Advertise on podcast: Believe It or Not! — Amazing True Stories for Curious Kids

🤖 How did a little round robot become one of the world's most famous household inventions? And why did its creators almost abandon the idea—even after proving that it worked? In Episode 178 of Believe It or Not!, Bryan explores the fascinating true story behind the invention of the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. Our journey begins in 1990, when three MIT robotics researchers founded a company called iRobot. Their dream? Build robots that could perform useful jobs in the real world. But an engineer named Joe Jones had a particularly unusual idea. What if a robot could clean your house all by itself? The result was a little round machine that rolled across floors, bumped into furniture, turned in unexpected directions, and somehow kept cleaning. But getting the invention into people's homes was anything but easy. A secret customer demonstration revealed a surprising problem. And the solution would involve an almost impossible electricity challenge, cardboard, packing tape, and crushed breakfast cereal! 🤯 THREE UNBELIEVABLE WOW FACTS: 🏺 A tiny robot explores the Great Pyramid of Giza! 🚧 Roomba's incredible invisible-wall technology! 🌱 A solar-powered garden robot that cuts weeds! 🧠 BIG QUESTION: If you could invent a robot to help with one household chore, what would you make it do? Plus, test your listening skills with our three-question quiz and discover the funny name of an early floor-cleaning robot project! 🎙️ Believe It or Not! is an educational podcast for curious kids ages 7–12, families, and teachers. Explore extraordinary true stories about science, history, inventions, nature, and the world around us. NEXT EPISODE: A woman unexpectedly gives birth at her beauty salon in Wales. How could something so extraordinary happen without her knowing she was pregnant? Follow Believe It or Not! for more incredible TRUE stories. Sometimes the truth is weirder than fiction!

💰 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 174The 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 BrainPOPHow 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!

✈️ HE HAD A CLEAR SHOT… December 20, 1943. High above Germany, a badly damaged American B-17 bomber called Ye Olde Pub is struggling to stay in the sky. Its engines are damaged. Crewmen are wounded. And home is still hundreds of kilometers away. Then another airplane appears. A German fighter. At the controls is Franz Stigler. Inside the broken bomber is 21-year-old American pilot Charlie Brown. The fighter pulls alongside. Close enough for the two enemy pilots to see each other’s faces. The American bomber can barely defend itself. Franz has the advantage. And now… he has a decision to make. What happens next will remain in both men’s memories for almost 47 years. 🎙️ Believe It or Not! — Episode 172 Discover the extraordinary true story of Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown — two enemy pilots, one unforgettable encounter, and a mystery that lasts for decades. But don’t look up the ending before you listen. 👀 🧠 BIG QUESTION:Have you ever helped someone who wasn’t on your team? And next time… A scientist walks into a shop in Hong Kong and discovers an enormous tooth believed to have come from a dragon. What creature did it really belong to? 🎧 Follow Believe It or Not! on Spotify for more strange-but-true stories for curious kids, families, and classrooms. #BelieveItOrNot #KidsPodcast #HistoryForKids #WWIIHistory #WorldWarII #FranzStigler #CharlieBrown #B17 #FlyingFortress #AviationHistory #TrueStories #AmazingHistory #DidYouKnow #CuriousKids #FamilyPodcast #EducationalPodcast The Fighter and the Broken Bomber

