Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: History Unhinged

What if you turned on a trusted news broadcast… and it told you spaghetti grew on trees?
Sounds ridiculous today—but in 1957, millions of people believed it.
In this hilarious Five Minute Friday episode, Shea walks Jody through one of the most legendary April Fools’ Day pranks ever aired: the BBC’s infamous “spaghetti tree” hoax. And honestly? It reveals more about human psychology than you might expect.
Fact: On April 1, 1957, the BBC aired a segment showing a Swiss family harvesting spaghetti from trees.
The report looked completely legitimate:
Filmed like a documentary
Narrated by a trusted broadcaster
Included details about “spaghetti weevils” and cultivation
And people believed it.
Fact: Millions tuned in, and hundreds called the BBC asking how to grow their own spaghetti trees.
The BBC’s response? 👉 “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
That’s peak British humor.
🤯 Why This Prank Worked (REAL INSIGHT)
Fact: In 1950s Britain, spaghetti wasn’t common—many people had only seen canned versions.
So when a trusted program presented it as agriculture… it didn’t sound totally impossible.
This episode dives into something deeper:
Trust in authority figures
Presentation vs. reality
How easily belief can form when something “sounds right”
Insight: As Shea points out, belief isn’t always about ignorance—it’s about comfort and trust.
😂 From Hoax to Life Lesson (MODERN CONNECTION)
The conversation quickly turns into something relatable (and hilarious):
Would you believe this if a trusted voice told you?
Could you trick your kids or grandkids the same way?
Is this really that different from modern misinformation?
Speculation: The hosts jokingly suggest recreating the prank with kids as a fun experiment—planting pasta in soil to see what happens.
Folklore-esque takeaway: Not everything on TV—or the internet—is what it seems.
🎧 Why You’ll Love This Episode
A legendary prank that still holds up
Classic dry British humor
A playful but thought-provoking look at human belief
Laugh-out-loud tangents (because of course)
🔗 Related Episodes
If you loved this mix of absurd history and humor:
“Hold My Sake: Japan Made Alcohol Out of Moth Poop”
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/hold-my-sake-japan-made-alcohol-out-of-moth-poop-5-minute-friday

“When Pigs Fly”
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/5-minute-friday-when-pigs-fly

“Rectum? Damn Near Evacuated ‘Em”
https://www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/podcast/5-minute-friday-rectum-damn-near-evacuated-em

Takeaways
The 1957 BBC spaghetti tree hoax convinced millions it was real.
A trusted news format made an absurd prank believable.
Many viewers didn’t question the idea due to limited food familiarity.
Hundreds contacted the BBC asking how to grow spaghetti trees.
Authority and presentation can override common sense.
The prank highlights how easily misinformation spreads.
British humor played a major role in the joke’s success.
Belief is often rooted in trust, not ignorance.
The hoax still serves as a cautionary tale about media literacy.
It mirrors modern issues with internet misinformation and trust.

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In 1803, Japanese fishermen spotted something strange bobbing in the Pacific Ocean—a round, sealed vessel unlike any boat they’d ever seen. Inside was a woman with red hair, pale skin, unfamiliar clothing, and a mysterious box she refused to let go.
This episode dives into the legend of the Utsuro-bune, often called Japan’s earliest “UFO” story. Recorded decades after the alleged event in Edo‑period collections of strange tales, the story has been cited by everyone from folklorists to modern UFO enthusiasts. But what really happened on that beach in Hitachi Province?
Was it an alien encounter? A castaway from a distant land? Or a piece of folklore shaped by fear, curiosity, and isolation during Japan’s sakoku era?
Join Shea and Jason as they explore:
The original Edo‑period sources that describe the Utsuro-bune
Why the vessel looks suspiciously like a flying saucer
How Japan’s isolation policy shaped stories about outsiders
Why historians and folklorists are deeply skeptical of the alien explanation
And why sometimes the most human response to the unknown… is paperwork avoidance
History is messy, weird, and full of rabbit holes. This one just happens to float.
Find sources, images, and more episode notes at
👉 https://rainydayrabbitholes.com

