Believe It or Not! — Amazing True Stories for Curious Kids

💰 A woman accidentally leaves behind a lottery ticket worth ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Ten days later, someone else discovers it. What happens next?
In Episode 177 of Believe It or Not!, Bryan tells the incredible true story of Lea Rose Fiega and Abhi Shah, whose lives became connected by a forgotten $30 scratch-off lottery ticket.
In March 2021, Lea bought a Diamond Millions ticket at the Lucky Stop convenience store in Southwick, Massachusetts.
Believing she'd lost, she returned the ticket to be discarded.
But one tiny section remained unscratched.
Ten days later, Abhi Shah uncovered a matching number and discovered the ticket was worth $1,000,000.
The problem?
He knew exactly who had purchased it.
Now he and his family faced an extraordinary decision.
What would YOU do?
🤯 THREE UNBELIEVABLE WOW FACTS:
🎟️ The surprising history of America's first instant scratch-off lottery ticket
💵 A forgotten ticket that later won a $273 million jackpot
🔢 Eight identical winning tickets worth a combined $800,000
Plus, enjoy our True or False quiz, multiple-choice challenge, and a thought-provoking Big Question about helping someone recover something they've lost.
🎙️ Believe It or Not! is an educational podcast for kids ages 7–12, families, and teachers, featuring exciting true stories, surprising discoveries, and interactive learning.
NEXT EPISODE: How did a group of robotics researchers invent the Roomba, the little robot that changed household cleaning? 🤖
Follow Believe It or Not! for more extraordinary real-life mysteries.
Keep wondering, keep learning, and remember… sometimes the truth is weirder than fiction!

🍗 Who really invented Buffalo wings? Was it the famous Anchor Bar in 1964, or did another Buffalo restaurant get there first?
In Episode 176 of Believe It or Not!, Bryan investigates the surprising true history of Buffalo chicken wings.
Meet John Young, the Buffalo entrepreneur who popularized whole, breaded wings covered in Mambo Sauce. Then discover how Teressa Bellissimo and the Anchor Bar became famous for the classic spicy Buffalo-style wing served with celery and blue cheese.
But there's a mystery.
The original stories don't agree. And a surprising newspaper discovery challenges the famous timeline!
Who deserves the credit?
And how did an inexpensive piece of chicken become one of America's most popular foods?
🤯 THREE UNBELIEVABLE WOW FACTS:
🍗 Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop became major competitors—but neither started in Buffalo!
🎬 A fictional wing festival in Osmosis Jones inspired a real Buffalo food festival!
🏈 Americans were projected to eat 1.48 BILLION chicken wings around Super Bowl LX in 2026!
Plus, enjoy our True or False quiz, multiple-choice challenge, and historical detective question.
🧠 BIG QUESTION: If you could invent a brand-new snack, what would it taste like, and what would you name it?
🎙️ Believe It or Not! is a fun educational podcast for children ages 7–12, families, and teachers, featuring surprising true stories from history, science, geography, inventions, and nature.
NEXT EPISODE: A forgotten lottery ticket worth ONE MILLION DOLLARS. What happens when someone else discovers it?
Follow Believe It or Not! for more amazing true stories.
Sometimes the truth is weirder than fiction!

🦛 The Sahara Desert was once GREEN—and hippopotamuses lived there!
Thousands of years ago, parts of the Sahara were filled with lakes, rivers, grasslands, and wildlife. People fished, raised cattle, and lived beside enormous bodies of water in places that are now some of the driest on Earth.
So what happened to the Green Sahara? And could the desert ever become green again?
In Episode 175 of Believe It or Not!, Bryan explores the incredible science and history of the African Humid Period, when ancient climate changes transformed northern Africa.
Discover how Earth's slow orbital cycles influenced the African monsoon, why the Sahara's lakes eventually disappeared, and what archaeologists uncovered at Gobero—including a young girl buried thousands of years ago wearing a bracelet made from hippopotamus ivory.
And prepare for three unbelievable WOW Facts:
🦛 An ancient lake larger than today's Caspian Sea!
🌎 Saharan dust that helps feed the Amazon rainforest!
🐊 Crocodiles still surviving in isolated Saharan pools!
Plus, enjoy our True or False quiz, a multiple-choice science challenge, and a question that turns YOU into a climate detective.
🎧 Believe It or Not! is a fun, fact-filled educational podcast for kids ages 7–12, families, and teachers. Explore true stories about science, history, geography, nature, and the world's greatest mysteries—all through exciting storytelling.
NEXT EPISODE: Who invented the Buffalo wing? 🍗 Two kitchens, two stories, and one delicious mystery!
Follow Believe It or Not! for more amazing true stories.
Keep wondering, keep learning, and remember… sometimes the truth is weirder than fiction!

How does clear maple tree sap become thick, golden maple syrup? Follow one drop from a sugar maple tree to the breakfast table as we discover the science of freeze-thaw weather, why fresh sap is only about 2% sugar, and why it can take roughly 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.
We’ll also explore how Indigenous peoples of northeastern North America developed maple-tapping and maple-sugaring traditions long before European settlement — plus red squirrels that make their own maple snacks, Quebec’s strategic maple syrup reserve, and the unbelievable Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.
🎙️ Believe It or Not! — Episode 174
The Sweet Secret Inside a Tree
🧠 Big Question: If you could follow one food all the way from nature to your plate, what would you choose?
Next time: The Sahara Desert once had lakes, grasslands, wildlife, and people. So how did the Green Sahara become one of the driest places on Earth?

Before Tim and Moby…
there was a little boy in a hospital bed watching ants crawl across a windowsill.
That boy was Avraham Kadar.
Years later, he became a doctor — and an encounter with a frightened young asthma patient gave him an idea:
What if complicated things could be made simple, visual, and fun for kids?
That question eventually became BrainPOP.
In this episode, discover the surprising true story behind one of the world’s most recognizable educational platforms — including how Mike Watanabe became the voice of Tim, why Moby mostly communicates through BEEPS, and how painfully slow 1990s internet accidentally helped create the BrainPOP quiz.
🤖 Believe it or not… BrainPOP was teaching kids online about six years before YouTube even existed.
🎙️ The Story of BrainPOP
How a Doctor, a Question, and a Beeping Robot Changed Learning
🧠 BIG QUESTION:
If you could write your own letter beginning:
“Dear Tim and Moby…”
what ONE thing would you ask them to explain?
And next time…
clear liquid drips from a tree.
It looks like water.
So how does it become thick, sweet maple syrup?
Find out in Episode 174 of Believe It or Not!