Trouble sleeping? You could count sheep, or let I Can’t Sleep do the heavy yawning for you. Host Benjamin Boster reads slow-paced, fact-filled content on science, history, and everyday oddities with zero plot twists and even less urgency. It’s calm. It’s consistent. And yes, you might accidentally learn something. So get comfy, press play, and let your brain wander off without you.
543 episodes transcribedPapyrus helped preserve human knowledge for thousands of years. This episode explores the papyrus plant, how ancient Egyptians transformed its stems i...
Skyscrapers transformed city skylines and changed the way people live and work. This episode explores the origins of tall buildings, the engineering b...
The platypus is one of the most unusual animals on Earth. This episode explores the strange combination of traits that make the platypus so distinctiv...
Pizza has evolved from a simple flatbread into one of the most widely enjoyed foods on the planet. This episode explores the history of pizza, its ori...
The guitar has traveled a long path from its ancient ancestors to become one of the most widely played instruments in the world. This episode explores...
Automata have fascinated people for thousands of years. This episode explores the history of self-operating mechanical devices, from ancient myths and...
Long before modern museums, wealthy collectors filled rooms and cabinets with unusual objects gathered from around the world. This episode explores th...
Stained glass has transformed sunlight into art for more than a thousand years. This episode explores how colored glass is made, how artisans assemble...
Honey has been part of human history for longer than recorded agriculture. This episode explores how bees transform nectar into honey, how hives funct...
Silk changed global trade long before most people had maps that made any sense. This episode covers how silk is made, why it became one of the most va...
Enceladus is one of Saturn’s small moons, but it has a talent for making scientists suspicious. In this episode, we explore its icy surface, strange g...
Tacos started as practical handheld food and somehow became a topic people argue about with surprising intensity. In this episode, we go through the h...
Neuschwanstein Castle is what happens when a king builds his medieval fantasy in the Bavarian mountains. This episode explores the castle’s history, i...
Windows changed architecture long before they became something your neighbor peers through while pretending to check the weather. This episode looks a...
Disc golf turns a simple flying disc into a surprisingly structured sport with rules, strategy, and plenty of trees waiting to ruin your plans. In thi...
Human language may have started with gestures, sounds, and early attempts to cooperate long before written history existed. This episode explores theo...
Shenandoah National Park stretches along the Blue Ridge Mountains with a road that was basically built for people who like scenic views without leavin...
Candles are simple objects with a surprisingly long history of being useful, decorative, and occasionally dramatic. In this episode, we explore how ca...
Can’t sleep? Great, let’s sort humanity into tidy little personality boxes and see how that goes. In this episode, we read about the Myers-Briggs Type...
Still awake? Might as well spend a few minutes learning about the most important substance on Earth. In this episode, we take a slow, steady look at w...
