

Secretly Incredibly Fascinating
Alex Schmidt
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way! (For research sources, bonus episodes, and how you can support the podcast, visit sifpod.fun.)
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 6, 2026 • 41min
family leave week: two curated SIF bonus shows about bison
Please enjoy this treat from Alex and Katie! It's two SIF bonus shows about bison, never before released to the general public. We hope this lets everyone enjoy a curated bison podcasting experience like never before. (And to hear more than 280 other SIF bonus shows -- and counting! -- please visit https://maximumfun.org/join/ )

Apr 3, 2026 • 25sec
baby news!!
Alex had his baby! And everybody's doing great. :-D
ICYMI: Katie also had her baby!
Thanks for all your kindness in this special time. And see you in a few weeks for new SIF.

Mar 30, 2026 • 36min
family leave week: "1 Way To Make An Emoji (the bison emoji podcast)" Episode 1
Please enjoy this treat from Alex and Katie! It's the first episode of Alex's special miniseries about creating the bison emoji.
You can hear all the episodes (including Katie guesting on episode #3 out of 4) at the miniseries's website: https://www.bisonemojipodcast.com/ Or search "1 Way To Make An Emoji" in your podcast app.

Mar 23, 2026 • 54min
family leave week: "Creature Feature: Think Outside The Butt"
Please enjoy this treat from Alex and Katie! It's a past episode of Katie's animal science podcast, featuring Alex as the guest and butts as the topic.
Hear all the episodes of Creature Feature here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creature-feature/id1409480698

Mar 16, 2026 • 1h 9min
family leave week: "The Inspectors Inspectors" Episode 1
Please enjoy this treat from Alex and Katie! It's the first episode of "The Inspectors Inspectors", never before released to the general public. (To hear all six episodes -- and counting! -- please visit https://maximumfun.org/join/ )

Mar 9, 2026 • 56min
Human Teeth
Alex Schmidt and special guest Andrew Ti explore why human teeth are secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources and for this week's bonus episode.
Come hang out with us on the SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5
Visit http://sifpod.store/ to get shirts and posters celebrating the show.

Mar 2, 2026 • 1h 13min
Jim Thorpe
Alex Schmidt and special guest Joey Clift explore why Jim Thorpe is secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources and for this week's bonus episode.
Come hang out with us on the SIF Discord: https://discord.gg/wbR96nsGg5
Visit http://sifpod.store/ to get shirts and posters celebrating the show.

Feb 27, 2026 • 42sec
baby news!
Katie had her baby! And they're all doing well. <3
See you Monday for a new Alex-and-guests SIF. And thanks!

Feb 23, 2026 • 1h 11min
The Color Yellow
Tom Reimann, writer and performer known for sharp humor. David Bell, comedian and podcaster with witty cultural takes. They riff on why yellow feels the way it does. They debate tennis ball color, trace yellow through comics and branding, and unpack ancient pigments, printer forensics, and why school buses and taxis turned yellow.

Feb 16, 2026 • 57min
Doughnuts
Tom Lum, digital creator and podcast host known for 'Let's Learn Everything' and 'Our Findings Show', joins to geek out about doughnuts. They trace fried-dough origins, explain why the hole exists, and connect shapes to math and cooking. Conversations cover mechanization, cultural quirks like Tim Hortons and police tropes, wartime roots of National Donut Day, and surprising marketing stories.


