Épisodes

  • The Floating Soap That Rose to Fame

    The Floating Soap That Rose to Fame
    May 12 2025
    Today, we start with a household item that you've probably used dozens — maybe hundreds — of times without a second thought: a bar of soap. But not just any soap. This is the story of Ivory — the soap that floats — and how a simple accident turned into one of the greatest branding successes in American history.

    Let’s rewind to the 1870s. The Procter & Gamble Company, founded in Cincinnati by a candle maker and a soap maker, was doing steady business making candles and soap for the masses. One day in 1879, something unusual happened at the P&G factory. A worker — whose name has been lost to history — left the mixing machine running while he went on a break. He forgot to turn it off.

    When he came back, the soap mixture was filled with air. Rather than discard the batch, the company decided to mold and sell it anyway. What happened next was unexpected: customers started writing in to say they loved this new soap. Why? Because it floated.

    In an age before indoor plumbing was common, people often bathed in rivers, lakes, or shared tubs. If you dropped your soap, it sank. But this new soap didn’t — it floated. That made it easier to use and harder to lose.

    Realizing they had something special, P&G leaned in. They named the soap “Ivory” — a nod to its pure white color — and launched it with the slogan: “It Floats!” Later, they doubled down with an even bolder claim: “99 and 44/100% Pure.” That oddly specific figure came from laboratory testing and was meant to give the impression of scientific precision — a brilliant piece of marketing.
    The soap’s success was meteoric. Ivory became a household name and helped transform Procter & Gamble from a regional business into a national powerhouse. But it wasn’t just the soap that floated — it was the brand.

    P&G capitalized on the success by turning Ivory into more than just a bar of soap. It became a symbol of modern cleanliness, a staple in American bathrooms, and eventually a springboard for innovation. P&G used its earnings from Ivory to develop new products, fund research, and even build one of the first in-house advertising departments.

    Ivory soap also marked a major shift in how companies connected with consumers. P&G began producing radio programs — actual shows with stories and characters — that subtly promoted their products. These shows were the original soap operas — literally named because they were sponsored by soap companies.

    So, the next time you hear the term "soap opera," remember: it's a direct legacy of Ivory Soap and the creative marketing that surrounded it.

    But perhaps the most surprising part of the story is this: the floating quality that made Ivory so famous? It was a total accident. A mistake. A moment of human error that turned into a multi-million-dollar success.

    We often think of innovation as something that comes from genius or meticulous planning. But sometimes, it comes from a slip-up — from someone forgetting to turn off a machine. And what matters most is not the mistake itself, but how you respond to it.

    Procter & Gamble recognized an opportunity in the unexpected, and they ran with it. They embraced what made their product different. And in doing so, they didn’t just sell soap — they changed marketing history.

    Thanks for joining us on this first episode of Did You Know?. If you enjoyed the story, subscribe and share it with someone who loves a good behind-the-scenes surprise. And remember, sometimes the things that rise to the top — do so by accident.
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    5 min
  • The Forgotten Genius of Vincent van Gogh

    The Forgotten Genius of Vincent van Gogh
    May 8 2025
    Welcome to Did You Know?, the show that uncovers remarkable, lesser-known stories that challenge what we think we know. Today, we dive into the turbulent life of Vincent van Gogh — a man who, during his lifetime, was mostly ignored, mocked, and misunderstood, only to become one of history’s most revered artists.

    Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853. His early life was full of uncertainty and struggle. He failed at several careers before turning to art at 27 — late, by most standards. But what followed was a creative explosion. In just ten years, he produced more than 2,000 artworks, including nearly 900 paintings. That’s an average of one new piece every few days.

    Despite this incredible output, van Gogh sold only one painting while alive. His bold colors, rough brushstrokes, and emotional intensity baffled critics and buyers. He was dismissed as unstable. But van Gogh wasn’t simply a madman — he was a visionary.
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    6 min
  • The Truth About Pointy Shoes in the Dark Ages

    The Truth About Pointy Shoes in the Dark Ages
    May 8 2025
    The Pointy Truth About Medieval Shoes: Status Over Sanity During the 14th and 15th centuries, one of the most extreme fashion statements in medieval Europe came in the form of exaggeratedly long, pointed shoes known as poulaines. This peculiar footwear wasn’t just about style—it was about social status, excess, and elite vanity, which often came at the expense of practicality and even health. The longer the toe of the poulaine, the higher the wearer’s rank was perceived to be.

