1440 Explores

Episodes

• The System That Runs World Soccer (And Why It Broke) 04.06.2026 31m

  FIFA started as a handful of Europeans who wanted to play soccer across borders. It became one of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in sports history, controlled by 22 men voting behind closed doors. For nearly two decades, one man sat at the center of it all: Sepp Blatter. He wasn't the richest official in the room. He didn't need to be. He had something better: the votes. And he knew exactly how to keep them. So how does a Swiss bureaucrat become the most powerful man in the world's most popular sport? This is a story about soccer, but also about power, money, and how global systems quietly get built ... and then break under their own weight. Guest: Simon Kuper, journalist at the Financial Times and author of "World Cup Fever." Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives: https://youtube.com/@1440explores https://youtube.com/@1440originals More resources: https://join1440.com/t/the-american-presidency Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact Checker: Alice Jones Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily
• The Evolution of the US Presidency 14.05.2026 28m

  America's founders were so afraid of concentrated power that they spent three months designing Congress, but only three days on the presidency. They thought that was enough. It wasn't. Today, one office controls 4 million federal employees, the world's most powerful military, and the ability to reshape the lives of every American ... all while the founders are, presumably, spinning in their graves. So what happened? How does a job description that fits on half a page become the most powerful office on earth? And is there any way back? Guest: HW Brands, historian and author of "American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington," professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives: https://youtube.com/@1440explores https://youtube.com/@1440originals More resources: https://join1440.com/t/the-american-presidency Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact Checker: Alice Jones Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily
• The Origins of Silicon Valley 23.04.2026 33m

  Silicon Valley wasn’t supposed to happen. A stretch of California orchard land somehow became the place that built the modern world: chips, PCs, the internet, the smartphone, and now AI. But the real story isn’t the garage myth. It’s a series of contradictions hiding in plain sight. So what actually built Silicon Valley, and what does that tell us about where it’s going next? We'll unpack: The Cold War military money that quietly funded Silicon Valley's rise, before anyone called it that. How a Stanford dean's real estate gamble changed the course of American technology. Why the Space Race is what made the microchip cheap. How a generation of anti-establishment hippies built one of the greatest engines of corporate power on earth. Guest: Margaret O’Mara, historian, professor at the University of Washington, and author of "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America." Join the knowledge collective:https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives:https://youtube.com/@1440exploreshttps://youtube.com/@1440originals Credits:A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 MediaHost: Sony KassamProducer: Nicolo MajnoniEditor: Dan BobkoffSound Designer: Jay CowitExecutive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew SteigerwaldExecutive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us:https://www.instagram.com/1440dailyhttps://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily
• How the US Income Tax Actually Works 15.04.2026 24m

  It’s Tax Day in the US, and the system behind it isn’t as straightforward as it looks. You earn money. Taxes get taken out. Case closed … right? Not exactly. In this episode of "1440 Explores," we break down how the US tax system actually works, from confusing deductions and misunderstood tax brackets to why the wealthiest Americans often end up paying a very different tax than everyone else. We'll unpack: Why tax brackets don’t work the way most people think. Why half of Americans don’t pay federal income tax. How wealth gets taxed differently than wages. What “buy, borrow, die” means for the ultra-wealthy. Guest:Michael Linden, senior policy fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and former executive associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Join the knowledge collective:https://www.join1440.com Check out 1440's video deep-dives:https://youtube.com/@1440exploreshttps://youtube.com/@1440originals Credits:A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 MediaHost: Sony KassamProducer: Nicolo MajnoniEditor: Dan BobkoffSound Designer: Jay CowitExecutive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew SteigerwaldExecutive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us:https://www.instagram.com/1440dailyhttps://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily
• The Hidden Life of Trash 02.04.2026 24m

