When the last note is sung or the last instrument sounds, there is a magic that fills the theatre. Right before the applause hits, the air is charged with the electricity of the performance. But even after the roaring applause dies and the curtain falls, for some the performance still continues. For them, the show must always go on.

This is the true story of Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre.

For pictures from today's episode, head over to our Instagram HERE!

Sources:

"The True Story of 'Maestro'" - Biography.com

"Is Maestro a True Story?" - Harpers Bazaar

"About Felicia Montealegre" - LeonardBernstein.com

"The True Story Behind Leonard Bernstein..." - Esquire

"Leonard Bernstein - Overview" - LeonardBernstein.com

"Files Detail Years of Spying on Bernstein" - The New York Times

Sweet and tart, warm or cold, it’s the perfect way to start your morning. Today we are talking about the breakfast food that’s had a chokehold on America for over 50 years.

This is the true story behind Pop-Tarts.

*Pop* on over to our Instagram to continue the Tart Talk™! We're craving to hear your favorite flavors!

And if you enjoy the show, don't forget to rate and review us wherever you listen!

Sources:

"True Story of 'Unfrosted'..." - Biography.com

"The Contentious History of the Pop-Tart" - Smithsonian Mag

"How the Pop-Tart Came to Be" - Northeastern Global News

"History Timeline" - Pop-Tart Official Website

"The Battle of the Cornflakes" - History Today

"History of Battle Creek" - Historical Society of Battle Creek

"Meet Marjorie Merriweather Post" - Post Consumer Brands

What do you call it when something inexplicably horrible happens to a good person? Where there seems to be some sort of mix up and the wrong fate was handed out to an innocent person. Unfortunately, today's episode if full of unjustified tragedy.

This is the story of Nicholas Markowitz.

Don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen! And photos from today's episode can always be found HERE!

Sources:

"The Disturbing Story of..." by Marco Margaritoff - All That's Interesting

"The Last Days of Nick Markowitz" by Sue Fox - Los Angeles Times

"Murder of Nicholas Markowitz" - Wikipedia

"Gunman in 'Alpha Dog' Murder..." by Tom Bolton - Noozhawk

"Markowitz Kidnapper Released" by Nick Welsh - Santa Barbara Independent

"Alpha Dog" - Wikipedia

"Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.” - BJK 🎾

Today we’re talking all about the true story of Billie Jean King.

Don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen. And as always, pictures from the episode, including side-by-sides with the REAL people and their actors, can be found HERE!

Sources:

"Biography" - BillieJeanKing.com

"Billie Jean King" - National Women's History Museum

"The Gladys Heldman Story" - WTA Tennis

"Was Bobby Riggs a Sexist?" - Medium

"The day Bobby Riggs 'Massacred' Margaret Court..." - Tennis Majors

"Tennis Battle of the Sexes footage" - Youtube

🌊 Most people run as far away as they can from danger. But today we're not talking about most people. We're talking about the young man who not only willingly, but HAPPILY took on some of the ocean's fiercest waves headfirst.

This is the true story of the daredevil big wave surfer, Jay Moriarity 🏄🏼

Don't forget to rate and review wherever you listen to the show! And as always, all pictures from the episode can be found HERE.

Sources:

"Making Mavericks" by Frosty Hesson & Ian Spiegelman

"Chasing Mavericks" - The Cinephiliac

"20 years of 'Living Like Jay'..." by Wallace Baine - Lookout

"Solo diving exacts a heavy toll" by Terry Tomalin - Tampa Bay Times

"The compelling surf life story..." by Luis MP - SurferToday

"Jay Moriarity's wipeout at Mavericks" by Stu Nettle - Swellnet

Erin says it best: "Say the name Erin Brockovich and you think, strong, tough, stubborn and sexy. Erin is all that and definitely more. She is a modern-day 'David' who loves a good brawl with today's 'Goliaths'."

And this is the TRUE story of the Hinkley groundwater contamination.

All pictures from today's episode can be found HERE!

Sources:

"Erin Brockovich: the real story..." - ABC News

"My Story - Erin Brockovich" - Brockovich.com

"The Real-Life Unhappy Ending" by Miles O'Brien - PBS

"Personal Injury Lawyers..." - Hameroff Law

"Erin Brockovich: The real story" by Kathleen Sharp - Salon

"Reflecions on Hexavalent Chromium" - Environmental Health Perspectvies

"Results of Hexavalent..." - California Water Science Center

In the late 80s, the world 🌎 began turning to our screens 🖥️ as a way to communicate. But we quickly learned 💡 that a lot of meaning is lost 🤔 when your messages 💬 aren't said 🗣️ or received in person 🧍

So we created our own, new language.

Today, we're talking all about the origin of those cute yellow faces: Emoji! 😊

All pictures from the episode can be found HERE 📷

Sources 📖

"Emoji: The Complete History" by Arielle Pardes - WIRED

"Egyptian Hieroglyphs" - Wikipedia

Original Bboard Thread transcripts from Scott Fahlman

"Shigetaka Kurita. Emoji." - MoMA

"The Origin Of The Word 'Emoji'" by Johanna Mayer - Science Friday

"A Very, Very Expensive Emoji" by Lora Kelley - The Atlantic

🍔🍟 This fast food beacon can be found along highways, cities, and on every continent on the globe, minus Antarctica! Today, we're talking about the man ... or men ... behind the TRUE story of the founding of McDonald's.

Good news! Our ice cream machine is NOT down and our fries are FRESH! I hope you're hungry 😋

All pictures from today's episode can be found HERE!

Sources:

Grinding it Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc

"The Tragic Real-Life Story..." by Joel Stice - Mashed

"About Us" - McDonald's

"The Unstoppable Rise of McDonald's..." by Joel Libava

"From Movies to Hamburgers" - Los Angeles Almanac

"Multimixer History" - Sterling Multi Products

"Ray Croc" - Biography.com