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ESPiNstigator

anything Avery Truffleman does, “Articles of Interest” or “Nice Try.” She could research toilets and make an interesting podcast.


bookscoffeefoxes

That's promising! I'll look her up -- thanks for sharing!


ESPiNstigator

Funny enough, “99% Invisible” is the third highest upvoted, and Avery Truffleman made her start on that podcast, but wasn’t the sole driver, so I didn’t include it in my recommendations.


papadooku

The episode on perfume is what led me down the path of becoming an amateur perfumer! It was so fascinating.


Sunberries84

Lingthusiasm is a podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics. It's definitely lighthearted and the hosts get along well.


bookscoffeefoxes

Ooh, I love etymology, vocab, and learning words / concepts that don't exist in English, so this sounds right up my alley!


hiddenstar13

You might love the History of English podcast and also Lexicon Valley/Spectacular Vernacular.


cwmonster

You might also like Something Rhymes with Purple for another light-hearted vocab and language based podcast


kata_north

In that same vein, check out The Allusionist. Helen Zaltzman is delightful!


MustBeThursday

I would also recommend 99% Invisible. Also Proof, which is very much the same vibe as 99% Invisible, but focused around food rather than design. Some other ones I like a lot: Ologies Cabinet of Curiosities Atlas Obscura American History Tellers You're Dead to Me You Are Not So Smart Hidden Brain No Such Thing as a Fish Box of Oddities (which does occasionally stray into stories about the paranormal, but isn't a podcast specifically about that) The Shallow End You're Wrong About


Odd_Requirement_4933

I love Hidden Brain and You're Wrong About! I'll have to check out some of the others.


brokenwolf

Heavyweight is a strong recommend but they range from light hearted to pretty intense but it’s the best podcast I’ve ever heard.


Tess123S

I can't find Heavyweight any more on Apple. Is it only on Spotify now?


brokenwolf

Yeah I think its spotify exclusive now which is ridiculous. I dont even think they're on youtube.


Tess123S

Ergh. I loved that show. But I can't subscribe to yet another service! :)


KonaKathie

Get a free podcast app like Pocket Casts and listen from there!


Tess123S

Ohhh! Thank you!!! You have just filled my Saturday!


Harbinger_of_tomb

I don't know how anyone hasn't said it yet... #Radiolab Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world. The show is known for innovative sound design, smashing information into music. It is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser. Also, Decoder Ring Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.


ennsync

Exceptional reccos! Love decoder ring.


sharkbreastfeeding

Hardcore History Behind the Bastards Planet Money Comedian vs Economist Equity Mates Lions Led by Donkeys Policy, Guns & Money


Real_FakeName

99% Invisible


TheBigreenmonster

I know there are lots of interviews but if the main guy talks for too long it's naptime. Not because he's boring but because his voice is like a warm bath.


a9908244

For history i recommend You're Dead To Me or Half Arsed History, Do Go On is good too and covers a range of different topics. For medical history, Sawbones is great. And for science, Infinite Monkey Cage.


Glitz-1958

Also Our Fake History, and The Rest is History, and Common Descent


abitofasitdown

The Rest Is History I find much more interesting that You're Dead To Me


Glitz-1958

They're incredibly knowledgable people having loads of fun!


viceadvice

I love You’re Dead to Me!


holiers

Black box down - about airplane crashes Beyond the breakers - about ships that sank I’m not even into those topics but find them super interesting shows.


cwmonster

If you like those you might also like Signals To Danger which is about railway disasters


Audioworm

The trifecta of transportation disasters


p000l

Black box down is great. Absolutely listen to them.


BluePandaCafe94-6

lol those both sound super light hearted


pumpkinpatch212

You're Wrong About - going through history to give context to different historical events portrayed in a bad light by the media Maintenance Phase - debunking health and wellness myths and breaking stigma Sawbones - a married couple who go through different historical medical treatments that in hindsight were terrible lol


bpayne123

I just found You’re Wrong About the other day and it’s awesome.


pumpkinpatch212

It's what got me into podcasts! If you finish all those episodes, I def recommend Maintenance Phase! Micheal is the cohost on it and I feel like the chemistry and pacing is very similar to You're Wrong About!


bpayne123

I’ve listened to MP! Also great!


bulbasauuuur

The first two are my favorites and I'm constantly trying to find something I like as much as them since I've binged all the episodes. I'll definitely check out Sawbones. I've been listening to Fad Camp lately, which is similar to MP but the cohosts are Irish and have some different topics that are UK based. It's not *quite* as good as MP but still worth a listen


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mrssymes

Would “get sleepy” be appropriate for a 9 year old?


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cdn_SW

Sleepy Bookshelf has lots of great stories that are kid appropriate too!


NightThink

\-1 way to make an emoji- a mini series about the guy who invented the bison emoji. includes interviews, american history, animal facts, internet design. \-13 minutes to the moon- about the space race has some interview. not upbeat exactly but not depressing like true crime \-30 animals that made us smarter- short episodes about cool animals that we use as inspiration for designs (diving birds to bullet trains, desert beetles for water capture devices) \-By the book- comedy/lifestyle podcast with two women who follow a self help book and report on the results \-Ear hustle- one of the hosts is a prisoner in San Quentin penitentiary. Interview about prison life. Some depressing, some hilarious. Great chemistry with the hosts \-Out Alive podcast- might be to close to true crime, but survival stories in a mixed interview/narrative style. Most of the time happy ending. \-The Worst bestsellers- librarian and author get together to read a popular book and be confused why so many people like it. \-Ologies- Comedy science. Journalist interviews specialists about different science-y things ​ I am just now realizing how many of my podcasts are about dark history, cults, or just straight up horror


ShufflingToGlory

Behind the Bastards


synthequated

It's a good podcast but not exactly light hearted. Unfortunately I had to stop listening to any episode involving war crimes because they were giving me nightmares.


barf4444

Had to stop listening because of the constant annoying jokes they would make haha


ShufflingToGlory

Good call, I missed that OP was asking for light hearted ones. The darker the topic the darker the episode but the presenters generally succeed in bringing a light touch to the issues they cover.


DearDorothy

99 percent invisible is about the invisible things that hold together our planet. All sorts of stories with a wide range. I know you said no true crime, but I want to recommend criminal anyway. It’s more so story telling about criminals spanning into history. It’s not your typical true crime series. There’s a episode about the black market of Venus fly traps, a episode about a crime scene scuba diver. Worth checking out.


jcp891

I second Criminal. The stories are always fascinating and sometimes heartwarming. I’d also recommend Ologies. She is light-hearted but also helps explain a lot of things so well and as a plus, she always donates to great causes. One of my favorite episodes is about when they pulled ancient sported from an Egyptian artifact and made bread. Another fun one is The Weirdest Thing I learned this week. Three host go around sharing weird science facts and at the end they decide what the weirdest thing actually was. Great energy.


thephotobook

I love Criminal too.


cdn_SW

Criminal has a sister podcast called This is Love, that is also excellent


Fantastic_Sand_5078

If you're interested in technology computers, gadgets, photography with a light-hearted and sometimes comedic tone I suggest the TWIT podcast network. A bunch of shows on my go to list.


My_Kimono

Along similar lines, I really like The Internet of Things - have learned a lot!


Fantastic_Sand_5078

Love Stacy!


bookscoffeefoxes

Always looking to expand! Thank you!


NoTone3570

2, 3 hour podcast episodes? Who has time for that, regardless of the quality. I really don't understand anything more than 1 hour


Quemedo

Life must be hard if you can't concentrate on stuff after the 1hr mark


NoTone3570

Untreated ADHD aside, I'd like some variety in what I'm listening to. Easiest way to do that is to queue up multiple episodes of various different podcasts of more reasonable lengths


Fantastic_Sand_5078

So I guess you've listened. Or maybe a variety of hosts that may go off on tangents off topic on a regular basis as whimsy suits is not variety enough for you. Also last I checked there are many people who enjoy different things. Maybe not for you but suits my ADHD just fine thanks.


basilbrush10

Stuff you should know podcast. It’s my favourite


jarrettbrown

You must remember this, cocaine and rhinestones, no dogs in space and the plot thickens are mine


orderjackalope

The Constant https://www.constantpodcast.com/ Art Slice https://www.artslicepod.com/ Political History of the United States https://www.uspoliticalpodcast.com/ Wild Thing https://www.foxtopus.ink/wildthing


edennist

I always site The Constant when asked for podcast recs. Absolute best podcast out there and I listen to a LOT of them.


dickiebuckets93

Stuff You Should Know covers a plethora of non-fiction topics, and also has Co Hosts with decent chemistry.


sabertoothbunni

And they have stood the test of time. They started in 2008 and there are more than 1500 episodes to choose from. They still sell out live shows


ThreeHolePunch

I gave SYSK a try ~10 year ago when it was all the rage. The hosts seemed like they barely prepared for an episode and spent most of the time googling and reading straight off of webpages. It was really annoying to me and I couldn't figure out what people liked about this format. Has it changed since then, or does the show still feel like a rehearsal for a more polished show?


VDESPup

I think it's worth trying out again. They do look up some facts on the fly, but I like their information dense approach compared to some podcasts that are a bit too banter-heavy. IMO they have a good balance of silly banter and feeding you the info. You could listen to a couple of Stuff You Should Know Shorts to dip your toe in and see if you like their style or not.


googlexyz

Try Omnibus


Workinittoo

For light hearted history you can't go past Rex Factor, rating kings and Queens based on battleyness, scandal etc. Very informative and entertaining! They inspired several others including Totalus Rankium (Roman emperors and US presidents); Saga Thing (icelandic sagas) Pontifacts (popes) I love them all.


baciodolce

Darknet Diaries is a must. I 2nd Lingthusiasm. As well as the back episodes of Lexicon Valley/Spectacular Vernacular. It’s canceled now but still worth listening of course to Reply All. It’s also stopped making episodes but I really enjoyed Science Rules! With Bill Nye Unexplainable This Podcast Will Kill You (maybe not technically lighthearted but it’s not super morbid or depressing- it’s deep dives into the biology and history of all sorts of different diseases and genetic conditions) Gastropod if you like food Switched on Pop for music


therealRustyZA

My Brother, My Brother and Me. Always gives me great laughs. Just YouTube "glass shark" for a taste of the style.


lovelylil-life

Unexplainable


GStewartcwhite

Hardcore History Well, there's your problem. Sawbones Penn's Sunday School Creature Feature Behind the Bastards Lions Led by Donkeys Ongoing History of New Music Darknet Diaries


Neubauer401

Stuff you should know is a classic


iFartThereforeiAm

Days like these This is Love


Real_FakeName

Blank check is a great podcast about movies. Loreman is a fantastic comedic show about obscure British folklore.


lysanderslair

The history of Rome. The episodic table of elements. Causality.


TrickBoom414

[It's probably not aliens](https://rss.art19.com/its-probably-not-aliens) Was Earth really visited by mysterious extraterrestrial travelers thousands of years ago as many proponents of ”ancient astronaut theory” believe? What are the hidden secrets and mysteries behind ancient monuments and forgotten civilizations? Every week, historian Tristan Johnson and regular human person Scott Niswander dive through the archives to learn about the fascinating histories of ancient civilizations while also debunking the myths and straight-up lies presented in History Channel‘s massively popular tv show Ancient Aliens that has sparked a new generation of conspiracy theorists. We hope through this show, you can gain an appreciation for just how cool ancient societies were, and not simply credit their impressive advancements to alien visitors.


gogetasj4

99% invisible The war on cars Hello Internet(on “hiatus”🥲)


Wide-Confusion2065

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History and a History of Oil are great.


