Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe Lincoln, Part 1: The Origin Story
Kate Warne wasn't just the first female private investigator in the US -- she was also one of the best Pinkerton detectives in the history of the age…
5 years, 11 months ago
What is Fudge, Part 2: The Rebellion
The students of Vassar thrived despite a system of Victorian -- near Orwellian -- control. In a time when these college students were not allowed to …
6 years ago
What is Fudge, Part 1: The Science, The Curious Name
Nowadays, most people in the global West associate fudge with the idea of a homemade, homely confection. Yet once upon a time, this dangerously delig…
6 years ago
The North Pole, Part 2: The Chase To The North
The Mercator Projection continues to inform explorers, many of whom send their own appropriative versions of the Mythical North. Join Ben, Casey and …
6 years ago
The North Pole, Part 1: Maps and Legends
In 1569, Gerardus Mercator creates the first world map. It's the predecessor of the cartoonishly inaccurate Mercator projection, and this math guides…
6 years ago
The Mysterious Origin of (and Disturbing Problems with) the "Wolf Whistle"
It's one of those iconic 'you know it when you hear it' sounds - the two-note whistle made famous in old Tex Avery cartoons and multiple films of yes…
6 years ago
World War I and the Rise of the Peat Moss Bandage
War often drives innovation — often out of desperation. In World War I, doctors were overwhelmed and dangerously short on supplies, especially bandag…
6 years ago
Flashback: Unforeseen Consequences Throughout History: Part 2
How did air conditioning fundamentally change the course of U.S. politics? What does the Y.M.C.A. have to do with cigarettes? Join Ben and Casey as t…
6 years ago
Flashback: Unforeseen Consequences Throughout History: Part 1
How did air conditioning fundamentally change the course of U.S. politics? What does the Y.M.C.A. have to do with cigarettes? Join Ben and Casey as t…
6 years ago
Louis Wain, the Godfather of Cat Memes: Part 2
Before the days of WiFi, Reddit, nyan cat and grumpy cat alike, one man set the art world on fire with his increasingly bizarre paintings and sketche…
6 years, 1 month ago