Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
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…
4 years, 11 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 …
4 years, 11 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 …
4 years, 11 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 bus…
4 years, 11 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 thin…
4 years, 11 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…
5 years 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, li…
5 years 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…
5 years ago
A History of Pregnancy Cravings, Part 2: Stereotypes, Superstitions and Science
In earlier centuries, when science and spirituality were considered one and the same, the world was full of advice and warnings surrounding pregnancy…
5 years ago
A History of Pregnancy Cravings, Part 1: Pickles and Ice Cream
Pregnancy is amazing — and scary, and beautiful, and a thousand other things. The modern world has stereotypes and tropes aplenty about pregnancy, es…
5 years ago