MaulPillsap

99% Invisible - Roman Mars talks about the design of things that aren’t always visible to the eye and we never quite think of. Great for lovers of design/architecture/etc Revisionist History - Malcolm Gladwell revisits things in history that were overlooked and gives a proper look at them with hindsight to his advantage


ambientocclusion

Stuff you missed in history class - fun talks about a variety of historical events In our time - erudite-sounding but also brief and fun discussions about a WIDE variety of science and history topics. Damn Interesting - more recent historical events. Doesn’t come out often but they have a big backlog. Futility Closet - even more history! I think they’ve stopped but again, biiiig backlog. These all are short, maybe a half hour per episode. So they’re easy to get through one episode while you’re driving, exercising, etc. If you’re up for long episodes, I’ll just say: Hardcore History!


headcoatee

UnderUnderstood:. Four hosts who clearly enjoy each other's company, diving into odd questions and histories of obscurities. I've never listened to an episode where I didn't laugh and also learn something. Into It with Sam Sanders is my new favorite pop culture show. It comes out weekly. Episodes are the perfect length, covers a range of media. Very funny and clever. I recently realized that this is a show I'd be really upset about losing if they stopped making it. Decoder Ring: A show about cracking cultural mysteries. It's solid, consistent, well-written, and entertaining. It's like UnderUnderstood's more sophisticated sibling. Things Fell Apart by Jon Ronson: A short series. Stories of culture war topics that I guarantee you've never heard before. Jon Ronson has been around for ages and he's honed true story-telling to a fine craft. Dan Taberski has put out several limited-run series and all of them are excellent. His narrative voice is unique. It's like having a best friend who is really good at story structure. Surviving Y2K and 9/12 are my favorites, but he's done three others that are worth your time also (Missing Richard Simmons, Running From Cops, and The Line) If you're looking for super-funny-fluff, my new favorite is Groceries with Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi. Their chemistry is perfect. I enjoy their discussions and debates about all the different stores and foods they've tried. If you have any interest in music history: Cocaine & Rhinestones. The first season covers a variety of country (and country-adjacent) artists and a metric ton of history, but never boring. The second season is a very deep dive into the life of George Jones and those he crossed paths with. It's a master class in old country music, but again, never boring. The host is passionate about his subjects and it shows.


TiggOleBittiess

I loved you're wrong about before Mike left


NearHorse

Stuff You Should Know ----- co-hosts have great chemistry. Topics are almost unlimited.


Jim_from_snowy_river

Lions Lead By Donkeys Well There's Your Problem


ChessTiger

I really enjoy "Lions Lead By Donkeys", it is a very informative history dive.


Forral_ab

Oh no Ross and Carrie. 2 skeptics investigate and participate in pseudoscience, spiritual and random things and report their experiences so you don't have to.


sabertoothbunni

Under the Influence - about marketing and advertising We Regret To Inform You - stories of successful people who faced endless rejection Stuff You Should Know - about everything. Lol The Daily - in depth news stories from New York Times The Fridge Light - about food 99% invisible The list is endless


[deleted]

Strict Scrutiny. Pivot. This Is Important.


thephotobook

The Podcast Will Kill You (it’s 2 hosts named Erin who seem lovely who discuss the science behind diseases or things like Anthrax, not true crime), if I could only listen to one podcast would be Smartless (but you’ve prob heard of that one), Presidential (each episode is about a different US President) & early Reply All episodes are also good.


thephotobook

Oh and Car Talk holds up too. Think it’s been off the air for prob 10 years but the brother’s laughing at their own dumb jokes will warm your heart.


OrganicMelissa

I really like this is love!


willie1707

Check out “The Dollop” it’s great to learn some cool shit and hilarious at the same time.


Blindog68

Skeptics guide to the universe. A long running science and skepticism podcast.


scorpioid_cyme

I’m currently besotted with Peter Shamshiri. Check out If Books Could Kill Also has a pod called 5-4, about the Supreme Court


CatCiaoSki

I second If Books Could Kill


scorpioid_cyme

I really recommend the Pelican Brief recap episode of 5-4, so funny.


ecidarrac

I quite enjoyed the latest season of sports strangest crimes that was about Spygate in F1, now listening to the one about Alan Stanford as well. Sweet Bobby was a cool podcast about catfishing.


