{"podcast":{"title":"The Stupid History Minute","slug":"the-stupid-history-minute-4049187","podcast_index_feed_id":4049187,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/4965707/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-stupid-history-minute","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/18875e53f7c5089bf3fd2f8c03f7abf3.jpg","author":"Keb Pound","episode_count":1000,"summary":"Most people take everyday things for granted — but what if you could actually know the weird, surprising, and often hilarious stories behind them? I’m Keb Pound, and this is The Stupid History Minute — the most binge-able podcast in the world. One minute at a time, I break down the overlooked, the ordinary, and the absolutely ridiculous parts of everyday life. From the history of paperclips to why we say “bless you” after a sneeze, each episode delivers a fast, funny fact you’ll actually remember. Whether you're a trivia nerd, a podcast junkie, or just someone who loves learning weird stuff quickly, you’ll walk away a little smarter (and maybe a little more sarcastic). Don’t stay stupid — give me a minute. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-stupid-history-minute--4965707/support .","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T14:17:31.460766+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stupid-history-minute-4049187"},"episode":{"title":"San Serriffe","slug":"san-serriffe","published_at":"2026-04-24T07:00:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stupid-history-minute-4049187/san-serriffe","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stupid-history-minute-4049187","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/san-serriffe--71024957","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71024957/san_serriffe.mp3","summary":"Explore the legendary 1977 April Fool's prank by The Guardian, which fabricated an entire island nation in the Indian Ocean. Discover how meticulous detail convinced thousands of readers to attempt booking vacations to a non-existent country.","meta_description":"The story of San Serriffe, the fictional Indian Ocean nation created by The Guardian for one of history's most successful April Fool's pranks.","key_points":["Main idea: The Guardian's 1977 creation of San Serriffe remains a masterclass in satirical journalism","Key detail: The prank relied on extreme granular detail to simulate a real geographic entity","Impact: The fabrication was so convincing that readers actually attempted to book travel to the island","Lesson: High-fidelity world-building is the essential ingredient for a successful large-scale hoax","Historical context: This event stands as one of the most famous examples of an executed April Fool's joke"],"chapters":[{"start_ms":0,"title":"The Legend of San Serriffe","summary":"An introduction to the 1977 Guardian prank involving a fictional Indian Ocean nation."},{"start_ms":10000,"title":"The Art of the Hoax","summary":"How the use of uppercase and lowercase details fooled thousands of unsuspecting readers."},{"start_ms":20000,"title":"Consequences of Realism","summary":"The moment the prank went too far as travelers tried to book vacations to the fake island."},{"start_ms":30000,"title":"Legacy of the Prank","summary":"Reflecting on why this remains a gold standard for well-executed April Fool's jokes."},{"start_ms":40000,"title":"Closing Thoughts","summary":"Final reflections on the genius of the San Serriffe fabrication."}],"topics":["April Fool's Day","The Guardian","San Serriffe","Media Pranks","History of Journalism","Indian Ocean","Satire","Hoaxes"],"duration_seconds":69,"processing_state":"processed","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-stupid-history-minute-4049187/episodes/san-serriffe/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stupid-history-minute-4049187/san-serriffe.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}