    This fashion trend, according to Ripley's Believe It or Not!, often led the nobility to wear shoes with tips extending up to 18 inches beyond the foot. These shoes were so impractical that some required tying the toes to the knees with chains just to walk. The My Modern Met article confirms that the length of these shoes became a visible symbol of wealth, clearly separating the upper class from the working class, who couldn't afford the extravagance or inconvenience. Critics of the trend at the time were not in short supply. Religious leaders and moralists condemned the shoes as symbols of vanity and excess. HistoryFacts.com reported that clergymen referred to them as “devil’s claws,” denouncing the elite's obsession with image over morality.

    Even the English crown took notice, leading to sumptuary laws limiting the length of shoe points. King Edward IV attempted to curb the excesses by banning overly long poulaines in 1463, particularly targeting those not of noble rank. This intervention reveals how much attention the fashion received—and how dangerous its cultural impact had become. From a conservative viewpoint, the rise and fall of poulaines serves as a historical reminder of what happens when vanity outweighs virtue. The excessive footwear wasn't about utility, function, or honor—it was about flaunting power and separating the elite from everyone else. This is a pattern that still repeats in today's culture of celebrity obsession and virtue-signaling fashion, where appearance often replaces substance. Modern culture frequently mocks traditional values while promoting absurdity in the name of “self-expression.” But the medieval obsession with impractical shoes shows that the abandonment of practicality and modesty in favor of elite signaling is nothing new. The parallels between then and now are too stark to ignore.

    When society exalts image above character, it leads not just to foolish styles—but to foolish priorities. The evidence from the articles confirms that these fashion statements caused physical deformities, public outrage, and eventually legal intervention. Yet, despite the obvious consequences, elites pushed forward with ever more ridiculous lengths. This historical trend serves as a timeless example of how society falters when appearances are prioritized over principles. It also speaks volumes about the moral confusion of leadership during the late Middle Ages, as church officials rightly criticized the absurd footwear but were largely ignored by a ruling class enamored with its own reflection.

    Ultimately, the story of the poulaine isn’t just a quirky footnote in history. It’s a cautionary tale. When leaders and influencers abandon restraint and embrace extravagance, the result is cultural decay masked as fashion. Pointy shoes in medieval Europe weren’t just about toes—they were about turning one’s back on common sense.
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    9 min
  • These “True Story” Movies, Lied to You

    These “True Story” Movies, Lied to You
    May 7 2025
    Hollywood’s True Story Lies: 10 Films That Betrayed History This week on Did You Know, the spotlight turns to Hollywood's long-standing habit of rewriting history under the guise of “based on a true story.” While audiences expect some artistic license, a deeper dive into ten major films reveals just how far liberal-leaning Hollywood studios are willing to distort facts to serve their narratives.

    A number of high-profile films stray significantly from the truth—sometimes rewriting entire legacies in the process. The most glaring offender may be The Imitation Game, which misrepresented the personality and contributions of Alan Turing to fit a dramatic arc.

    What emerges from this review is not just a pattern of error but a clear agenda: modern filmmakers prioritize messaging over truth. Whether by glorifying certain groups, demonizing others, or crafting convenient fictional arcs, these distortions serve a broader cultural narrative often rooted in left-wing ideology. The erosion of factual integrity is not just an artistic misstep—it’s part of Hollywood's continued effort to reshape how Americans perceive their past.

    The Did You Know podcast this week emphasizes the problem of letting fiction pass as truth, especially when media giants continue to push historical revisionism under the pretense of entertainment.

    The lesson for listeners: don’t trust the silver screen to tell the truth. Do your own research and question the stories pushed by institutions that have consistently shown a willingness to bend reality to fit the message.
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    11 min