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Weird Courtship Rituals, Part Two
What exactly is Bhutanese "Night Hunting," and how does it work? How do some rural Cambodian communities navigate the tricky world of dating while living in communal homes? It's often said the course…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
Weird Courtship Rituals, Part One
Would you whisper sweet nothings to your sweeheart through a six-foot tube with your Puritan grandmother in the room? Would you force feed your children to make them more attractive for a potential g…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
A Brief History of Underwear
Underwear! Whether we're talking boxers, briefs, loincloths, brassieres or even lingerie, undergarments have a storied history in cultures across the planet. It's a tale touching on everything from s…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
One Guy Was Certain Telepathic Snails Would Replace Telegraphs
Since before the dawn of recorded history, human beings have been obsessed with talking to each other. This primal impulse inspired French occultist Jacques-Toussaint Benoît to propose a new, global …
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
The Duke of Portland Hated People and Loved Tunnels
We've all had those days where we just need a little solitude, a quiet place away from the clamor and chatter of other people. However, William John Cavensidh-Scott-Bentinck, the 5th Duke of Portland…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
Where do Lemonade Stands Come From?
Today, most Americans think of lemonade stands with nostalgia. In decades past, this could be an enterprising kid's first brush with the world of business as they set out to make a fortune, one cup a…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
Painless Parker and the Dental Circus
Edgar Parker, later better known as "Painless Parker," wasn't your ordinary dentist. When his first practice was struggling in 1892, he began to think outside of the figurative box, combining dentist…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
The Rise and Fall of Curative Plane Flights
In the early 1920s, the still-new technology of powered aircraft amazed folks across the planet. People weren't quite sure what this technology could do, so when a plane flight appeared to restore He…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
That Time People Paid Rent With Eels
Nowadays, most people pay rent with the currency of their given nation — but for a time in England, your rent might have been paid with eels (yes, literal eels). In today’s episode, Ben, Max and retu…
Published on 4 years, 5 months ago
The Miracle of the Gulls: A Cricket War
In 1848, times were dire for the Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake Valley. Massive swarms of crickets laid waste to everything in their path, destroying crops and endangering the community's chances of …
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago