20. Does Panera Care?
When Panera asks customers to pay what they want for a sandwich, will they help others in need? PLUS: How "genericide" hurt the Elevator.
Anna Mazarakis
Former Associate Producer, Audio & Podcasts
19. Kentucky Fried Christmas
How did Colonel Sanders and Kentucky Fried Chicken take over Christmas in Japan? Plus, Christmas decorating gone wrong and the colonel's curse.
18. Resting Botox Face
The story of Botox: from the discovery that a deadly toxin can make faces look less troubled, to a feminist professor's investigation turned personal.
17. Better Call Butterball
Butterball turkey experts have answered your questions since 1981. We hear about the wildest calls and how to pull off a perfect Thanksgiving dinner.
16. NASA Uncut
NASA stories about a meatball and a worm, some astronauts with gastrointestinal issues, and a middle schooler's mission to send chickens into space.
15. The Waffle House Index
Waffle House is so good at responding to storms that FEMA uses it to determine disaster aid. How does it get up and running so quickly?
14. Sears: There Was More For Your Life
How did Sears stay alive so long, and how did it all fall apart? This is the story of its CEO, Eddie Lampert.
13. Gangs? At Disneyland?
Once upon a time, gangs roamed Disneyland in biker vests. The story is a classic fairytale—but is there a happily ever after?
12. A Wrench in Tesla
While Tesla's image was taking a hit, a guy near Boston was fixing up damaged cars—and revealing their flaws. Will Tesla support him or stop him?
11. The Amway Dream
How did multi-level marketing companies like Amway spread through America's towns and cities, and into the highest offices of government?
10. The Macy's Home Department
When the Macy's at Landmark Mall closed its doors, it became a homeless shelter. And a woman who once worked there, found herself sleeping there.
8. The Jell-O Curse
Allie Rowbottom's life is built on a Jell-O fortune. But along with the wealth from America's most famous dessert, there came a curse.
7. The Bodies at the Brooks Brothers
After the 9/11 attacks, a young doctor finds himself in charge of a makeshift morgue at a Brooks Brothers store across from the World Trade Center.
6. Basically Starbucks
A Pumpkin Spice Latte is the perfect accessory for the "basic bitch." But why? And how did Starbucks go from elitist to basic?
5. The Coca-Cola President
How did Vicente Fox go from driving soda trucks to being President of Mexico? And how did Coke come to dominate in Mexican society?
4. Trader Joe's No-Buck Chuck
Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck" was named after a real guy, Charles Shaw, who has a wild winemaking past full of gambles, heartbreak, and cruel ironies.
3. The Last Blockbuster
How has Blockbuster Video survived against the odds so long in Alaska, and what will its decline mean?
2. Donald and Ivana's Affair (with Pizza Hut)
When Pizza Hut can't get anyone to buy their new Stuffed Crust Pizza, help comes from an unlikely pair: Donald and Ivana Trump.
1. TGI Fridays: The Tinder of the 1960s
TGI Fridays was once a game-changing singles bar that arrived on the cusp of the sexual revolution and changed the way we meet, date and marry.
9. The Mattress Firm Conspiracy Theory
Why are there so many Mattress Firm stores? We team up with Endless Thread podcast to get to the bottom of this Reddit conspiracy.