instagram @podcast.or.something

In this episode we learn about how dog kibble was first created and the origins of trick or treating.  We also chat about Kristen's tough love approach to volunteering and Karla's new podcasting microphone!  Follow us on instagram @podcast.or.something  

Have you ever wanted to know when catalogs began?  Or when military court became a thing?  We did too! We did the research (or did we?!) and we're going to tell you all about it... or something. 

In this episode we learn about the origins of fruit on the bottom yogurt and the beginning of kindergarten.  And then we go off topic (but on brand) with some ridiculous childhood stories. You know you want to listen.