<![CDATA[Trivia. Sort of.]]>Not quite trivia. Not exactly storytelling. Sort of both, kind of neither.

Each week, Trivia, Sort Of hands you one true story – allegedly true, anyway – the kind that makes you go "wait, is that real?" in a few minutes, give or take. No categories, no scoring, no real pressure to know anything going in, or honestly to know anything by the end either. Just a strange, specific, surprisingly decent piece of the truth, told the way a friend might tell it to you, assuming they got the details mostly right.

If you're the person who reads the museum plaque, falls down a Wikipedia hole at midnight, or turns "did you know" into a personality trait – this is more or less for you.

A few minutes. One story. Every week. Approximately.

]]>https://riverside.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Sat, 11 Jul 2026 08:17:05 GMTFri, 03 Jul 2026 14:45:04 GMT60Matt Gilhooly<p>Not quite trivia. Not exactly storytelling. Sort of both, kind of neither.</p><p>Each week, <i>Trivia, Sort Of</i> hands you one true story – allegedly true, anyway – the kind that makes you go "wait, is that real?" in a few minutes, give or take. No categories, no scoring, no real pressure to know anything going in, or honestly to know anything by the end either. Just a strange, specific, surprisingly decent piece of the truth, told the way a friend might tell it to you, assuming they got the details mostly right.</p><p></p><p>If you're the person who reads the museum plaque, falls down a Wikipedia hole at midnight, or turns "did you know" into a personality trait – this is more or less for you.</p><p></p><p>A few minutes. One story. Every week. Approximately.</p>episodicMatt Gilhoolymatthewgilhooly@gmail.comno<![CDATA[The Birthday Song That Cost $2 Million a Year]]>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:

As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

]]>854861b0-9de0-4d2e-878a-f4a6b07496b4Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:15:00 GMT<p>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.</p><p></p><p>One story. A few minutes. No homework required.</p><p></p><p><b>Sources:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.wipo.int/en/web/wipo-magazine/articles/in-the-courts-court-confirms-legal-status-of-happy-birthday-to-you-55581" target="_blank">WIPO Magazine – "In the courts: Court confirms legal status of Happy Birthday to You!"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://theconversation.com/the-case-against-happy-birthday-copyright-protection-45415" target="_blank">The Conversation – "The case against Happy Birthday copyright protection"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ipwatchdog.com/2015/10/28/happy-birthday-to-you-now-in-the-public-domain/" target="_blank">IPWatchdog – "'Happy Birthday To You' Now In the Public Domain (Sort of)"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/happy_birthday_song_is_in_the_public_domain_judge_rules" target="_blank">ABA Journal – "'Happy Birthday' song is in the public domain, judge rules"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://time.com/3976577/happy-birthday-copyright-history/" target="_blank">Time – "Happy Birthday Song Copyright Lawsuit: The Strange History of a Song"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://globalyouth.wharton.upenn.edu/articles/business/the-happy-birthday-song-loses-its-copyright/" target="_blank">Wharton Global Youth – "Let's Party! The 'Happy Birthday' Song Loses Its Copyright"</a></li></ul><p></p><p><i>As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.</i></p>no00:02:0212The Birthday Song That Cost $2 Million a Yearfull<![CDATA[The Most Universally Understood Word Began as a Prank]]>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:

As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.

]]>2d403662-4760-4f32-b127-f35a22da6897Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:00:00 GMT<p>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.</p><p></p><p>One story. A few minutes. No homework required.</p><p></p><p><b>Sources:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://History.com" target="_blank">History.com</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.history.com/articles/the-birth-of-ok-175-years-ago" target="_blank"> – "How 'OK' Became America's Favorite Word"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-one-man-discovered-the-obscure-origins-of-the-word-ok-180953258/" target="_blank">Smithsonian Magazine – "How One Man Discovered the Obscure Origins of the Word 'OK'"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2017/03/23/boston-morning-post-ok/" target="_blank">Boston Magazine – "TBT: When the Word 'OK' Was Invented in Boston"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the-hilarious-history-of-ok-okay" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster – "The Hilarious History of 'OK'"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/nx-s1-5463788/ok-origin-martin-van-buren" target="_blank">NPR – "Origin of OK: From Martin Van Buren to Most Recognized Word"</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://people.howstuffworks.com/history-ok.htm" target="_blank">HowStuffWorks – "Made in America: The Ridiculous History of 'OK'"</a></li></ul><p></p><p><i>As always – this is what the internet told me. The internet has been wrong before. So have I. Fact-check away.</i></p>no00:02:1111The Most Universally Understood Word Began as a Prankfull<![CDATA[Trivia. Sort Of. – Show Trailer]]>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.

]]>eb97acc9-02b6-4f4b-b5a9-c3707c34a6e6Fri, 03 Jul 2026 19:14:13 GMT<p>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?</p><p></p><p>Welcome to <b>Trivia. Sort Of.</b> – a weekly show about the surprising true stories hiding behind things you already know. One story. A few minutes. No homework required.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>Coming soon wherever you listen to podcasts.</p><p></p><p>🎧 Subscribe now so you don't miss episode one.</p>no00:01:011Trivia. Sort Of. – Show Trailertrailer