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Wait... Why Do We Do That?

Steven

Details

Have you ever stopped in the middle of something completely normal and thought... wait, why do we do that? Why is the workday eight hours? Why do we change the clocks twice a year? Why is a marathon exactly 26.2 miles? Why do hotels want you out by 11? Why do we tip? And who decided everyone needed a lawn? Wait... Why Do We Do That? explores the strange, surprising and sometimes ridiculous stories behind the everyday things we rarely stop to question. Each episode takes one ordinary part of modern life and follows the story of how it got here, who decided it, why it stuck and whether the original reason still makes any sense today. It's history, psychology, business, culture and a healthy dose of curiosity, without the lecture. Because apparently, there's a reason for almost everything. Even if it isn't a particularly good one.

Recent Episodes

OCT 7, 2026
Why Do Prices End in .99?
Why does something cost $19.99 instead of $20? It's one cent. We all know it's basically twenty dollars. The retailer knows we know it's basically twenty dollars. We know they know we know. And yet... $19.99 survives. In this episode of Wait... Why Do We Do That?, we investigate one of retail's most persistent little tricks: charm pricing. We'll discover why our brains can treat $2.99 differently from $3.00, how the first digit of a price can influence the way we perceive it, and why that see...
18 MIN
OCT 5, 2026
Why Do Hotels Kick You Out at 11 AM?
Why do hotels kick you out at 11 AM? And if you can't check in until 3 or 4 in the afternoon... what exactly happened to the other five hours? In this episode of Wait... Why Do We Do That?, we investigate one of those travel rules almost everyone accepts without really questioning. You pay for a night in a hotel. You arrive in the afternoon. You sleep there. And then, at precisely 11 AM the next morning, your status seems to change from "valued guest" to "person housekeeping would quite like ...
17 MIN
OCT 2, 2026
Why Do We Change the Clocks?
Why do we change the clocks twice a year? Are we actually saving daylight? And whose idea was this anyway? In this episode of Wait... Why Do We Do That?, we uncover the surprisingly complicated history behind daylight saving time. We'll find out why Benjamin Franklin didn't actually invent it, why farmers weren't responsible for it, and how a British builder riding his horse one summer morning decided humanity had a serious problem: everyone was sleeping while the sun was shining. Then came W...
17 MIN
SEP 27, 2026
Why Is a Marathon Exactly 26.2 Miles?
Why do people voluntarily run 26.2 miles, and who decided that the final 385 yards were absolutely necessary? In this episode, Steve explores the strange history of the marathon, from an ancient Greek legend and the early Olympic Games to the chaotic 1908 race that helped establish the distance we know today. Along the way, we meet exhausted runners, interfering officials, a determined royal family, and Dorando Pietri, who crossed the finish line first but did not actually win. It is a story ...
16 MIN
SEP 25, 2026
Why Do We Change the Clocks?
Why do we change the clocks twice a year? Are we actually saving daylight? And whose idea was this anyway? In this episode of Wait... Why Do We Do That?, we uncover the surprisingly complicated history behind daylight saving time. We'll find out why Benjamin Franklin didn't actually invent it, why farmers weren't responsible for it, and how a British builder riding his horse one summer morning decided humanity had a serious problem: everyone was sleeping while the sun was shining. Then came W...
17 MIN