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In 2001, a single piece of paper sold at a famous auction house – not a painting, not a manuscript, just a rejection letter. The person being rejected in it went on to sell over ten million records with the very songs that letter said were missing. This week: the executive, the letter, and the auction. Sources: Healthy Celeb: https://healthyceleb.com/9-popular-artists-who-were-rejected-by-record-labels/ NME: https://www.nme.com/photos/14-record-labels-who-rejected-bands-who-went-on-to-be-massive-1427448Gemtracks: https://www.gemtracks.com/resources/guides/view.php?title=artists-who-were-rejected&id=7024 Note: This is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Sources are above if you want to fact-check me yourself.

A journalist trying to hit a word count in 2004 threw out three made-up terms to describe something that didn't have a name yet. One of them is now used by over a billion people every month, including you, right now. This week: the five-second word that accidentally named an entire industry, and the trademark fight that almost took it away. Sources: - Podcast — Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast - The history of the word 'Podcast' — Podnews: https://podnews.net/article/history-of-word-podcast - I Just Learned Where The Word 'Podcast' Came From — HuffPost UK: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/i-just-learned-where-the-word-podcast-came-from-and-im-in-shock_uk_6655aa88e4b0f5ad5597f851 - Exploring the History and Modern Use of the Term 'Podcast' — Podmuse: https://www.podmuse.com/post/exploring-the-history-and-modern-use-of-the-term-podcast Note: This is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Sources are above if you want to fact-check me yourself.

In 1974, a 25-foot mechanical shark kept sinking to the bottom of the ocean, and the crew started calling it "Flaws" instead of its actual name. What happened next accidentally changed how movies build suspense forever. This week: the shark that barely worked, and the director who turned that into an advantage. That's this week's Trivia, Sort Of. Sources: The Mechanical Shark on Jaws May Have Broken Down Because of Local Kids — SYFYJaws: The Malfunctioning Shark Was the Best Thing for the Movie — MovieWebRevisiting Bruce, the Malfunctioning Animatronic Shark That Made 'Jaws' a Horror Classic — Bold EntranceJaws (film) production background — Wikipedia Note: This is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Sources are above if you want to fact-check me yourself.

Before 1911, the Mona Lisa wasn't even considered Leonardo's best work. Then a man in a museum staff smock walked out the front door with it, and the world hasn't stopped looking at it since. This week: the missing painting, the two-year hiding spot, and the unlikely suspect list that included Picasso. Sources: * https://www.npr.org/2011/07/30/138800110/the-theft-that-made-the-mona-lisa-a-masterpiece * http://History.comhttps://www.history.com/articles/the-heist-that-made-the-mona-lisa-famous * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Peruggia * https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-bites-mona-lisa-louvre-heist-2708512 As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

For decades, a company collected an estimated two million dollars a year in royalties from a song sung at nearly every birthday party on the planet. Then one filmmaker got a $1,500 invoice and decided to find out if that company actually owned it. This week: what she found. One story. A few minutes. No homework required. Sources: WIPO Magazine – "In the courts: Court confirms legal status of Happy Birthday to You!"The Conversation – "The case against Happy Birthday copyright protection"IPWatchdog – "'Happy Birthday To You' Now In the Public Domain (Sort of)"ABA Journal – "'Happy Birthday' song is in the public domain, judge rules"Time – "Happy Birthday Song Copyright Lawsuit: The Strange History of a Song"Wharton Global Youth – "Let's Party! The 'Happy Birthday' Song Loses Its Copyright" As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

In 1839, a newspaper editor made a joke almost nobody found funny, and it accidentally became the single most understood word on Earth, more universal than "hello." This week: the failed president, the telegraph, and the joke that never should have survived. One story. A few minutes. No homework required. Sources: History.com – "How 'OK' Became America's Favorite Word"Smithsonian Magazine – "How One Man Discovered the Obscure Origins of the Word 'OK'"Boston Magazine – "TBT: When the Word 'OK' Was Invented in Boston"Merriam-Webster – "The Hilarious History of 'OK'"NPR – "Origin of OK: From Martin Van Buren to Most Recognized Word"HowStuffWorks – "Made in America: The Ridiculous History of 'OK'" As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

Did you know the Mona Lisa wasn't famous until someone stole it? That stop signs used to be yellow? That the word "podcast" was invented by accident? Welcome to Trivia. Sort Of. – a weekly show about the surprising true stories hiding behind things you already know. One story. A few minutes. No homework required. Each week: one fact, one twist, one "wait, really?" moment – sourced, fact-checked (mostly), and built for the few minutes you have between everything else. Coming soon wherever you listen to podcasts. 🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss episode one.