  Every day, we throw things away. But "away" isn't a place, it's a system. From curbside pickup to landfills, trash shapes cities, public health, and the environment in ways most of us never see. Host Sony Kassam sits down with anthropologist Robin Nagle, who spent years riding garbage trucks in New York City, to help trace the hidden life of what we throw out—and asks the question that's harder to answer than it sounds: if garbage tells the story of who we are, what does ours say?Guest:Robin Nagle, anthropologist, clinical professor at New York University, and author of Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks with the Sanitation Workers of New York CityJoin the knowledge collective:https://www.join1440.comCheck out 1440's video deep-dives:https://youtube.com/@1440exploreshttps://youtube.com/@1440originalsCredits:A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 MediaHost: Sony KassamProducer: Nicolo MajnoniEditor: Dan BobkoffFact-Checker: Alice JonesSound Designer: Jay CowitExecutive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew SteigerwaldExecutive Producer (Rhyme): Dan BobkoffAbout 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it.Follow us:https://www.instagram.com/1440dailyhttps://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily
• The History of College Tuition 12.03.2026 22m

  College tuition can hit $90,000 a year at private schools, but most students never pay that price. So why does college seem so expensive, and who actually foots the bill? Host Sony Kassam sits down with economist Dr. Sandy Baum to untangle the mystery. From the GI Bill to the Higher Education Act of 1965, we explore how college access expanded, costs rose, and financial aid became central to the system.  Guest: Dr. Sandy Baum, economist and senior fellow at the Urban Institute Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com More Content: Student debt: https://join1440.com/t/student-debt Endowments: https://join1440.com/t/endowments Check out 1440's video deep-dives: https://youtube.com/@1440originals Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact-Checker: Meher Qazilbash Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired on a daily basis. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily
• Behind the Supreme Court's Curtains 19.02.2026 28m

  A court designed to be the least powerful branch became one of the most influential institutions in American life. 1440 Explores host Sony Kassam dives inside the Supreme Court of the United States, with help from Yale Law professor Akhil Reed Amar, to uncover how it gained extraordinary authority, what really happens behind closed doors, and why its power has become one of the most fiercely contested questions in modern democracy.  Guest: Akhil Reed Amar, Yale Law professor and legal scholar Learn more about the Supreme Court: https://join1440.com/t/supreme-court-of-the-united-states Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Nicolo Majnoni Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact-Checker: Meher Qazilbash Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired on a daily basis. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Follow us: https://youtube.com/@1440explores
• How Fire Turned From Friend to Foe 29.01.2026 23m

  A planet that learned to burn. A century of fire suppression. A warming world primed to ignite. 1440 Explores host Sony Kassam sits down with fire historian Stephen Pyne to trace how humans turned fire from our greatest tool into our most dangerous threat—and what it would take to live with fire again. Guest: Stephen J. Pyne, fire historian and emeritus professor at the Center for Biology and Society at Arizona State University Credits: A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media Host: Sony Kassam Producer: Kim Nederveen Pieterse Editor: Dan Bobkoff Fact-Checker: Sanam Skelly Sound Designer: Jay Cowit Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired on a daily basis. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it. Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com Follow us: https://youtube.com/@1440explores https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily
• The Wild Story Behind the First Cell Phone Call 08.01.2026 29m

  A battle with a telecom giant. A stunt call on a New York sidewalk. A forgotten memo that rewired the world. Host Sony Kassam sits down with Marty Cooper, the father of the cell phone, and Arlene Harris, the first lady of wireless, to explore the innovation, politics, and high-stakes battle that pried connectivity out of corporate control and built the always-on world we live in today. Guests: Marty Cooper, engineer, entrepreneur, and "father of the cell phone." Arlene Harris, wireless entrepreneur, pioneer of prepaid cellular, and the "first lady of wireless.” Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni and edited by Dan Bobkoff. Our fact-checker is Meher Qazilbash, and our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily and https://www.youtube.com/@1440explores Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• The Science of Dreaming 11.12.2025 27m

  We spend 6 years of our lives dreaming. But what if someone else is controlling what you dream about? With help from pioneering sleep scientist Dr. Bob Stickgold, 1440 editor-in-chief and host Sony Kassam unpacks what dreams really are, why the brain spins up these nighttime storylines, how memories and emotions shape them, and why certain dreams feel like we’re suddenly in the driver’s seat. Plus, the new frontier of dreams: how companies and researchers can control them. Guest: Dr. Bob Stickgold, a professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and a visiting professor at M.I.T. Media Lab Background reading: https://join1440.com/t/dreams Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Dan Bobkoff and Sony Kassam. It was fact-checked by Meher Qazilbash. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Inside the ChatGPT Black Box 20.11.2025 26m