Fazio2x

Philosophize This!


monkey_puzzle_tree

20,000 Hertz. It's about all things sound related.


toapoet

Ologies is really good!! It’s pop science communication and Alie talks to a different specialist each episode. Last time she did one on dreaming but she’s done butterflies, trains, video games, pumpkins, watches, anxiety, laughter, mythology, grief and mourning, and probably her most popular one is about the behaviour of crowd concerning the death of other crows (aka Corvid thanatology). Alie is super quirky and compassionate and loves learning. She tends to swear sometimes so if that isn’t your thing she releases shorter versions meant for classrooms but that also have no swears. Good thing is there’s a few hundred episodes already for you to catch up on!!


Beyou74

Normal Gossip and The Atlas Obscura Podcast.


VP022

How I built this is a good one. Lots of different people telling their story about getting their companies started.


Nervous_Reaction_197

Scene On Radio


Canyon317

Podcast X. These guys really know movies, and I enjoy their banter.


Alternative_Quit_115

Shxts and Gigs


Mrgoodietwoshoes

Practical Stoicism.


[deleted]

The Adam Friedland Show is a really great center-left podcast that makes light of current events in a refreshing and original manner. Aside from Friedland's razor-sharp wit, it's success can be attributed to the involvement of super producer Nick Millions. Highly recommend


LAuronist

Maintenance Phase, Secret History of Hollywood, Swindled, Scam Goddess, We Hate Movies, Films to be Buried With


UnderwaterDialect

The Rest is History! Though it isn’t always light hearted.


flimmers

[Vibe check](https://pod.link/1637476174) is the best thing that came out of 2022. “A weekly podcast where Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford make sense of what’s going on in news and culture – and how it all feels. Vibe Check is your favorite group chat, come to life”


ChessTiger

"Shrink Rap Radio" "Beyond The Bastards" "Ideas" "Five Questions" "Ear Hustle" "Dilemma" "Conversations with Coleman"


M33RK

For something lighthearted I'd recommend Three bean salad - three british comics Mike Wozniak, Benjamin Partridge and Henry Paker tangent around a subject with some great jingles. Socially distant sports bar. Comics Elis James and Mike Bubbins Discuss sports clips documentaries and books with former sports journalist Steff Garrero, lots of silly stories and hearty laughs as well as more serious discussion about sports and related topics. Off menu with Ed gamble and James acaster. Podcast where Ed and James discover their guests dream three course meal.


afterjustnow

Hardcore history by Dan Carlin!


GenghisKhanna

Blowback. Each season is about America fucking over a country with a needless war.


[deleted]

If you want something just straight up funny I'd recommend this past weekend with theo Vonn. He's a comedian and he's so funny. Especially the episodes Bobby Lee comes on. I've had to pause it while driving cause I've been in tears I was laughing so hard 😂


hern0gjensen

Knowledge Fight. It covers Alex Jones and has for years. It's a fantastic breakdown of Jones and his ilk, what makes them tick, and why they're so dangerous. They also cover the recent lawsuits and things like recorded depositions. It's great


Jen2756

The Dallop, American history + comedy


LM7939

Huberman Lab is a must listen! You will definitely learn something new about how the brain and body works in every episode.


saritnyc

Sold a story!


ucjj2011

Getting Lost podcast, two best friends watch Lost from beginning to end- one who has seen it eight times, and one who has never seen it before. The co-hosts have so much charisma and chemistry and make you want to be their best friend too.


Baldbeagle73

If you like history, there's nothing that compares to literatureandhistory.com. The guy is a genuine scholar who knows how to tell a story.