Florida. 1965. 🏈 A college football team is practicing in brutal heat. The players are sweating, exhausted, and getting sick. But something strange is happening. Why aren't the players peeing? One unusual question sends a group of doctors searching for answers. Their investigation leads to a terrible-tasting experiment, an unexpected discovery, and the invention of one of the world's most recognizable sports drinks. But how did a bathroom mystery turn into Gatorade? 🎙️ Join Bryan for Episode 171 of Believe It or Not! as we discover the incredible true story behind a drink you've probably seen a thousand times. Along the way, you'll discover surprising facts about the human body, the science of sweat, and how one small question can lead to an enormous discovery. Plus, test your detective skills with our True or False, multiple-choice, and scientific-thinking questions! 🌎 YOUR BIG QUESTION: What's the hottest or most exhausting activity you've ever done? What helped you recover afterward? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Perfect for curious kids ages 7–12, families, and classrooms. Follow Believe It or Not! and share this episode with someone who loves strange-but-true stories! 🎧 Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4wtid8ZGDRoScTtj66ZLQP Next time: Two enemy pilots meet high above Germany during World War II. What happens next? #BelieveItOrNot #KidsPodcast #Gatorade #InventionOfGatorade #ScienceForKids #HistoryForKids #EducationalPodcast #FunFacts #CuriousKids #고촌 #고촌영어 #고촌초등영어 #고촌영어공부방 #고촌맘 #김포 #김포영어 #김포초등영어 #김포영어공부방 #김포맘 #초등영어 #초등영어교육 #초등영어듣기 #영어팟캐스트 #어린이영어 #영어공부 #엄마표영어 #영어학습 #과학영어 #영어교육 #브라이언잉글리쉬클럽

In 1967, people gathered outside a bank in London to watch something unbelievable: A machine built into a wall… gave someone money. No teller.No open bank.No smartphone.No modern bank card. But how did the machine know who was allowed to take the cash? And who actually invented it? In Believe It or Not! Episode 170, we investigate the strange true story behind the ATM — including competing inventors, early cash machines, and a clue from 1966 that changes the whole story. 🎙️ Episode 170: The Machine That Put Money in the Wall A strange-but-true history story for curious kids ages 7–12, families, teachers, and classrooms. 🎧 Listen to Believe It or Not! on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/4wtid8ZGDRoScTtj66ZLQP 💬 BIG QUESTION:What machine does your family use that would be REALLY hard to live without for one week? #BelieveItOrNot #BelieveItOrNotPodcast #KidsPodcast #EducationalPodcast #HistoryForKids #HistoryPodcast #ATM #WhoInventedTheATM #Inventions #Inventors #WeirdHistory #AmazingHistory #FunFacts #DidYouKnow #CuriousKids #KidsLearning #FamilyPodcast #STEMForKids #TrueStories #1960s #BankingHistory #MoneyHistory #LearningIsFun #PodcastForKids #Education

What if a dark cloud appeared on the horizon… and then you realized the cloud was alive? 🦗 In the 1870s, Rocky Mountain locusts descended on the American Great Plains in swarms so enormous that estimates reached into the trillions of insects. They filled the sky. They devoured crops. And farming families tried almost everything to stop them. But then something happened that turned one of America's worst insect disasters into an even stranger mystery. In Episode 169 of Believe It or Not! — “The Swarm That Ate Everything”, Bryan explores the incredible true story of the Rocky Mountain locust. You'll discover: 🌾 what it was like to watch a giant locust swarm arrive🦗 how enormous the biggest swarms became🔥 the unusual ways farmers tried to fight back🔬 why scientists were called in to investigate🕵️ and the mystery that appeared when the skies suddenly became quiet Plus, stick around for three unbelievable WOW Facts, a quick quiz, and a Big Question for curious listeners. Perfect for kids ages 7–12, families, classrooms, homeschoolers, and anyone who loves weird history, science, animals, mysteries, and true stories that sound impossible. 🎧 Follow Believe It or Not! so you don't miss the next unbelievable true story. Believe It or Not! — where weird is real and the truth is stranger than fiction.

One terrible highway accident brings Captain Allan Falby and a complete stranger together. Years later… another crash does it again. But this time, something has changed. In Episode 168 of Believe It or Not!, Bryan explores the astonishing true story of Captain Falby and Alfred Smith — two men whose lives crossed under circumstances so unlikely that newspapers were still telling the story years later. How did the first accident connect to the second? Why did one injured motorist recognize Captain Falby before Falby recognized him? And how much of the famous story can we trace back to historical records? Along the way, discover surprising facts about emergency medicine before 911, the bizarre history of funeral-home ambulances, and why coincidences happen more often than our brains expect. A fast-moving true story about chance, memory, kindness, and one decision to stop beside the road. Perfect for curious kids ages 7–12, families, classrooms, and anyone who loves strange history and unbelievable coincidences. Follow Believe It or Not! for more true stories that sound completely made up. Until next time, keep wondering, keep learning, and remember…sometimes the truth is weirder than fiction. #BelieveItOrNot #BelieveItOrNotPodcast #CaptainFalby #AlfredSmith #TrueStory #TrueStories #AmazingHistory #WeirdHistory #StrangeCoincidence #Coincidence #DidYouKnow #UnbelievableFacts #HistoryForKids #KidsPodcast #PodcastForKids #EducationalPodcast #FamilyPodcast #CuriousKids #LearningIsFun #HistoryPodcast #AmazingStories #RealLifeStories #TexasHistory #ElPaso #PodcastDiscovery