  Ever asked ChatGPT a question and felt like it understood you? Or marveled at how AI can write, explain, or even argue convincingly? With help from legendary computer scientist and Mathematica creator Stephen Wolfram,1440 editor-in-chief and host Sony Kassam unpacks how large language models really work—how they predict the next word, why they sometimes hallucinate, and what the mechanics reveal about intelligence, language, and humanity. Guest: Stephen Wolfram, founder and CEO of Wolfram Research and creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and Wolfram Language Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Background reading: What is ChatGPT doing and why does it work? https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/what-is-chatgpt-doing-and-why-does-it-work/ Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history—or not? https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/03/will-ais-take-all-our-jobs-and-end-human-history-or-not-well-its-complicated/ Generative AI space and the mental imagery of alien minds: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/07/generative-ai-space-and-the-mental-imagery-of-alien-minds/ All the best resources on the internet about LLMs: https://join1440.com/t/large-language-models Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Ghosts: Why We See What Isn't There 30.10.2025 25m

  Every culture has them—restless spirits, haunted houses, things that go bump in the night. But why do we believe in ghosts? Psychologist and skeptic Dr. Chris French joins host Sony Kassam to explore the science behind the supernatural, from sleep paralysis and hallucinations to the brain’s pattern-making instincts. Together, they uncover why our minds see meaning—and sometimes ghosts—where none exist, and what that reveals about fear, memory, and our need to believe in something beyond the grave. Guest: Dr. Chris French, head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London. Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni. It was fact-checked by Meher Qazilbash. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Background reading: https://join1440.com/t/ghosts Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Alcohol: Why We Drink and What It Does to Us 09.10.2025 36m

  Alcohol is the world’s most popular drug—a molecule that can calm or excite and bond communities or tear them apart. We trace alcohol’s journey from ancient rituals to modern hangovers, uncover how it shaped civilizations, and dive into the neuroscience of how it affects your brain and body. With insights from leading experts, we ask: Given all that we know, why do humans continue to drink? Guests: David Nutt, psychiatrist and professor of psycho-pharmacology at Imperial College in London, author of Drink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health, and cofounder of Sentia Spirits. Edward Slingerland, professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia and author of Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization. Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Dan Bobkoff and Kim Nederveen Pieterse. It was fact-checked by Sanam Skelly. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Credit Cards: The Story Behind the Plastic 09.10.2025 28m

  Credit cards feel like magic—tap, swipe, approved. But behind that split-second ding is one of the most complex financial systems ever built. We unpack how your $5 latte triggers a global relay between banks and networks like Visa and Mastercard, trace the 1958 campaign that jump-started the credit card revolution, and reveal how a trillion-dollar system quietly shapes the way we spend. From interest rates to rewards points, this is the hidden story of money in motion—and how a small piece of plastic changed the world. Guest: Sean Vanatta, senior lecturer in financial history and policy at the University of Glasgow and author of Plastic Capitalism, Banks, Credit Cards, and the End of Financial Control. Background reading: https://join1440.com/t/credit-cards Credits: 1440 Explores is a production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media, hosted by Sony Kassam. This episode was produced by Nicolo Majnoni. It was fact-checked by Sanam Skelly. Our sound designer is Jay Cowit. The executive producer at Rhyme is Dan Bobkoff, and the executive producers at 1440 are Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald. Follow us for more curiosity-driven stories: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1440daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed, helping curious people stay informed and inspired daily. We live in an era of limitless information, yet limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than the truth. The tools meant to expand knowledge often distort it. Enter 1440: a knowledge collective built on curiosity, connection, and care for the truth. Here, facts matter, thinking is valued, and people come together to understand the world. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a muscle. Exercised daily, it sharpens the mind, fuels discovery, and drives lifelong growth. Join the movement: https://www.join1440.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
• Introducing: 1440 Explores 18.09.2025 3m

  1440 Explores dives into the most fascinating topics of our time—why we dream, how AI thinks, the magic (and consequences) of credit cards, and more—blending science, history, and expert insights to make sense of the world. Produced in collaboration with Rhyme Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.