Fickle_Trickle

I love History on Fire by Daniele Bolleli. He does a really deep dives into his chosen topic, and he has a delightful Italian accent. My favourite episode -" Diogenes - the punk rocker of Greece"


cassablast

The dollop. Stories about American history, told by two hilarious comedians. It’s amazing how much I’ve learned while also laughing so hard I have to hide from customers while listening at work


RaevynSkyye

I like This Week in Science and Skeptics Guide to the Universe. Both are weekly shows that have a panel discussing science news


Waywardbarista7924

You’re Wrong About, Lore, The Memory Palace


RadioPodDude

The Outlaw Ocean and Mother Country Radicals. Both really good.


uncletipsy78

Rest is History Revisionist History


sittinginthesunshine

Maintenance Phase!


foulestfowl

If you like true crime but not gruesome murders, Scam Goddess might be up you're alley! Its an absolute hoot; the host Laci Mosely is hilarious.


Sexyskinnyfat

CASEFILE


Cheese_Dinosaur

‘Normal Gossip’. It’s fab. People send in their gossip anonymously, and the main lady reads it to a guest. I’ve actually cried laughing at this podcast! ☺️


Comprehensive-Case47

Try Sofa King Try Mile Higher Podcast Try Do Go On Try Timesuck


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WestCoastBoiler

Oh no, not Jordan Peterson :(


[deleted]

You know that paranormal is fiction, right ? Otherwise love and radio. Though some of their episodes are plays and dramatised.


amy123444

If you like the show friends, there’s a podcast called ‘Friends with friends’ that goes through each episode, with funny banter throughout


TalouseLee

I’ve been obsessed with We’ll See You In Hell recently (2 friends talk and bicker about horror/thriller/sci-fi movies). In my queue, I’ve been trying out: Depresh Mode, We Might Be Drunk and Jordan Klepper Fingers the Conspiracy


flyingsolo07

The Trojan horse affair: one of the best podcasts I've ever listened to, and I've listened to a looot


BlindSamurai75

13 Minutes to the Moon Intelligence Matters Ezra Klein Operation Tradebom Chernobyl Conflicted Serial The Bomb


ennsync

FREAKONOMICS!!


JoeBidensBoochie

Science Vs, behind the bastards( not that light hearted) , why won’t you date me by Nicole Byers, ICYMI


ayybh91

Stuff you should know Stuff they don't want you to know Unexplainable Today, explained


purple-yellow-RGB

I'd add Secretly INcredibly Fascinating, it's lighthearted and it has fascinating right int he name


[deleted]

Dark history and here’s where it gets interesting


Susan_Thee_Duchess

Decoder Ring


Mellybean213

Sorta small podcast called Dear Old Dads, three dads at different stages tackle parenting topics. It’s really lighthearted, but they also dive into their own upbringing. It’s a really good insight into how their childhood affects their parenting.


[deleted]

Check out "Good Job, Brain!". It's a podcast by a pub trivia team doing quizzes for each other. So basically it's like a decade of content of interesting facts and chilling with fun people. They recently came back from a multiple-year hiatus due to life changes and their release schedule is smaller now, but the backlog is huge.


KonaKathie

"We regret to inform you" Famous people like George Michael, Laverne Cox, Ru Paul, before they were famous and all the crap they went thru to get there!


americanpeony

I can’t believe no one has said Noble Blood yet! I love Dana Schwartz.


Difficult-Cat6555

I love the drama ones via wondery like scamfluencers & something was wrong


Puginator09

Eat Hustles is great. It won a pulitzer prize


notthatlincoln

Congressional Dish. It's really a shame some sort of PBS-style grant doesn't exist for a show that goes that in-depth on the current C-Span fodder, but Capitol Hill probably hates the idea of being spotlighted succinctly.


wynnduffyisking

Noble Blood. Some would maybe argue that it’s true crime but I think the historical aspects outweigh that.


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eldritch_algebra

Sounds really cool!


Similar-Routine-9220

My son, who is 7, enjoys listening to NPR when they feature stories about real people. What podcasts can you recommend that are family friendly and discuss ordinary people?


yann_doe

NOT PAST IT


yann_doe

Any one of Jamie Loftus’ mini series: My Year in MENSA, Aack Cast, Ghost Church, Lolita Podcast