Imagine stepping into a room so quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat. In Episode 167 of Believe It or Not!, Bryan explores the quietest room in the world and discovers what happens when almost every sound around you disappears. Why do anechoic chambers have strange triangular walls? How can scientists measure sound below zero decibels? Why can people hear their heartbeat, breathing, stomach, and other tiny body sounds inside extreme silence? And why would anyone build a room this quiet in the first place? It's a fascinating journey into sound, silence, engineering, the human brain, and the strange things we discover when the world finally becomes quiet. 🎧 Believe It or Not! — the show where weird is real and the truth is stranger than fiction. Perfect for curious kids, families, teachers, and anyone who loves fascinating true stories and amazing science. #BelieveItOrNot #QuietestRoom #AnechoicChamber #ScienceForKids #ScienceFacts #AmazingScience #KidsPodcast #EducationalPodcast #WeirdScience #DidYouKnow #STEMForKids #PodcastForKids

The Tiger That Terrified India Imagine living in a village where simply walking into the forest could be deadly. For years, a terrifying tiger stalked communities across Nepal and northern India. People disappeared. Villages were filled with fear. Hunters searched for the animal, but she seemed to disappear into the forests every time. Then one man followed the clues. Jim Corbett entered the forest to hunt the infamous Champawat Tiger—but what he discovered after the hunt revealed something much more complicated than a simple story of a dangerous animal. In this episode of Believe It or Not!, discover: 🐅 The terrifying story of the Champawat Tiger🌲 Life in the Himalayan forests👣 How Jim Corbett tracked the tiger🔎 The surprising clue hidden in her broken teeth🇮🇳 Why the tiger became a legendary man-eater🌿 How Corbett eventually became a champion of wildlife conservation A gripping true story about tigers, survival, fear, and the surprising reasons animals sometimes become dangerous. Perfect for curious kids, families, teachers, and anyone who loves unbelievable true stories. Follow Believe It or Not! for more strange, surprising, and completely true stories.

One woman begins dancing. She doesn't stop. Then more people join. Within days, an entire city is caught in one of history's strangest mysteries. Why did hundreds of people dance through the streets of Strasbourg in 1518? Why did doctors hire musicians to make them dance even more? And why, after more than 500 years, does nobody know exactly what caused it? Join Bryan as we investigate one of the world's greatest unsolved historical mysteries in this exciting episode of Believe It or Not! You'll also enjoy: 🤯 Three unbelievable WOW Facts🧠 A fun listener quiz🌍 A Big Question to spark your curiosity🔮 A preview of Episode 166: The Forest Built for Ships That Never Came

A chocolate bar melts inside an engineer's pocket. Nobody knows why. Minutes later... Popcorn begins exploding across a laboratory. An egg launches itself into the air. And one accidental discovery changes the way the entire world cooks. Discover the incredible true story of Percy Spencer, the World War II radar engineer whose curiosity led to the invention of the microwave oven—and eventually microwave popcorn. 🎧 Believe It or Not! is a fun storytelling podcast for kids featuring unbelievable true stories from history, science, inventions, mysteries, and the amazing people who changed the world. Perfect for fans of: • Story podcasts for kids • Educational podcasts • Science podcasts • STEM learning • History for kids • Curiosity podcasts • Family listening adventures Because sometimes the world's greatest inventions happen completely by accident.