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
Join us Wednesday, June 3rd at the McMenamins Elks Temple in Tacoma (Spanish Ballroom) for a live Rainy Day Rabbit Holes event exploring Tacoma’s own overlooked UFO story—the Maury Island Incident. Weeks before Roswell made headlines in 1947, Tacoma was already grappling with reports of flying saucers, mysterious Men in Black, and a federal investigation that raised more questions than answers. This special History Pub presentation features storytelling from Shea Drury and Jody Shaw, historical context from Chris Staudinger of Pretty Gritty Tours, and an in-depth look at the case from filmmaker Steve Edmiston, creator of The Maury Island Incident and founder of the Men in Black Birthday Bash. Join us for a meet and greet from 4:30–6pm before doors open at 6pm, with the show starting at 7. Patreon supporters—or anyone who signs up before the event—can stop by for a free thank-you gift (including some very adorable dog bandanas), and we’ll also have tote bags and t-shirts available. Find the show link at https://rainydayrabbitholes.com, and get your Men in Black Birthday Bash tickets at https://mibbbfest.squarespace.com.

Now onto the show!

Secret Spring & Questionable Choices

For more than 2,500 years, sake brewing in Japan has been treated as a near-sacred craft—steeped in patience, restraint, and tradition. And then… moth poop entered the chat.
In this Five Minute Friday episode, Shea and Jason tumble headfirst into one of Japan’s most eyebrow‑raising modern sake experiments: a sake brewed using tea made from moth larvae droppings. Yes, actual insect poop. Developed using a tea created from moths that consumed cherry blossom leaves, this sake comes from a craft brewery in Fukushima, Japan, and somehow—against all odds—people say it tastes good.
Along the way, the conversation veers into civet coffee, fermented minnows, shrimp digestive tracts, natto trauma, and the philosophical question of how far curiosity should be allowed to roam without adult supervision.
Is this innovation? Is it madness? Or is it just Japan doing what Japan does best—calmly perfecting something no one asked for?
Japan’s Moth Poop Sake: The Strangest Alcohol Experiment You’ve Never Heard Of
A Fukushima brewery in Japan created sake using tea made from moth larvae droppings. Yes, really. Here’s how it happened—and why.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/history-unhinged-rainy-day-rabbit-holes/exclusive-content

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Join us Wednesday, June 3rd at the McMenamins Elks Temple in Tacoma Washington (Spanish Ballroom) for a live Rainy Day Rabbit Holes event exploring Tacoma’s own overlooked UFO story—the Maury Island Incident. Weeks before Roswell made headlines in 1947, Tacoma was already grappling with reports of flying saucers, mysterious Men in Black, and a federal investigation that raised more questions than answers.
This special History Pub presentation features storytelling from Shea Drury and Jody Shaw, historical context from Chris Staudinger of Pretty Gritty Tours, and an in-depth look at the case from filmmaker Steve Edmiston, creator of The Maury Island Incident and founder of the Men in Black Birthday Bash.
Join us for a meet and greet from 4:30–6pm before doors open at 6pm, with the show starting at 7.
Patreon supporters—or anyone who signs up before the event—can stop by for a free thank-you gift (including some very adorable dog bandanas), and we’ll also have tote bags and t-shirts available.
Find the show link at https://rainydayrabbitholes.com, and get your Men in Black Birthday Bash tickets at https://mibbbfest.squarespace.com.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/history-unhinged-rainy-day-rabbit-holes/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

At the dawn of the 20th century, radium was not feared. It was celebrated. Marketed as a miracle of modern science, this newly discovered element promised vitality, beauty, and better health. Companies sold radioactive clocks, cosmetics, medical devices, and even drinking water, all proudly glowing with progress.
In this episode of Rainy Day Rabbit Holes, Shea sits down with the creator behind Radiant Radium, a collector and historian who specializes in household and beauty products from the radium craze of the 1910s through the 1930s. Drawing from his extensive personal collection, Radiant Radium walks us through a period when radiation was a selling point and the long term dangers were barely understood.
We discuss how these objects escaped the laboratory and ended up in kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms across America. From glow in the dark clocks and uranium glass to radium water crocks, radioactive cones, cosmetics, medical quackery, and infamous patent medicines like Radithor, this episode traces the rise and fall of one of the strangest health fads in American history.
Along the way, we explore the Radium Girls, the tragic death of Eben Byers, the collapse of public trust in radium, and why belief in the health benefits of radiation still persists today. We also talk about the legality and safety of collecting radioactive antiques, how to identify them, and what to do if you find one in an antique store or a relative’s home.
History, curiosity, and caution collide in this deep dive into a time when the future looked bright, and sometimes literally glowed.
Find Radiant Radium
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@radiantradium
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radiantradium/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radiant.radium
Visit Us
Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: www.rainydayrabbitholes.com

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