9 Everyday Objects With Incredible Secret Powers

Regular stuff is saving the world. That's good news, right? Wouldn't it be NICE to find out a humble roll of tape and a simple ball of yarn have amazing uses you'd never expect? Answer: yes that is nice. So on this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by comedians/podcasters Jamie Loftus and Atsuko Okatsuka for a look at everyday objects with incredible secret powers. Find out how old bras, loose salt, random mayonnaise and more common items became useful tools for making the modern world better.

Footnotes:

The Bechdel Cast (iHeartRadio)

Let's Go, Atsuko! A Woke Japanese Game Show (Forever Dog)

live dates for Jamie Loftus's stand-up, for The Bechdel Cast, and for her show "Boss Whom Is Girl"

tickets for the live "Let's Go, Atsuko!" at SF Sketchfest, Jan. 24th 2020

tickets for the live "Let's Go, Atsuko!" at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles, Feb. 15th 2020

100 Legacies From World War I: Sanitary Products (The Wall Street Journal)

How Humble Moss Healed the Wounds of Thousands in World War I (Smithsonian)

The Surprising Origins of Kotex Pads (Smithsonian)

5 Everyday Things That Have Awesome Secrets (Nobody Notices) (Cracked source for: tenji blocks, tape measures)

5 Everyday Objects That Are Secretly Saving The World (Cracked source for: bras/turtles, reefs/superglue, mayonnaise, salt)

5 Everyday Objects Scientists MacGyvered Into Huge Advances (Cracked source for: scotch tape, velveteen)

X-Rays Made with Scotch Tape (MIT Technology Review)

Thailand bay made popular by 'The Beach' to remain closed for two more years (CNN Travel)

video game scene from The Beach (2000)

Milwaukee man charged with hate crime over parking spot acid attack (BBC News)

Artificial skin trial offers hope to Pakistan's acid attack victims (CNN)

Esther Lederberg and Her Husband Were Both Trailblazing Scientists. Why Have More People Heard of Him? (TIME)

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958 (NobelPrize.org)

Velveteen replica plating tutorial (YouTube)

Adventures in Mathematical Knitting (American Scientist)

Alexander Crum Brown's Mathematical Models: Interpenetrating models of beknottedness (National Museum of Scotland)

6 Math Concepts Explained by Knitting and Crochet (Mental Floss)

'Knitting Is Coding' and Yarn Is Programmable in This Physics Lab (The New York Times)

Chef Boyardee ravioli can in lava flow (lavapix.com on YouTube)

办公室小野官方频道 Ms Yeah Official Channel (YouTube)